It's been about a year since these rascals appeared, along with their mommy and brother and sister. They quickly settled in, decided this was home and made their reservations to stay. That's Ivan on the left and Geno on the right.
It's been fun watching them grow and learn, and it's also been interesting to see how they adjusted after we said bye-bye to Isabella, Ivy and Neville. We have our cat-imposed routines and we have our people imposed rules. The spray bottle has been exceptionally effective, as have been those rolls of double stick tape on certain corners of the furniture!
But mostly, what we've come to discover is that two's company and three really was a crowd. Geno and Ivan are good friends to each other, unlike their predecessors, who were always jockeying for the top of the batting order. Above they snuggled together on the perch by the den window in May of last year.
Below, a year later! Do we grow 'em big or what?!
But mostly, what we've come to discover is that two's company and three really was a crowd. Geno and Ivan are good friends to each other, unlike their predecessors, who were always jockeying for the top of the batting order. Above they snuggled together on the perch by the den window in May of last year.
Below, a year later! Do we grow 'em big or what?!
They turned one in mid April (our best guess for their birthday), and that meant they were eligible for activating their memberships in the Cats' Union. Right away they were making demands and threatening work action. I had a talk with them, and Big Kitty also met with them. We've reached an agreement based on the fact that since they've been around, the cave cricket population in the basement has gone to nil. We're not sure if that is due to a mild winter, or the fact that Ivan has a propensity for walking around on the dropped ceiling! Either way, we've rewarded that with generous amounts of evening treats.
This past fall I began renovating my basement art studio, and they were a big help, offering encouragement and lending moral support when it looked like the job would be continuing into the next decade. Kittens have the ability to soften any miserable situation.
Like Simon and Charlie, they took to the futon sofa, and once it relocated to the guest room, they still liked the futon sofa.
This past fall I began renovating my basement art studio, and they were a big help, offering encouragement and lending moral support when it looked like the job would be continuing into the next decade. Kittens have the ability to soften any miserable situation.
Like Simon and Charlie, they took to the futon sofa, and once it relocated to the guest room, they still liked the futon sofa.
Ivan and I have a game that involves who owns the tall task chair. However a trip to the fabric store for a remnant of red fleece made my desk chair a lot more to his liking, so he will relocate if encouraged.
He's taken on the job of being the art cat. When I head downstairs to work, he accompanies me. He settles in and naps. Eventually Geno joins us, but Geno gets into mischief and winds up violating Union rules about art studio etiquette. This is also Ivan's affection zone. I can expect a lap if I sit in this chair.
So, it's been a great first year for this pair of rescue kittens and Big Kitty and I are absolutely smitten with them. They know it, they milk it for all it's worth, and we just roll our eyes and indulge them shamelessly. As other Union households will attest, that's in the rulebook, and heaven forbid if we violate that one!
With our luck, they'll be on the phone to Chuck Simpson, and that'll be all she wrote! He's a tough negotiator!
As it stands, they are watching carefully to see that the open porch rule is observed. They've been told that we don't clean it up and put out cushions until the Big Yellow Pollen event is safely over. When the weather is nice, we let them out there and they track in the dust and dirt. That's one Union rule we kind of ignore just to keep the peace!
A sidebar note about cats that have been dumped. Isabella had zero interest in "outside." She was grateful to be inside with her litter, where the food was put out on schedule, the water kept fresh and the box kept clean. The first time we opened the door to the porch, she avoided it like the plague. In time, when she saw that we came and went and would sit out there, she explored the perimeter. The kittens followed her lead and were highly suspicious. A few months ago, I was holding Geno and stepped out onto the front porch. He went nuts! Dug his claws in and was utterly terrified. Both boys hang around the front door, but they don't try to go out.
And so it goes around here. We know our place, we know the rules. They know their place, they test the rules. It's all working exactly the way it's supposed to!
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