A month on

It's been a little over a month since the two kitties joined our little family and what a joyful month it has been.  They came to us tiny and timid that very first day, not wanting to even get near us.  Every time we approach, they would run away.  They didn't even want to eat much that day.  But luckily, they quickly learnt to trust us and just the next day, they were following us around the house and even let us pet them.  

We have seen how they have quickly grown in a month - they are now double their size.  Their appetites have grown and they have learnt to jump higher and higher.  We are able to keep them off most of the higher surfaces such as the kitchen cabinets and the bookshelves but I think they would be able to get up there pretty soon.  Most of the time, though, they are not too disruptive.

Don't think they are not rambunctious though. They love running from one end of the apartment to another when they play catch, climbing up all our chairs, messing up my kitchen mat and stealing paper napkins during the night to play with them and strew them all over the kitchen floor.  They also love attacking each other and messing the other up.  Their favourite game, apart from playing catch is biting the other's tail.  They really enjoy stalking each other and aiming for the tail.  That game is made more fun when they are both in the bath tub.  That tub is like a playground to them.  I think they just love the cool, slippery, curved surface.  They love to slide about.

Since they got here, we have been truly entertained by their playfulness.  We really love watching them play with each other.  We think we have made the right decision to get both kittens since they would have each other for company.  But they are both very different.  Nymeria is really a girly kitty.  She loves to cuddle up to us and wants lots of attention.  She lets us carry her more than we are able to with Jon Snow.  Nymeria also has the softest and gentlest mews.  Sometimes you can't even hear her even though you can see her opening her mouth.  

Jon Snow is very boyish, very brash and independent.  He knows what he wants and will do anything to get it.  He is the one to wake us up (at 5 in the morning without fail) when he has decided that we have had enough sleep and that we should feed him.  He is also bigger than Nymeria since he eats more.  

The one thing they are very similar in is that they are very clever.  They know instantly how to use the litter boxes and where they are located.  They have learnt the signal I use when it's time for food.  It's a pity though, that they have yet to learn the meaning of the word "no" or even the Swedish "nej".  I mean, we use that word most often on them and yet they never get it whenever we shoo them off the dining and coffee tables and our desks.  We have to do that countless of times a day and they still go where they are not supposed to.  

But no matter how many times we have had to carry them off the tables or had our bodies covered in scratches ( we're like scratching posts to them ) we can never find the heart to be mad at them.  They are really sweet cats, especially when they make it clear that they enjoy being around us.  Even now, as I write this, we are both in bed and they are either playing at our feet or climbing all over us.  When I'm in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, they would play in the kitchen or simply sit near my feet and looking up at me.  When I leave the kitchen and sit on the sofa, they would be on either side of me.  They even want to follow me into the toilet!  They also like to follow Pete too.  When he takes naps in the afternoon, I would sometimes find Jon Snow draped over his leg, fast asleep while Nymeria naps on his chest.  Makes me go "awwww".    

In just one month, they have well and truly captured our hearts in a way we hadn't expect.  We have to do more cleaning now - clearing their litter boxes, vacuuming, mopping and wiping - but that's a small price to pay for making such a huge impact to our lives.  We {heart} our kitties.