Happy Birthday, Little Lucky-13!

Here she is, the Birthday Girl.

June 8, 2011 marked one year since we found a tiny little kitten under our deck steps. We call the 8th her birthday because as close as we can figure she was newly born hours before we heard her incessant crying and eventually brought her indoors to baby, nurture, and love.

Now, the pocket on the tee-shirt I'm wearing is clearly too small for Lucky to squeeze into like she did around June 10th, last year. You can see she is a small cat, but she continues to gain and is solid muscle.

It's been an adventure, and Lucky still believes she rules the roost. She's always ready for a game of chase with any of the other cats whether they're in the mood or not.

Her most endearing quality at this time is the way she jumps up on the bed as soon as Floyd turns in for the night and begins padding with both her front and back paws. She purrs loudly while she rhythmically kneads the blanket. We call it Paddy Paws or Paddy Purrs. She moves around as she pads and puts her face near Floyd's showing that all is right with Lucky's world.

Happy Birthday, Little Girl!

Below are more shots of her taken this month.











Thanks for stopping by!

hugs,

Introducing Miss Lucky LuckinBuck

These 2 shots show Lucky when she fit in my

pocket at 2-days-old (left), and then me (in the same
tee-shirt) when she was 3-1/2-mos. holding her(right).

I'm amazed by the number of bloggers I know who blog DAILY. I don't even blog monthly. I think blogging is all about inspiration, and apparently I'm not nearly as inspired as my blogger friends!

In June 2010, we gained a new kitty (because 12 just wasn't enough). In reality, we never set out to *get* any of the cats we now love and adore. They all came to us in a moment of crisis. Our newest addition is no different in that respect.

Our most recent addition is Lucky-13, named that because she's our 13th rescue kitty. Her story is the most extreme because she was abandoned by her mother under our front porch steps the day she was born. Lucky has shown physical strength as well as strength of character since that first day, crying incessantly after being left under our steps so that we couldn't help but hear her and bring her indoors. (I suppose it's also a credit to her mother for giving birth to her close by our house rather than any number of remote areas on our property.) We waited a respectable amount of time (hoping her mother might have a change of heart) to bring Lucky inside.

Following are some photos showing her progress:

Little Lucky at one-day old and 2.8 ounces. At this point, we
were feeding her by eye dropper, 1 ml each feeding.

Here's the little spot of a creature with me at
9 days old, gaining steadily.

At just over two weeks, she graduated to a small nursing bottle.
Floyd takes kitten rescue very seriously.

Even though she looks just terrified in this shot at just over
a month old, I don't think Lucky has ever been terrified since we
brought her inside on June 8, 2010.
{The scar on her face is left after coming to us with ringworm. With
medication, it cleared up quickly and did not spread to any of the
other cats or to us, but it left Miss Lucky with her own
Harry Potter scar on her forehead.}

Another shot of me and Lucky when she was 6 weeks old
and clearly growing.

Floyd and Miss Lucky the smart-aleck sticking out her tongue.
Just over 6 weeks old.

At a little over 2 months old, Lucky naps on the big bed.

Little Miss Lucky looking ferocious (when really, she's just
yawning) next to Blaze our smallest full-grown kitty-cat.
Lucky is 2 mos., 10 days in this picture.

Lucky hangin' out on the kitchen window sill at 3-mos.

Another shot of Lucky (just over 3-months-old) asleep on the
big bed with Big Old Bodie nearby.

Lucky started out at a mere 2.8 ounces on Day 1. There were some critical days where we weren't sure she'd make it, but she pulled through and is now just over 9-months-old and around six pounds as close as we can measure. Initially, we fed her 1/15th of a tablespoon (1 ml) per feeding using an eye dropper. Now, she takes her meals with the other cats.

As I write, she's lying next to me where she inserted herself in a small sliver of space along my left leg. She loves, loves. loves to run through the house challenging all the other cats, learning how to climb higher and higher, and how to jump broader distances. But, when it's time to be calm and peaceful, she's happiest in Floyd's arms or snuggled right up against Floyd or me.

None of the Original Dozen are too big for her to challenge. When she was smaller, the others tolerated her silly antics. The novelty has worn off, and sometimes Lucky and her chosen playmate get into wild, paw-slapping battles. No one ever loses or suffers, but Lucky rarely backs down.

Since she was about 3-days-old, she has responded immediately when we call "Lucky." Until she turned seven or eight months old, as soon as we'd say her name, she'd hop right on over to us even if it was just to touch base quickly then dash off for more play. Now, she really has to be In The Mood to respond with anything more than a backwards glance because as a rule, Lucky's dominant Mood is Playful!

I really appreciate you stopping by. Leave a comment below and tell me what you'd like me to write about!

Thanks & hugs,