Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Who needs Metamucil?

I just freed Merlin from a two-foot length of poopy pink yarn that was hanging out of his butt.

Reminds me of Scratchy, who used to leave me intact rubber bands in the litter box (he left them with the rest of his leavings; that would be a very strange place for a cat's cache). I viewed them as a gift: a reminder of the vet bill I wouldn't be paying, causing me to send up a prayer of thanks that my cats have Digestive Tracts of Steel.

Which would be a good name for a band.

-- But still, feel free to visit us

A couple nights ago I was sitting on the living room couch, having just got off the phone with a friend who was offering to help me out in a pinch. After telling Michael about it, he turned to me and said,

"You have very good friends. We must tear their flesh and grind their bones."

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Gobbledygook

Molly with eat anything.

F'rexample, two days ago I had to fight her for the right to eat my own Garlic, Parmesan & Herb pita chips.

Today it was popcorn.

Also, she doesn't just lick the food or chew the food but not eat it (Scratchy would do that -- very messy), she wolfs it down and demands more. And her interest goads the siblings on, because they never want to be left out of anything.

There must be a middle school football game going on soon, because I've seen several neighborhood boys walk by in the last few minutes in full uniform and pads. Miri got a little spooked by the helmets and Doesn't Approve. Skateboards Are Better, she thinks.

Friday, September 07, 2007

The Down Side of Up











It's my day off, which means that I'm trying to get some "work" done online as quietly as possible, so as not to attract the attention of the Kittens, who can quickly derail Computer Time into No-Don't-Bite-That-Cord-Or-So-Help-Me-OUCH-Don't-Bite-Me-Either Time. Which is why my blog entries are generally not very long.

After 4 months now of cat parenting, I'd say we've done a pretty good job. All 3 of the little guys are incredibly well socialized and will go right up and make friends with strangers, be they adults or toddlers. If fact, the only thing they're really afraid of at this point is the vacuum cleaner. Some interesting points:

  • They like water. Getting wet will surprise them initially, but they don't mind being wet. I think this has to do with how many baths they had as babies (at least one a day, sometimes more -- they were very messy eaters). This afternoon I was cleaning out their fountain (yes, they have a fountain ... what?) and left a large bowl filled with water out for the kittens' drinking water. When I got back to set up the fountain again, the bowl was almost empty ... and Merlin was standing in it, with the other two hovering nearby, waiting for their turns. The carpet was soaked, as were all the kittens from the knees down.
  • Molly and Merlin especially like riding on people. Correction: Molly likes riding on people, and Merlin is not about to be outdone by Molly. I have yet to teach them to 1) ask permission first (or at least give a warning noise) or 2) jump, not climb, to a person's shoulder.
  • A surprise effect of having Daffodil around for a few months is that the kittens now know how to approach a strange animal with respect. Case in point: we had made our bed (rare occurrence) and put some stuffed animals on the bed. Merlin jumped up to see me, and as soon as he saw the teddy bear, he slowed down and started doing the deferential head-bob as he approached. When he got to the bear, he reached out his head and touched noses with it. Once he knew it wasn't alive, he snapped back into normal Merlin mode (and started attacking my hair).
  • Molly loves exploring our kitchen surfaces. She has both stuck her head down into the garbage disposal and jumped up onto our gas stovetop (this morning).
Finally, most of our clothes are now on the floor of our bedroom, because putting away clean clothes would involve opening the closet door.
Miri, however, is not much of a climber.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

When species collide









So how are the kittens and Kermit dealing with each other? See for yourself ... (Kermit can be hard to see in some of the pictures, but rest assured that he's always there -- look toward the edge of the frame, usually)

OK, the last two Kermit's elsewhere. Stop trying to find him.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Who needs an alarm system?

Word of warning to those who would visit unexpectedly: they're Watching For You. They haven't decided yet whether they'll make you answer three riddles first (Miri's in favor, Molly thinks "riddle" is a funny word).