'Purr Machines' Whiskey, Wall-e, Willow And Whisper: Huntington Adoptable Pets Of The Week

HUNTINGTON, NY — Whiskey, Wall-e, Willow and Whisper, all around 6 weeks old, are the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's Huntington Pets of the Week.

"Nothing is cuter than, not one, not two, not three but four dilute ginger kittens who have gorgeous markings and of course your typical 'ginger cat personality,'" said Debbi Larkin, president of the shelter.

Whiskey, Wall-e, Willow and Whisper had a tough start in life but they are safe now in one of the rescue's foster homes, Larkin said.

"They are a handful to say the least," she said. "They are not the least bit shy or timid and
considering where they came from, that is a great thing."

Grateful Paw received a call from another rescue regarding four kittens living under a deck in Ronkonkoma — the kittens needed trapping and placement ASAP, according to Larkin. The mother was in the area but would often disappear and leave the babies alone.

"We worked with another rescue for the trapping and then we brought them into the shelter for vetting…but unfortunately not all at the same time," Larkin said.

Whiskey, Willow and Whisper were trapped the first day but they could not locate the last baby, Wall-e, Larkin said. The trapper never gave up and kept visiting the area in search for Wall-e. There was finally a sighting about 10 days later.

"Very upsetting to say the least because it was at that time when the night temps were dropping down to 45-50 degrees, and the mother was nowhere to be found," Larkin said.

The trapper rushed over to get Wall-e and was successful. The four siblings were reunited.

All four kittens tested negative for FELV and FIV, have been wormed, received their first vaccine and are finishing up treatment for parasites — Larkin said that is normal for most cats born outside.

They will be on a three-week schedule for their vaccines and will most likely be available for spaying and neutering around Thanksgiving and will be joining the rest of the kittens in the shelter at that time, according to Larkin.

"Whiskey is the ringleader of the group…he lets the others know what and when they should be doing something," Larkin said. "He has a little bit of competition with his brother Wall-e, and the girls just follow along."

Willow loves to have her picture taken and is very good at posing, Larkin said.

Whisper is the runt of the litter and the one who always looks like she is worried about something.

"Wall-e was a bully at first but has settled down," Larkin said. "His attitude may be due to the fact that he was separated from his siblings for 10 days and probably had to fend for himself. His foster
mom is making sure he has lots of attention so he is calmer now."

They all love to be held, roll over for belly rubs, are "non-stop purr machines," love to wrestle and play with any toys they may find at the foster home, Larkin said.

"They must all be trying out to be mountain climbers because they are constantly going up and down the cat condos, sometimes even leaping from one level to another and they will take a nap on top of the crate instead of inside in their bed!" Larkin said. "Wait until they meet the foster home resident cats and the dog!"

Ginger cats have very distinct personalities, according to Larkin. These four seem to be living up to their reputation, she added.

"They are known to be affectionate, friendly and chatty. They even have the nickname of 'Velcro' cats because they need to be near their family at all times. And about 80 percent of orange (or some variety of that color) are male, so to have two males and two females in this litter is awesome."

Whiskey and Whisper have the most orange/cream coloring and Wall-e and Willow have a large amount of white coloring.

If you are interested in meeting Whiskey, Wall-e, Willow or Whisper, you may call the shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, visit the Facebook page or visit at the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter.

The rescue is at 3 Verleye Ave., East Northport, and visiting hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The shelter is also open from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday nights only for those who cannot make it during the daytime hours.

"These four pint size firecrackers will be ready for adoption around Thanksgiving and would make the perfect addition to any family," Larkin said. "Keep following our updates so you can make the decision which one(s) is going to be joining you! How can you resist? They are like potato chips…you can’t have just one!"