Wednesday, March 31, 2010

First Vet Visit

Turk and Diva had their first shots today.
They had a worm treatment and got an immune booster for FeLV. I wouldn't have worried about the FeLV since our boys don't go outside, but Taxi was diagnosed 4 years ago with the virus and I want to make sure the babies can't get it from him. Greebo and Magic are thankfully immune as well.
When I let the two of them out of the travel box in the vet's office, the vet picked Diva up and gave her a good once over and listened to her heart and stomach and such, checking in her ears and all... and then picked Turk up to do the same.
I was chatting all the while and then mentioned they are brother and sister and will be 11 weeks old tomorrow. She then said about Turk, and I quote, "Wow, He's going to be huge!"
Gotta love it!!
They're both very sleepy now and have been snoozing since we got back from the vet. I'm hoping its a side-effect of their shots and they'll be fine in the morning.

The vet is very happy with Turk and Diva's progress and health.

Diva is still the most gawjiss classic tabby I've ever seen, and Turk is starting to develop some definite flame-point markings on his face to match his tail and ears. And his eyes are still blue.

All 5 cats are now more than comfortable with each other! Playing, grooming, sleeping and eating together. I'm quite ecstatic about it!

Monday, March 29, 2010

So Cute...




These two precocious furbabies keep me on my toes and keep me in stitches!!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Proof Of Settling In

The babies are snuggling up to the big boys, and they're getting tongue baths from them too. I am so SO very happy about it!!



Friday, March 19, 2010

Yet More Kitten Photos...

I have discovered the cure for anxiety, depression, bad moods and PMS... watching kittens play!
The babies have settled in beautifully! They are even playing a little with the big boys!

Tonight as I write this I have Taxi in his usual spot at the foot of the bed, and Turk curled up next to me. Diva is sharing a blanket with Greebo downstairs and Magic is on the ottoman next to them.

Diva found a little sunshine...
snuggling with the big boys...
taking over the couch...

It also looks as though my sweet little Turk may be developing a red point colouring, including the blue eyes! Of course, I think he's exquisite... but if he does develop the colouring he's going to be a show stopper!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

An Oldie But A Goodie

We've all had trouble with our animals, but I don't think anyone can top this one:


Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I'm lying.

On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head. The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty.

Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.

Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.

'Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it.'

'You know where the button is,' I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. 'Reset it yourself!'

'But I'm scared!' she persisted. 'What if it starts going and sucks me in?'

There was a meaningful pause and then, 'C'mon, it'll only take you a second.'

So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behaviour as extremely cowardly.

Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.

It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn't the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region.

Wild animals are sometimes faced with a 'fight or flight' syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the 'flight' option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent.

The impact knocked me out cold.

When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.

Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of 'been-there, done-that' paramedics.

Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter......and not succeeding.

Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which it was.

'What's the matter?' They all asked, 'Cat got your tongue?'

If they only knew!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Turk & Diva Exploring...

And meeting the other boys.


My sweet lovable loyal Taxi was the first to meet them and has settled nicely into a guardian slash babysitter role.
He didn't have much choice... since he insists on being wherever I am, he had to get used to me spending time with the babies and then his curiosity got the better of him.



 The munchkins have started venturing down the stairs, especially if I go down and Taxi follows me. They really don't like being on their own when they know there are people in the house.
 

Magic is very unimpressed with this invasion of his space. He is relaxing more and more every day and is no longer growling and his humans, but when the babies are close by he follows them around and hisses and growls if they so much as look at him. He got a mild shock yesterday when both babies launched themselves at him purely out of curiosity!
I have discovered that I can use the same conditioning on him that I use when training the cats to a harness- so if the babies are nearby they all get a little cooked chicken and he behaves himself for a bit!


Greebo remains his non-plussed aloof self. He's not growling or hissing but he's not playing either. I sometimes think he's still sulking over me bringing Taxi home!!

Meeting The Others...

Here are some photos of Taxi playing with Turk.
Taxi has become the "babysitter".

Here's Magic... he's still very tense with them and growls and hisses, but we're making progress and watching them all closely.
The babies are still locked in the study during the day so they're not alone in the house with a still very nervous Magic, but we're definitely moving forward.

Monday, March 15, 2010

So Much Energy!

How crazy energetic are kittens!??
Everything is climbed, clambered on, swatted, run at, run away from and attacked! Diva and Turk run everywhere, and everything they encounter gets jumped on or swatted in passing including each other!

Here are Turk and Diva playing on my magazine stand in my bedroom!!



Here's Turk, in a series of photos I took within the space of a minute!!!