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.

 

Pitter patter of tiny paws

For the past two days, our peaceful household is no longer as it was before.  We had two new additions to our little family -  a 12-week old pair of male and female kittens.  We adopted them from our friends who have two beautiful Siberians, a male and a female, of their own.

The female, Tula, is a show cat that has won many awards.  She was supposed to be bred with another Siberian but she somehow found a mate of her own choosing and gave birth to four cute mixed breed kittens.  The timing is perfect since Pete and I have talked about getting a cat of our own not long before that and our generous friends happily let us have two of them.  It works out great since they can visit the kittens whenever we have them over or whenever they miss the little cuties.  

The two that we got were two of their favourites.  The white male, named Jon Snow, is a very brave and curious kitten.  With his beautiful colouring and longish muzzle, he takes after his mum.  The sweet looking female, Nymeria Sand (our friend named them after characters in Game of Thrones), is black silver tabby and has the sweetest mews.

Our friends came over with the kittens in a stroller for pets on Sunday afternoon.  When the flap was open, the first one out was Jon Snow, of course.  He immediately started exploring the apartment, sniffing everything in his path.  Nymeria Sand came out shortly after that, following close behind him.  They were still very timid at first, jumping at the slightest noise.  They were also very wary of us, not letting us come close and running away as soon as we got near.  

We let them explore everything and they soon discovered the litter box, water bowls and the food plates.  Pete and I have set everything up before they got here and being such intelligent creatures, they knew immediately how to use the litter box.  They didn't take to the dry food and water at first, but maybe they were still very scared and nervous.

After our friends had left, we went about our usual routine but kept our eyes on them.  They found comfort under the bed  and that was where they took a long nap.  We managed to lure them out with food in the kitchen.  We out food in two separate plates - one for each of them - but they ate out of only one.  I guess that was what they were used to.

They didn't eat everything at first, maybe because they weren't used to the food.  Then, we took out some toys and tried to coax them to play with us.  We only managed to buy three different types of balls and a tiny mouse.  I attached the mouse to a string and tied it to a stick.  I know no cat can resist that type of toy and sure enough they went flying all over the floor, chasing and attacking the mouse.  They played for a bit and then, all tired out, found a place to lie down and sleep.  

It's so sweet to see them snuggling up to each other and snoozing together.  We feel good to have adopted two so that they would have each other for company.  They would stick very close to each other and would always be in the same room and sleep next to each other.

The first day, they didn't let us pat them much but we noticed that they would follow us around the apartment.  If they didn't see us, they, especially Jon Snow, would mew and call out to us.  When we called out to them, they would run to us.  Sometimes, when they wanted to sleep (and as kittens they sleep a lot) they would curl up at our feet.  

Those were good signs that they were getting more and more comfortable around us.  That night, when we headed to bed, they followed us and started playing with the curtains.  We let them play and fell asleep, only to be awaken in the middle of the night when they nibbled and clawed at our feet that were under under the covers.  We had to switch to a thicker cover so that we'd still have all our toes intact in the morning.  When we got up the morning, we found one kitten on each of our side.  They had curled up against us in the middle of the night.  

By the second day, they were more familiar with us.  They let us pat and stroke their fur more and more and would again curl up and nap at our feet.  They also got their appetite back and were eating more.  Jon even learnt to ask for food when we forgot to feed them that evening - we have to get used to having the cats around.  I forgot that they were with us and almost tripped over them a couple of times when I didn't watch where I was stepping.

Today is the third day that they are with us.  We've trained them to come to us in the kitchen when we want to give them food and are training them to know their boundaries in the house.  They are not allowed on the dining and coffee tables and the balcony.  Somehow with babies and kittens, one of the first words we teach them is 'no', isn't it? 

Anyway, they are learning it.  And they are learning not to be too afraid of us and of loud, strange noises.  I used the hair dryer today without scaring them too much.  They were, instead, curious and came near to me to examine the source of the noise.  Also, I found it so sweet that they follow me around the house.  When I'm in the kitchen to do the dishes or to cook, they would play in the kitchen or simply sit and look up at me.  When I'm done and go to the sofa to watch tv, they would lie near my feet or curl up against me and nap.

Within three short days, they have captured our hearts and of course entertained us with their antics as they play with their toys.  I hope that they would live long happy lives with me and Pete.

Weather for walking

It started out windy and cold.  We went out in the morning with his mum and sister to get some stuff for the garden.  When we got home, it even drizzled for a while.  It continued to drizzle after a short pause.  A nice day to stay indoors, and indoors was where we would be for the rest of the day, I declared.

But when it got closer to 6pm, the weather turned.  The rain stopped and the sun came out.  Looking out the window, the bushes were relatively still and the leaves of the trees, barely moving.  Well, maybe we can go out for our walk now.

Hesitantly, Pete got ready to go out.  He was mentally prepared for a day of rest, but to his credit, he walked on and boy, were we rewarded with the best weather since I arrived.  It was sunny, not too windy and not too cold.  We took our usual route and passed our garden.  I know our daily walks have done us good because we were not panting by the time we got to our patch.

As we continued on our walk, the day got even better.  It got warmer and brighter and I felt like we could walk on for miles.  And so we did.  We took a longer route home and passed beautiful trees, houses and even a church.  I even spotted a wild rabbit, scrambling into the bushes when it saw us.  If only there are more of such days.

we think these are chestnut trees

 Before I end this post, here are pictures of some of the cats in the neighbourhood.  The Swedes love dogs.  I can always find someone walking their dog when I am outdoors and there are plenty of dog parks and fields for dogs to run around in.  I didn't think they love cats as well, but I have been seeing cats in some of their homes.  And the cats here are fat and fluffy, I guess to adapt to the cold.
  

spot the cat

this was found in the same garden

a close up of one of them

the cat on the right jumped on the ledge when it saw me and got shocked by the presence of the one on the left

this beauty was 3 houses away