Hello friends!
Whew, school has finally started here in Madrid! I was beginning to think I’d never get back to my regular working schedule. S had a great first day and is really excited about this year, the equivalent of eighth grade. However, I still may not get my schedule back since we’ve just agreed to adopt two three-week-old kitty orphans who we (that is, I) will need to bottle feed every three hours for the next month or so. It will be an adventure, and if you have any advice about caring for such tiny little creatures I could really use it! It’s been six years since our beloved Parker died, and she was already a year old when we adopted her. It will be exciting to have two rascally kittens around. We’ve already named them, but I’ll keep our choices a surprise until the kittens arrive tonight or tomorrow.
Pinterest Picks
I love autumn for so many reasons, not least of which is figs! I’m in the eat-them-plain camp because they’re so good by themselves, but that hasn’t stopped me from eyeing these recipes. After all, if they’re so good alone, they’re probably amazing like this, right?
Autumn = autumn colors like orange, right? Love this corduroy pocket detail which you could do using our Liesl + Co All Day Men’s Shirt sewing pattern. And what’s not to love about an orange pencil skirt? Our Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt sewing pattern would be perfect for this, of course.
In honor of the kitties, cute kitty-inspired project ideas.
Also aren’t these sculptural-looking toiles wonderful?
S just got her ears pierced, so I’ve been hunting for cute (and small) earrings for her once she can remove the studs.
Weekend Reading
- My Brilliant Friend is coming to HBO and part of me really wants to see it. Did you love the books as much as I did?
- Love this article about Rachel Comey doing things her own way in an industry that isn’t always so welcoming.
- And speaking of doing things your own way, quite a few years ago I met a couple of guys who worked for Thom Browne, and they hated wearing “the suit.” But he’s such a visionary and I love that he’s been successful in a world full of athleisure and casual wear.
- One of my favorite New York haunts profiled.
- Developing hobbies at a young age seems like another way to help combat materialism as our kids grow up.
We’ll be back next week with more fun, inspiration, and ideas for you. And the fall patterns will be ready soon, so stay tuned! In the meantime, have a great weekend.
We adopted one of our cats when she was very young (about 4 weeks old). What is wonderful about her is she is the most affectionate, friendly cat ever. I think when you get them very young they become more attached to you. Make sure to cuddle them often!
Congrats on your new kittens, and have fun with them! I look forward to seeing updates. 🙂
Thanks! We’re really excited about them!
Oh good luck with the kittens – they look so worried and tiny!
I’d been searching for small and ethically made earrings for ages, and recently bought myself a pair from London-based Etsy seller WildFawnJewellery, who has recycled silver and Fairtrade gold; I got the tiny silver bars and am very pleased with them.
Thanks for the tip! She’s counting down the days until she can wear other earrings.
Good luck with the kittens! It’s been a while since I’ve bottle-fed tiny animals, but I have done a lot of it in the past. My sister and I bottle-fed a litter of 10(!) puppies and got them all to adoptable age. It was exhausting! Little animals have a powerful need to suck, and the puppies sucked raw spots on each other (the poor little boy puppies got it the worst!), so keep an eye out for that with your kitties. Your orphans are also on the verge of the age of no longer needing stimulation to pee/poop, but if they aren’t voiding on their own, you might have to help them out there.
When we met the girl the other day she was still needing help, but we’re going to get full instructions when they arrive (in less than an hour) so I’m hopeful they’re on their way to being self-sufficient in that department already. I’m nervous!
A mamá gata adopted us and had her babies on our front yard behind some bushes 4 years ago. She did feed her kittens, but one of them was definitely the runt of the litter, so we supplemented that little one with cat milk (they sell it in the pet area of the supermarket)- it’s milk they’ve added stuff to and removed lactose, I think– it’s thicker and darker than cow milk, which we learnt upsets cats stomachs because they are lactose intolerant. (Maybe you know all this, but we had no idea!). That was a surprise, since cream and milk for cats seems to be such a typical treat! Hopefully you can find that in Spain! But there are recipes online too. We just used a syringe to feed her. But we started that about 2 -3 months in, not so young, and her mama was still feeding her a bit. So we didn’t have a night shift. The 4 kittens were a lot of upkeep (they went to the garage to be safe, so lots of cleaning after them), but it was absolutely worth it– the kids loved them!
And it is true, kittens handled from very young are very, very sociable!
We kept the mama and gave the 4 babies in adoptions, which was very tough…
And she shares my husband’s lactose free milk every now and then!
Good luck and have fun with the kitties!
Always enjoy your weekend links. 🙂
That’s so sweet! Thanks for your encouraging story. xo
Well, Thom Browne has branched out over the years, still, I know what you mean. I do really like the kilt photo (slide 8) https://www.vogue.com/article/thom-browne-barneys-new-york-fashion-week-dinner — the way he’s styled it, proportions, model, high tops. And while you’re at Vogue, take a gander at the Proenza Schouler spring show. I really like the pinafore/overall variants and I’d love to see a Liesl take on that dress (hope that isn’t too rude). Aw, kittens!, first day of school!–so much promise.
I’ll definitely take a look. Thanks!
I was reading recently that Rachel Comey thoughtfully designs women’s clothes for women’s own self-identity (as creative, intellectual, etc etc), as opposed to other (famous) designers who design women’s clothes for the male gaze. It left an impression on me. I didn’t know she started out her own line with menswear. Good luck with the kitties!!! Thanks for yet another inspiring lineup of pics and articles!
I own a few of her pieces and they’re all very wearable and comfortable. Definitely a fan!
The kittens are absolutely adorable. They look like a Max & Molly!
I have fostered many kittens – I place a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to kept them warm in there bed – warmth like Mom.
I purchase goat milk, it is the closet to their mother’s milk and slightly warmed.
At 6 weeks I would mix some canned kitten food with the milk, slightly enlarge the hole in nipple.
Also, I would wet my index with mixture so the kitten can learn to lick, which does not come naturally to a kitten
without there mother, At the same time I put a bit of milk only in a shallow bowl – don’t put to much – they tend to put
their little nose to far into the bowl and chock. Soon after it grasp the concept, bottle feeding will end and you will be home free – you can start to set a regular feeding schedule to every 4 hrs – a bowl of milk and bowl for canned wet food.
I have found that one kitten my dominate, so I place a bowl of milk for each one and the same for the wet food, as
one may eat more than the other one.
Place newspaper down in certain or regular place for their feeding bowls, so they known that is there special place.
Later, I replace the paper with a feeding mat.
There growth will astonish you. Don’t forget to introduce some toys – small balls, feathers, a white mouse – a cat tree to climb.
Hope this was helpful..
Wishing you the best with those adorable kittens.
Please keep us posted.
Thanks for all the good tips! Fortunately they are also coming with instructions and some gear, and we have been busy purchasing heating pads and things in advance of their arrival. It’s like becoming a new parent all over again!
So much to comment on this week….
I love figs too. A fig stolen from a neighbour’s tree at the end of a sunny automn day when it’s all warm and ripe is just the best thing ever.
That grey sculptural bodice is amazing! I’m battling with a pattern that’s meant to be a “shelf bust” but certainly isn’t. Maybe I ditch it and try and make that “wave” bodice.
You’re a sucker, but a lovely one, re the kittens 😉
By three weeks plus of age, things should be getting pretty easy. There’s plenty of good advice on the International Cat Care website: http://www.icatcare.org
Here’s the hand rearing kittens page: https://icatcare.org/advice/hand-rearing-kittens
I have to disagree with those who think hand reared kittens are more affectionate. They’re often the feistiest and most difficult adult cats we end up dealing with. There’s a lot to be said for a good behavioural model of your own species being around in your youth!! Of course yours will be angels!
And you got me thinking… I know of at least two other veterinarians who sew Oliver + S patterns… What a diverse bunch. Imagine if the firefighter who helped out at a house fire was to recognise the aqua edges of my Oliver + S pattern stash! 🙂
Wow, this is really helpful! Thanks very much. We have read the instructions very thoroughly and I feel a little more prepared now. Here’s hoping we can raise some happy, sociable cats!
I’m guessing I loved the Elena Ferrante books as much as you did. I’m also on the fence about watching the series. Reading the books was a rich, mind-expanding experience. Watching the TV series will not diminish that in any way. But there is a risk that my own images of the characters and scenes could be supplanted by HBOs. Am I ready for that? We’ll see.
I bottle-fed a tiny kitten that my brother’s friend found by the railroad tracks – he was the only one left alive in the litter, and the friend was trying to feed him ramen! I carried him to my college classes in a plastic bucket with a clock wrapped in a towel. I fed him canned cat-milk around the clock for the first few weeks but he was doing pretty well by five or six weeks and the feedings stretched out after that, thank goodness! My mom and dad kept him.
Ramen?!?! Oh that kitty was lucky to find you!