Kittens!

 Hi friends... it's about time I introduced you to the 2 newest members of the family! Meet Inigo and Podrick, 14 week old identical twin brothers. They've been living here for about 2 1/2 weeks which is the main reason I haven't blogged in that time as they have been taking up all my attention.

 I got them from Cat Rescue Christchurch, a great organisation which neuters and releases stray cats, and rehomes abandoned cats and kittens. The mother of these kittens was a stray who was neutered and released, and the kittens were raised in a foster home until they were ready for adoption. When I emailed Cat Rescue to see if they had any kittens available I thought it would take weeks to arrange, especially since I'd heard there was a kitten shortage in Christchurch. However they replied straight away that these two had just been listed, and I adopted them the following weekend.

I always wanted two cats, and when the time came to get another cat, I decided it would be a good idea to get two kittens at the same time. I figured they are still young enough to adjust to living with another feline, and would be good company for each other. Even better, these two are brothers and they get along with each other as happily as I'd hoped! They play together all the time, sleep together, eat together and even use the litter box together! So yes, they are great company for each other and while they love playing with humans, they also run and chase and tumble together which is great for burning their enormous stores of energy!

We are using the lounge room as their base for eating and sleeping. Before they arrived I tidied everything up and put some things away in this cabinet. Naturally, one of the first things they did was to go behind the cabinet, find the small hole in the back for cords, and wiggle through it. Of course as soon as one kitten was through the other was hot on his heels and they were both into my basket of yarn! I fished them out and stuffed cushions behind the TV cabinet which luckily put an end to that.

 This is Inigo Montoya (named for a character in The Princess Bride) - Ini for short. He is a bit smaller than his brother and we originally thought he was timid. It's actually more that he thinks before he acts, so he hangs back and observes before charging in (unlike his brother). He wears a blue collar, and has a slightly wider nose and heavier brows. He loves to sit in the window and look out.

This is Podrick Payne (looking very surprised in this shot) - Pod for short, named for a character in Game of Thrones. He's rounder and heavier than his brother and very curious and confident. He doesn't think very hard before he rushes into a new situation, so hopefully Ini can teach him some restraint! He has slightly more delicate features and a cute walrus moustache with lighter cheeks, and he wears a black collar.

I can't believe how much these two have grown in the 2 1/2 weeks they've been here. They are settling in well and enjoying daily life. And it's so nice to have not just one, but two cats around the house again.

A post about Lui

 This morning I had to say goodbye to my beloved boy Lui. We had a normal start to the morning where I got up, greeted him, gave him his breakfast and had my own. But when I went to get ready for work I could see that he was not well, so I took him to the vet where they could immediately tell that he had developed a blood clot, apparently caused by an unknown heart defect. There wasn't much to do apart from ease his suffering, so that is what I chose. I brought him home and we laid him to rest in the garden. 

I'm feeling quite devastated but I want to record some of my memories of Lui. I had him for 12 years, ever since my 24th birthday when my friend Carol asked me what I wanted for a birthday present and I replied, "a kitten!" At the time Jon and I were living in a flat where we weren't supposed to have pets but luckily my landlord was forgiving and even installed a cat door for him. The first night I decided to set some ground rules of not having the cat sleep on the bed, so we shut him in the lounge and I warned Jon not to give in even if he cried. Well, he did cry and I lasted all of ten minutes before I got up and let him into the bedroom. He was so happy as he launched himself at the side of the bed and pulled himself up on little kitten paws. He slept where he pleased after that.

 I have to say that having a warm furry presence curled up next to you is one of the best parts of cat ownership. Lui liked to get right under the covers and curl up in the crook of my elbow with his head next to mine. He could stay there all night taking up half the bed and of course I would let him... easing my arm gently out from under him if it started to go to sleep.

He always had an obsession with food. When he was young a vet told us he was overweight and to put him on a diet. We got quite strict with weighing his food and the meals always seemed quite small. Lui thought so too, and so began his obsession with getting more food out of us any way possible, usually by pestering with loud and annoying meows. He would scavenge from rubbish bins, even our neighbours had to weight the lid of their bins to keep him out! (Fortunately he stopped this habit as he got older.) He also loved to be in the kitchen while anyone was cooking and would move in swiftly on the dirty dishes as soon as we sat down to eat. (I ended up turning a blind eye to this in the end, if the dishes were soon to be washed anyway, and one of his nicknames was 'Busboy' since he got them so clean!) We relaxed the diet after a while but food remained one of his life's pleasures. I'm so glad he ate and enjoyed a normal breakfast on his last morning.

 Lui was fairly sedentary, so to help keep his weight down I'd encourage him for walks around the property. I'd often pull a dead leaf from the flax bush and pull it along for him to chase. We live on a quiet street, and sometimes in the evenings (preferably after dark) Lui and I would go for a walk along the street. He absolutely loved that. I would walk slowly along and he would follow behind at a distance, pausing to sniff fences and look up driveways and investigate under parked cars. We'd go a little way up the street, sometimes to the corner, and pause a minute or two, then turn around and head home. That was his favourite part and he would trot along close behind me, until we got almost there and then he would dash past with a "prrrrrraow" to get home first.

 His meal times were breakfast and an afternoon meal. It was supposed to be late afternoon but due to the persistent pestering, it gradually got earlier and earlier till it was about 1.30pm! After that he would find somewhere to sleep for the afternoon, and this spot would vary depending on the season, the weather and his mood. The first thing I always did on arriving home from work would be to look for him in his various possies, and say hello. He'd raise his head and let out a happy "prrraow", and I'd spend a few minutes scratching him under the chin while he purred. Then I'd go about my chores, and we'd meet up in the kitchen to cook tea.

My darling boy, I miss him so much and I don't honestly think there was a more loved cat in all the world. He was happy and content his whole life and I'm grateful I could give him that life. Lui has been a staple fixture on this blog since I started it - my mum once said that he is a very well-documented cat - and he inspired my occasional series "Weird Cat Behaviour". All my older posts about Lui are found under this tag.  As you can see in these photos he loved to sleep, and he is sleeping peacefully now. Thanks for reading. xx

Weird Cat Behaviour #4

WEIRD CAT BEHAVIOUR #4*

Sleeping on the doormat. No, of course you're not in the way there, I can step quite easily over you balancing a basket of laundry and the hedge clippers! It's especially fun when you jump up and try to go in the door while I'm closing it, balancing said objects!

To be fair, it was 28 degrees C. I couldn't be bothered moving much further either.

*Usually followed up by Annoying Cat Behaviour #1358 - sharpening claws in the screen door while wailing to be let in or out.

In which Lui has a big adventure

Bright and early on a Monday morning, Lui sat looking out the open back door. Suddenly his ears pricked up and he leapt up, knocking over his stool in excitement, and ran out the door. What had he seen? Just two ducks, taking an early morning stroll across the rooftops.

Full of eagerness and spring cheer, Lui leapt up on the roof to join them. "Surprise!"

"Bugger off!" quacked the ducks, and flapped across the short space from the neighbours' house's roof to our garage roof. There they sat, regally surveying the landscape and ignoring the lashing tail and fanatical glare coming from just metres away.

Poor Lui - he just wanted to cuddle one! Just one! He just wanted to wrap his paws around it and hold it tightly, and maybe wash it a bit, and watch it flap and then grab it close and cuddle it again. That's all!

Silly little feline. You don't even figure.

Darling, this neighbourhood isn't what I thought it would be. Let's go!

Right you are, dear.

Oh well, thought Lui. I know how to get on the roof now! It's just a jump and a flap from here to the cherry tree. Those smart-ass blackbirds won't know what hit them!

Weird Cat Behaviour #1

the first in an occasional series

Eating from the compost heap
Well, it's actually a pile of vege scraps ready to go on the compost heap. I kept coming out onto the porch to find them scattered everywhere, at first I blamed hedgehogs until I actually caught him in the act. I guess you have to sample everything - you never know where a little scrap of jellimeat might be hiding, after all!

Potato peelings - yum yum!

The Sad Saga of Funnelhead

This is Lui, currently known as Funnelhead. The thing on his head is an Elizabethan collar. It's on there to prevent him scratching and licking at his neck where there is a small lesion.

This is a saga because it's been going on since late last year. He would let the wound almost heal and then scratch the scab off, opening it again. We've been to the vet countless times... opinions differ on the cause (most likely an allergy, but it's not clear to what) and the treatment (ranging from the lovely collar to steroid pills to flea treatments to hypoallergenic food to the suggestion of biopsies and skin grafts).

Poor Lui was a miserable cat when we first put the collar on him. It was much too big and would drag on the ground in front of him and trip him when he tried to walk. The next day I trimmed off a good third of it and it was much lighter. His whiskers poked out the front and he could walk without crashing into furniture. He could even get out the cat door again, although it would take a couple of goes to get into the right position. (Crash, bash).

I have to smile whenever I get a glimpse of him strolling past in his Sunday bonnet with the big bow. It bobs back and forth as he walks and, at the right angle, it certainly does look like a funnel..

Right now we are coming to the end of the latest regime of pills, and crossing fingers, toes and paws that the itch has stopped for Lui! If only, if only he can leave it for another week or so then all will be well.