Things About Kittens (I'd Forgotten)

In fairness to moi, it HAS been sixteen years or so since I've had a kitten in the house and this is the first time there have been two the same age at the same time in the house. Still, it's amazing how much I'd forgotten about kittens. Well, suffice it to say, Pete and Lily are quickly bringing me back up to speed! Here are a few:

Anything and EVERYTHING is a potential toy! Ok, they have, like, a million "real" cat toys and they do play with them. Lily's favorites are these little puff ball things that she bats around the living room (the wood floor makes 'em glide fast plus Lucy is not allowed in there). She is quite possessive about these (or whatever she is playing with) and makes little growling noises while she's playing. Pete appears to prefer either the pink-feathered bird (and delights in pulling the feathers out all over the place) or these little plastic flippy things that sort of resemble a plastic milk jug cap. And, hey, speaking of which, when I opened the milk, I threw the curled up plastic thing from the cap onto the floor and they've been playing with that for days now. They like string and wadded up balls of paper towel or wax paper (thanks for that tip, Father). Just about anything in the house is fair game, including my feet, especially if encased in woolly socks (Pete in particular will pounce on my feet), Lucy's tail (again, mostly Pete but Lily will also swipe at it), the strings on my pull-over, the tendrils of the ivy plant dangling down from on top of the pie safe and blind cords (Lily's favorite). Don't worry, the blind cords are not knotted so they are not in danger of hanging themselves and we don't let them at the cords if we are not around to supervise.

Water is absolutely fascinating! Both of them will stand outside the shower and stare at the person inside the shower (or persons :-) ) Once the shower is vacant, in they'll both go. I've also had to give up my obsessive habit of wiping out the bathroom sinks as they both like to lick at the water. They also like to sit on the counter and watch intently while one of us brushes our teeth or Mr. B shaves. Of course, water is not so fascinating when it is squirted at them via a water bottle (to discourage them from doing something we don't want them to do like scratch or kill one another while playing).

Closed doors are annoying! And, as soon as one is opened, in they'll both go before you can say "Don't...go in there".

It's fun to make loud noises in rooms that echo! Pete will go into the laundry room and howl at the top of his lungs. However, YOU are not allowed to make loud noises as we are very skitish right now. I was reminded of this last night when I was playing crashing Chrismtas music (e.g., Joy to the World) and it freaked poor Lily out. Little kittens have big and sensitive ears.

We want to go anywhere we are not allowed to go! If the door to the sun room is shut, one or both (but usually Lily) will sit at the door and meow. She tried to get outside once by climbing through the blinds. Obviously, that didn't work. As for Pete, we've learned, like his big sister Lucy, he's an escape artists. He's already darted out into the garage several times by running between the legs of whomever opened the door. Saturday I chased him around the garage several times before I caught him. Ditto for Mr. B yesterday. We've learned, obviously, not to open the door into the house (from the garage) unless the garage door is closed. Keeping them off counters, tables, etc., has also proven to be a challenge. They are persistent!

Any space I can cram myself into or onto (or hide) is my place to be! In addition to the proverbial "sitting in a box that is way too small" for him (and also hanging out in Lucy's toy box), Pete has taken to laying in the space on top of the pie safe. He'll sleep there for a long time. One of these days, though, he's gonna get stuck in there! As for Lily, she is a very adept hider. I've gone up looking for her (she tends to stay upstairs more than Pete) and have yet to find her hiding place(s). I'll search and search and not find her, only to turn around and see her sitting there watching me and probably thinking I'm an idiot. Sometimes they both decide they have to be on my lap. This is very endearing but it cannot last as they won't both fit there too much longer!

Pete in the pie safe cubby hole

Pete says "Do not mistake me for a ratty old dog toy!"

I am king of this here box, get it?

Any time is play time, even if it's 2:00 am! We're thankful they get along so well and love to play with one another. It is a bit much, though, early in the morning, when they go bounding across the bed, over our bodies, on our bodies, etc. Again, Pete is more likely to do this (of course, since he's the heavier of the two!) but the two of them will get going and roll and tussle and bound around and squeal with no mind to the time.

We poop and pee. A LOT. And, we grow damn fast! I think Pete is already almost twice the size he was when we brought him home two weeks ago. Lily is very petite compared to her brother, but, she's holding her own (and eats a lot).

We have very limited attention spans. Doing something for 5 minutes (unless it's sleeping) is a real stretch.

We are so damn cute you will find yourself taking constant pictures of us! This is already evident!

And, finally (and I have a plaque on my wall attesting to this;

"In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats".

Including Lucy's bed.

We figured it'd be Pete that would be the first to cuddle with Lucy on her bed

Lily is more comfy with her bro

Wide awake Lily with sleepy Pete

Ok, time to snooze!

Mrs. B