Just in time for for spooky season, Seattle kitten rescuer and amazing cat photographer, the “Youngest Old Cat Lady,” Ashley Morrison, named the Halloween kitties, who arrived in late August 2021.
Unheard of, experienced Morrison took in 16 new cats at one time when rescued semi-feral cats Lilly and sister Tinker Belle gave birth – to seven kittens each! These would be their last litters for the sisters, as they would both be spayed when the time was right.
Images, media via Instagram/youngestoldcatlady
Initially, Tinker Bell’s kittens went to another foster home but returned when the mom cat proved to be very protective, biting her first foster mom.
Tinker Bell’s 2-week-old kittens had Disney princess (and one Prince Charming) names, but Lilly’s babies received Halloween names. As they got older, they would become playmates but remained in separate rooms at first –adorable and rambunctious kittens everywhere.
There were two girls and five boys:
The girls: Boo and Blair for the Blair Witch
Tho boys: Casper, Trick (or Treat), Ghost, Magic, and Salem.
“Lilly and her babies ❤️”
“Boo and Blair ❤️”
Of all the kittens, Magic was a favorite, the rescuer shared.
“It’s no secret I’ve got a crush on Magic. There’s always one or two in each litter you can’t help but find extra adorable. I mean, look at that heart nose!! (And no, I’m not keeping him- adoption is always the goal!),” she shared.
To give her followers an idea about size, she posed next to Magic, and you can see how tiny the kittens are.
Later, the rescuer shared that Magic reminds her of a previous foster, Derpa Derp, who once appeared on the Ellen Show.
Derpa Derp the kitten featured on Ellen
Grandma Helps with the Kittens
With so many kittens to care for, it would be a handful for any one person. As the kittens grew, Morrison’s mom Cindi, helped care for the Halloween kittens. Meanwhile, Ashley had a house full of wild foster babies.
“Lilly and babies have arrived at Grandma’s! Ohhhh my was it hard to say goodbye. Even though I can literally drive over every day 😂”
Soon, the kitties were all back and climbing a cat tree like the Disney Princess bunch in their room. Whenever Morrison would come in the room to check on the kittens, it was tiny Blair who could come running and meowing. Although herding kittens is impossible, she somehow gets the kittens to look at the camera. How does she do it? With lots of work, as you can see in the video she shared below.
“Today, September 28th, shall go down in history as the day I took my favorite family photo of all time 😂 There was sweat, crinkle balls, weird whistling noises and hand gestures that made this possible.”
The Halloween Kittens and Friends Run Amok
In early October, the Halloween and Disney Princess kittens converged in one room, all running wild together. Morrison and Cindi tried to wrangle all 14 kittens to the couch for a photo, but it was challenging even for her.
“It didn’t feel like I had this many kittens until we just put them all together,” joked Morrison. “Just everything, everywhere is moving with kittens.”
Video by Youngest Old Cat Lady:
“While @youngestoldcatlady is away, @youngestoldcatgrandma is the head cat. Look some of the cuties I get to visit,” Cindi shared.
Halloween with the Kittens
It was time for the kittens to pose with pumpkins by Halloween, and Salem wore a hat.
“I found the kittens napping which was obviously the perfect time to put a wizards hat on Salem today.”
Meanwhile, Casper and Magic became couch gremlins.
“Found these little couch gremlins holding paws. (Casper left, Magic on the right)”
The Kittens Find Forever Homes
It was time for the kittens and their mamas to reach a milestone in early November. They would all be spayed, neutered, and then it was time for their new lives to begin.
Casper and Magic found a home together, and you can follow their adventures on Instagram. You can see they love each other and are very happy.
Mama Lilly and her son Ghost found a home together with new names, Poto Potato and Ghost Pepper. You can see what they’re up to on Instagram too. Today, the kitten has outgrown his pretty mama. The good mama came such a long way, from living semi-feral to becoming a house cat companion.
Meanwhile, Boo went home with Blair and are picture purrfect together.
And Salem found a home with a rescued kitten named Wednesday who was crying for a friend. Morrison shared that the last of the Disney Princess kittens also found homes by Thanksgiving. What a wonderful thing to be thankful for, and what a wonderful thing rescuers like the Youngest Old Cat Lady do for cats and their human families.
Lilly’s Halloween kittens are featured in Morrison’s 2022 calendar. You can follow along and show support on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Buddies for Life
The Youngest Old Cat Lady adopted the Halloween kittens in pairs, and it’s usually the best way to go.
“We love when people adopt in pairs for several reasons,” she writes. “When kittens are adopted out by themselves, if the owners do not specifically take the time to dedicate lots of playtime, the kittens sometimes show aggression towards the owner. They really need to get their energy out. Some of the complaints of people who have adopted single kittens include more biting, scratching, or never ‘leaving them alone.'”
“They are bored!” she adds. “They want a friend. The best part about pairs is having a build-in- buddy for life. If you go out of town or are even just gone for a long day, they have a friend. We as people really can’t compare to a friend of their own species. Some kittens are different and very apparently want humans over other animals, so there are always exceptions but we really love pairs or kittens going to homes with other young cats.”
Today on CatTV … “Watching Cottonwoods: The science of being mesmerized by fluffy stuff floating through the air” ~Boo
