Talk about a tough crowd.

In a move that I may question for some time, we answered the call from our Humane Society to try to turn the corner with four babies. Let me just tell you, toughest crowd ever. They hissed and spitted and hid and ran...even Ella couldn't get them to turn the corner. Except Pudgie, the runt. Pudgie stepped out the kitten carrier that first day all wobbly-legged and crawled up on Ella's lap like he'd been there forever.

Kay, Nick, Louie and Pudgie spent about 6 weeks with us DURING the last few weeks of the school year which really means it was an awful lot of chaos. 

Ella worked her magic and I spent hours on end trying to get Pudgie to the 2 pound mark, while his siblings were well on their way to 2.5 pounds. Before it was all over, she had done this.

Pudgie was never far from her side.

And they all looked like they could have been our own Mavis's little babies!

A check up for Pudgie

Socializing taken seriously: school drop off duty

Kay (L) and Nick (R)

It was time to let the two fat ones go to start their new lives. Nick and Kay left us first and were adopted within the first hour of the Humane Society being open! We have connected with Nick's family (thanks to Social Media!) and will be visiting him very soon.

The dreaded hour came when we took Pudgie and Louie in for a check up. We had been weighing them daily at home. Ella did not want to let go of her little runt even though we had met the wonderful couple who was going to adopt BOTH OF THEM together. 

But we did it.

And we really didn't cry because we knew we'd meet again so very soon.

Two weeks later, we were reunited in their new home. The new 'parents' even kept the names we gave them. We get texts every week so that Ella knows how her little ones are doing.

These four nearly broke me, people. But we did it! What started out as a foursome that would end up as part of the barn cat project took a delightful turn.

Ella still asks almost daily, "Can I go get Pudgie?"

~H