I'm back - finally...

It's been a long, long time since my last post, but I'm finally on line... right here in my own home.
 
Have to introduce you to the newest member of the family.

China Cat Sunflower 

China for short, or Buddy, 

or Kinkers for the broken spot on the end of his tail... 

or any of a number of silly endearments.

China with his little sister 

The first evening of their rescue

Here he is living up to his Grateful Dead namesake 

wearing a stylish tie-dye sweater

Suzanne loving his little sister... 

What will this little Peanut eventually be called?

These kittens are feral rescues... there were actually three of them on the sidewalk outside Suzanne's apartment. 

Lured by the incredible flavor of chicken burritos, two of these apparently starving babies were captured by Suzanne's husband, Jeff.  They searched for the third kitten but it had vanished.  These babies were docile from the moment they were touched.  

On the second morning of searching, we did find a humane trap with a note attached to the top saying not to disturb it as they were trying to capture feral kittens in order to foster them and adopt them out, so we were hopeful that the third kitten would be caught.

About two weeks later a woman left a note on Suzanne's door saying she had been searching for the person who rescued the two kittens.  She was wondering how they were caught so easily, as she had been trying to catch them for a period of time.  She is involved in a UC Davis research of Feral Cat Colonies - trapping kittens for fostering and adoption, and grown cats for neutering/spaying then returning the adults to their colony.  Suzanne contacted her and learned that the third kitten had been caught about a week later (evidently the mother had just left them to their own devices, and they lied about being starved), then the mother and an adult sister, and finally the papa.  She said the kitten she caught was as tame as could be, and if she had not been studying these cat's she would not have believed the kittens were feral.  All's well that ends well.