Quadruplets

Because of the holiday season and related posts, I didn't have an opportunity before today to write about our quadruplet kittens. If they hadn't been the absolute sweetest kittens I'd ever encountered, I probably would have shared a few photos in a High Five for Friday post and moved on...but they were the absolute sweetest kittens I've ever encountered, so they get a post all their own.

When we applied to become fosters I committed to taking up to three kittens at a time. We made an exception when Peppermint Patty joined RBG for a few days over Thanksgiving, but those five days with those four kittens (plus Tux, of course) were challenging enough to remind me why I'd chosen three as our max. Our rescue connection must have thought I'd changed my mind about the number of kittens I could handle though, because when she arrived on pick up/drop off day (pick up Ruth and Ginsberg, drop off our new kittens), four little bundles of fluff tumbled out of the carrier.

Both Hallie and I were shocked and caught off guard. I probably should have said no, but I'm awkward and tongue-tied in such situations...and I could sense that our rescue needed us to step up for these four babies. (The holidays are a particularly hard time for rescues because so many foster families travel, leaving their foster animals without somewhere to stay.) I'm so glad we did.

Sisters Udon, Soba, Ramen, and Nori ("the noodles" as we affectionately referred to them) were all delightful. Sweet, gentle, and cuddly. Curious, playful, and fun. They played well together and enthusiastically with the kids. They (mostly) left Tux alone, (mostly) pooped and peed in the litter box, and never figured out where we kept Tux's food, how to jump onto the counters, or how to climb up us. Oh, and they were ADORABLE.

We had them for just three weeks, and during that time they made nearly every aspect of our lives - school, work, Christmas, and New Year's - even more joyful and entertaining. It's a good thing all arrived already pending adoption, because if they hadn't been spoken for, I don't know that I could have given any of them up. (And I'm not kidding, even in the slightest.)

All four joined me as I wrote this post.

I'm sure all are happy in their forever homes...but I wish their forever home was with me.

Note: I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday I pulled it up again to make a couple of quick edits. The pictures of these babies brought tears to my eyes - we really do miss these four SO much, more than we've missed any of the others by leaps and bounds. I still wish their forever home was with me.