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Garden of marmalade tabbies

Garden of marmalade tabbies

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The surfers can keep their endless summer.

I’ll take the endless kitten season any day of the week.

And I’ve gotten my wish – in super-hyper-uber-megabundance. Next month marks the traditional start of kitten season in the northeast…but last year’s kitten season still isn’t over. The cold NJ winds may be blowing, but the cavalcade of wee ones shows no sign of slowdown.

The latest members of this petite parade are almost too cute to stand. I warn you, if you have a sensitivity to extreme levels of atomic cuteness, you may want to stop here.

I’m not kidding.

OK, don’t say I didn’t warn you…Zinnia and Petunia...can you stand it??!

Behold the Flower Girls of Tabby’s Place.

Named for their resemblance to original flower phenom Lilly, triplets Marigold, Zinnia and Petunia have been making us weak in the knees since they first arrived at Tabby’s Place. There is a way to tell them apart, using signposts like a white nose-stripe here, an orange-banded leg there, but when you first behold them…well, all you know is that you’re under the spell of some serious sweetness.Zinnia

And, their sweet spell has already wafted out our doors. Our angel trio is now a duo, as boldest-baby Marigold has already found her forever home.

The more circumspect pair, Zinnia and Petunia, await their own adorers in Adoption Room #1, which they share with a certain roommate you already know and love…Steven.

Alas, I can’t honestly call Steve an “adorer” of the Flower Girls yet. “Change” is at the top of Steven’s personal List Of Things I Hate, and he’s welcomed each of his past roomies (Mahalia, Daphne, Chandler and Monica…) with fear and loathing before ultimately welcoming their friendship.

SteveFor now, Steve’s distaste for flowers has done a fine job of keeping Petunia and Zinnia in their place: under the couches. Walk into Adoption Room #1, and Steve – the same Steve who was once so terrified that eye contact with a human bean would send him skittering – will ramble up to you, rolling around and staring into your soul until you love on him. Your undivided attention is his goal, and as long as the Flower Girls stay subterranean, he’s got it.

But flowers eventually break through the soil’s surface, and so Zinnia and Petunia are beginning to branch out. Ginny, our administrative assistant, has already won the trust of these heart-stealers.

PetuniaThis morning, Ginny was kind enough to call me from Adoption Room #1 on her cell phone, encouraging me to come and witness a lovefest in progress. When I’ve gone to visit Zinnia and Petunia in the past, they’ve always been under the couches, out of the reach of my affection. But, this morning, Petunia and Zinnia made themselves cozy in the cat tree’s hidey-hole. In addition to being cozy, this nook made the girls eminently pettable.

And, oh, boy, were they loving the love.

The purrs coming from that hidey-hole nearly broke the sound barrier. First Zinnia would lean into Ginny’s hand, rumbling and rubbing and bearing all the marks of bliss. Then Petunia would gently tap Ginny’s arm with a soft paw, politely requesting her share of snuggles.

Would they welcome my love, too? Could I become an FFG (Friend of Flower Girls)?Zinnia & Petunia

You betcha. A cat’s trust has a way of breaking forth when she’s in her safe place, and the combination of the cozy nook and Ginny’s presence made Zinnia and Petunia quite ready to trust me. Suffice to say that this will be just the first of many lovefests to come. I know Petunia and Zinnia won’t be at Tabby’s Place long, and I intend to give them all the affection I’ve got (which is a lot) before they leave.

When Zinnia and Petunia do find their much-deserved forever home, it’s going to be a hard “good goodbye.” Once again, I am a smitten kitten. But have no fear – this kitten season has no end in sight.

6 thoughts on “Garden of marmalade tabbies

  1. They are too cute for words!! We had the same thing happen on Sunday when we met them. We were able to pet their adorable little bellies as long as they were safe in the “hidey-hole” of the cat tower! And yes, these little sweeties reach out and tap you when they want more attention. At first we startled one of them (I think it was Petunia) and she ran right to Steve and cuddled up on him! He didn’t looked pleased, but he let her do it. I think he’s got a soft spot for these lovely ladies 🙂 Maybe they’ll luck out and all 3 of them will go a Forever Home together!

  2. Oh, no — now I’m in BIG trouble. Life’s biggest weakness: ORANGE FUZZIES!!!! I seem to remember reading somewhere that this much cuteness in one place is now illegal…..

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