I've not posted very much about the cats in a week, and I want to remedy this. As you probably know I got two kittens at the end of May. I'd been vaguely looking for cats for a while, what with "reality" setting in around me. A friend adopted a cat who had a litter of kittens somewhat unexpectedly, and I said that I would take one. Well turns out that there was a remaining kitten that had been unclaimed, and my family has generally enjoyed getting kittens in sets before. So it wasn't a hard sell.
These cats have been something of a journey. We spent the second night that we had them at the emergency vet because Merlin was lethargic and crying a lot. This was bad. Turns out the poor thing was constipated and had a slight fever and maybe a little dehydrated. So the vet gave him a little bit of fluids and I talked them into giving us syringes so that we could shoot water into his mouth. Turns out he hadn't really grasped drinking. In the subsequent months we have noticed a general unburdened intelligence in this animal, despite his very pleasant demeanor.
The pecking order of the cats has been pretty fun to observe. It seems that Kip, the shrimper kitten has sort of established himself at the top. This happened with the last kittens too. Very strange, though last time, the alpha kitten was also the most personable. While Kip is friendly and relaxed, Merlin is clearly the more affectionate cat. Merlin's response to being picked up or held is basically to go completely limp. Which makes carrying him around interesting. He's a bit bigger, but feels much more heavy as he makes himself all dead weight.
They're now 9-10 months old, so we think that they're mostly done growing. Merlin is 13-14 pounds, and Kip is probably 10ish pounds. The other large cat in the house--Nash--is 20 pounds. We were, for a while, concerned that we were going to end up with another couple 20ish pound cats. Which isn't a bad thing, so much as an overwhelming thing.
I've never really had a cat that is as well adjusted as these. All previous cats have been shelter cats, because that's just been what makes sense. And since these were from a friend's cat, and she let them stay for as long as they needed to. They're very well adjusted, and very affectionate, and nothing really bothers them, which is nice. We've had a lot of neurotic cats over the years.
While I really enjoy having kittens around, there is a point where the constant playing and activity can be tiring. I look forward to the day when I can wear headphones in the house without risking that the cats will chew them to shreds, and the day that sight of my toes underneath the covers doesn't raise the "attack," instinct. I mean, for now it's great, but I enjoy headphones and my toes.
The only other thing of note is the fetching thing. Merlin first, and Kip to a lesser degree, adore playing fetch. Merlin will find some toy, carry it to you in his mouth drop it and then bat toward you. And then he sits and watches you until you throw it, at which point he'll tare after it, play with it for a moment and then bring it back. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
This is cute, and a fun trick, it is however, a bit of the problem when I'm on the phone with coworkers and clients.
But that goes with the territory. And it's good territory after all.
Onward and Upward!