Why are they called the 30 Rock Kittens?

I had seen a picture of a cat on the internet whose name was Liz Lemon, after Tina Fey's character on 30 Rock, so that gave me the idea to name my foster kittens after 30 Rock characters. It seemed appropriate, too (this was before Tracy Morgan's controversial anti-gay rant), since there are two female kittens (Liz and Jenna) and three male kittens (Kenneth, Jack, and Tracy). Liz is actually the runt and had lots of trouble eating and keeping clean at the beginning, though she has plenty of energy now and is catching up to the others in all aspects.

Foster Kitten Liz Lemon

The 30 Rock Kittens will be up for adoption!

I am currently taking care of five foster kittens that are just about big enough to be spayed and neutered. They've been with me since they were five weeks old, when someone dropped them off at Animal Care and Control (the city shelter) where they were put on the euthanasia list because they were too young to be adopted. A friend of a friend contacted me on Facebook and asked if I could foster them so they wouldn't be put down. I couldn't refuse to save their lives so I brought them home the next day.
Now it is time for them to find permanent homes. I am hoping social networking helps in the adoption process, just like it did in fostering.

Link to photos of kittens when they were still at the city shelter (click through for all five of them)

The Petfinder pages for the kittens:
Boys and Girls

More recent photos of these cuties


Please spread the word so we can find these kittens loving homes!

Update

I failed to blog about the last part of Matilda and her litter's stay in my home, but everything went well. The kittens were almost eleven weeks old when they all reached the two pound mark required before they could be spayed and neutered. I brought them back to the ASPCA, where they were all adopted within a week (by mid-June). The two male kittens even got adopted together, so hopefully they are being good brothers to each other.
Matilda had to wait a while to become available for adoption, first to stop producing milk, then to recover from being spayed, and then a little while longer until space opened up in the appropriate adoptions room. It turns out Matilda does not like other cats at all, and would get agitated if you took her out of her "cat condo" to play with her since she would see all the other cats behind the clear doors. I thought this kind of anti-social behavior would be detrimental to her getting adopted, but once she was made available, she was only there for about two weeks. On July 22nd, Matilda was adopted! Yes, it was bittersweet to part with them, but that's six cats that I was able to save just by opening up my home to them for a few months. I believe they are being loved and cared for by their humans, and in turn they are bringing much joy and fluffiness to their families.
I am taking a break from fostering right now as I get my home a little bit more organized, but hopefully by winter break I can be a foster mom again.

The kittens are 6 weeks old tomorrow!

I took the kittens in for their first exam (and their first journey outside the apartment) last weekend, and they were deemed healthy by the veterinarian. One of the vet techs saw them in the carrier and said they were "perfect". She said that they surely would have gotten sick had Matilda stayed at the ASPCA and had them in the shelter environment and not in a home. That made me feel really good about fostering Matilda and her litter. They are due back to the A in another week for more immunizations, and then I have them until they are two pounds, at which point they will be ready to be spayed or neutered, and then put up for adoption.

Inside the cattery

Robin likes that corner behind the litter box

Sometimes they fall asleep in funny positions

Robin and Lilly share some solid kitten food with MamaMatilda.
Marshall eats solid food now, too, but the other two are still resisting.
They all still nurse.

A month and change

At a month and a few days old, Matilda's kittens are strong enough to climb the walls of the cattery. I had it rigged so Matilda could go in and out as she pleased through the top door, but then four of the five kittens made it out right after their one month birthday, so now I have to either lock Matilda in there with them, or supervise the feeding times. Matilda does not like being stuck in the cattery with her kittens, and I don't blame her, especially now that they are getting to be quite active and rambunctious. She tolerates a lot from them. They are still nursing for the most part, but I have witnessed one of them, Robin, eat solid kitten food. When I am home and able to pay attention, I let them roam around the room, exploring nooks and crannies. They seem to be partial to the floor of the clothing closet.

This weekend, I will have to take them in to the ASPCA for their first medical exam. It is actually the first time they will leave my apartment. I am a little anxious, like my worth as a foster mom will be determined by this physical checkup. What if the kittens are not at the right weight? What if one of them has some kind of disease? They seem fine to me, but what do I know? At the same time, I am excited to know how the kittens are progressing according to standards, and I will have a better idea of how much longer I will be fostering all of the cats, so it will help with planning. As I discover their individual "feline"-alities, I am getting very excited about their future homes and the kinds of adoptive parents they will have. They have a bit more learning to do first, though. I'm not quite ready to give them up just yet.

The kittens at three and a half weeks

Matilda and her kittens are thriving. Almost a month old, the kittens are wobbly but learning how to walk; they have teeth; they love to play with each other, chewing on each others' ears and tails; but mostly spend their time sleeping in a cozy heap. Matilda has been nursing them diligently, even as their teeth have grown in, and is still a wonderfully sweet cat that likes to hang out with us in the living room when she's not taking care of her kittens. She also likes human food and I have to keep on eye on her whenever we are eating. It can be spicy or hot, and she doesn't seem to care. I think she is sick of all the kitten food I've been feeding her. I try to give her a variety of things, but she is so hungry all the time.
There are some videos of the kittens on my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tsujimonster
Here are more pictures:

Lilly

Robin

Barney

Marshall

Theodora (Ted)

Week-old Kittens