Kittens!!
Okay, so everyone keeps asking for pics of the boys... I can't upload any here because the files are all too big. But I'll gladly email a few to anyone who asks. And I promise to bring hundreds to camp. :-)
For a brief update on their lives (and hopefully Draco can provide us with an update on Fiddlesticks, so we have the whole crew covered...)
Merry and Pippin came home permanently on August 12th and have been growing like weeds ever since. They soon met their "Auntie" Meghan, my roommate, and it didn't take long for her to become "Momma" Meghan... given the fact that she feeds them more often than not, changes their litter box when I'm out of town, puts up with their antics, and has suffered material losses on account of them. So, here we are a happy little household of four: two felines who are pretty sure they run the place, and the two humans who are here to serve their every need. And whim.
Shortly after camp ended, Olly made the difficult decision to move back to Pennsylvania. She couldn't take Java with her, so she called me to ask if my friend Ryan would want to adopt him (she knew he'd been thinking about adopting a cat, and he had met the kittens a few times throughout the summer and had fallen madly in love with them). He said yes immediately, and began preparations for Java's arrival. By the time Java arrived, he had his own bedroom (yes, that's right, Ryan cleared out the second bedroom in his apartment just for Java), with a deluxe litter box, toys, catnip, and lots of empty boxes and paper bags. Into this room also went the kitty condo that Yoda and others gave Olly and Java as a gift at the end of camp. In addition to Java's bedroom, he has access to Ryan's bedroom, a fully-equipped living room, with window perch, two bikes to jump around and hide under, lots of furniture, and a wine rack that all three kittens used to crawl around in quite happily (they don't fit so much anymore).
Merry and Pippin continued to explore, and for a few weeks they had lots of messes and paper and boxes to play around with because Meg was just moving in and we were getting the place settled. It took only 24 hours for Meg to be able to tell the boys apart, without the color-coded collars, and thus began a love affair that continues today. The boys are mad about Meg, and often advise her on how best to spend her time at home (for instance, "Momma Meghan, you don't really have to grade papers. Here, I'll chew on that red pen for you." or "You don't need to check your email, I'll sit on the keyboard so you can pet me"). They've broken glasses that belong to her, hidden small items under the couch and refrigerator, eaten her dinner when she turns her back, knocked over her tea/soda/whatever she's drinking, inadvertently given her puncture wounds when using her as a launch pad during high-speed chases, and even flung themselves at warp speed directly into her head when leaping over the couch. Somehow she continues to think they're cute. :-)
Today, they weigh about 10 pounds each, and they're THIN. Merry is extremely thin, like you can see his shoulderblades and ribs when he's stretched out, even though he's fluffy. Pippin has a little bit of pudge potential, but he's still pretty skinny. They eat a cup of food each per day, not counting what they steal from me and Meg. That's about twice as much as the reccommended amount for their weight, but they are bottomless pits! They are the picture of extremes... either sleeping or running about in a frenzy, just a grey blur whizzing past you. Java-Osiris (who is called "Si" by his new daddy, whose vet records say "Java-Osiris Johnson" and whose tag says "J. Osiris") weighs about the same, but eats only a half a cup a day, at the vet's reccommendation. So you can see how much more calories are burned by cats who have a playmate! As such, Ryan is considering adopting a sibling for J-O so he can get some more activity. Plus, Ryan feels guilty about leaving him home alone all day and frequently comes home for lunch just to see him!! So you can see, no worries about Java's fate, huh?
Personality-wise, the three kittens are worlds apart. Merry and Pippin are the poster boys for "nature" over "nurture". They have had nearly identical experiences since birth, and yet are drastically different. The main difference is the Merry loves to be loved, while Pippin loves to love. Merry is the egomaniac studmuffin, always basking in the sun and positioning himself so as to be admired, petted, and generally tended to. When Merry wants attention, he stands on your chest and tells you so, usually by shoving his wet little nose into your lips. If you fail to comply with his demands, he becomes pushier... shoving his head under your hand for petting or even nipping your arm or chin. If you try to reason with him, and explain that you're very busy, he forcefully places one paw on your mouth. "Yeah, I hear you baby, now give me some lovin'." Merry's favorite past-times are sunbathing, admiring himself, and hiding in the kitchen cabinets (we have to put long spoons through the handles to keep him from opening them). Pippin, on the other hand, genuinely loves others and is not quite so self-centered. If he wants to cuddle, he'll generally curl up next to you and rest his head on your lap. At night, he comes to me and curls up in the back of my neck and purrs in my ear (Merry, Meghan reports in the morning, spends most of his night wrestling with her toes through the blankets and as such needs to be kicked out of her room periodically). Pippin's favorite past-times are chirping at invisible flying objects, chasing invisible running objects, and decapitating Q-tips (again, Meg and I had to find a way to store them so that he couldn't get to them - but he is determined and I often find him in the bathroom inspecting the plastic box and devising a plan). I'm not sure how Q-tips made it into Pippin's Axis of Evil, but believe you me, they need to be smoked out of their holes and hunted down. Pippin takes this very seriously.
Java is a whole nother story, in that he lives without another feline companion. He has become spoiled, territorial, and aggressive. When we have play-dates at his house, he chases Merry around and starts fights (Pippin, always the brains of the operation, usually sits somewhere high up and observes). When we have play-dates at our house, Java is sullen and suspicious, he skulks around, snarls and hisses at everyone (feline and human), and most recently established his own little piece of territory by peeing on my armchair. He is perfectly nice and sweet with people, but when other cats are around he gets a little paranoid. Consequently, Ryan is going to consult with the vet about his behavior before adopting him a brother or sister.
Health-wise, they've all been to the vet for two series of shots and to have their little manhoods removed. And, to give credit where credit is due, St. Joseph Animal Hospital has the most wonderful vets, AND they gave us the reduced rate for neutering because they knew the kittens were rescued from the "wild". They're healthy as can be, as evidenced by their never-ending appetites, their outrageous activity levels, and the overflowing litter box. Most of all, they're all loved and spoiled rotten, and always have a loving human or two to curl up with when they feel like it.
There's an update on the Tapawingo Kittens of 2004. I know from Draco that Fiddlesticks is also doing wonderfully, but hopefully we can get a whole update. Merry just jumped down from the bookshelf to come say hello, and Pip is snoozing happily on the couch. Big purring kitty hugs to all!
For a brief update on their lives (and hopefully Draco can provide us with an update on Fiddlesticks, so we have the whole crew covered...)
Merry and Pippin came home permanently on August 12th and have been growing like weeds ever since. They soon met their "Auntie" Meghan, my roommate, and it didn't take long for her to become "Momma" Meghan... given the fact that she feeds them more often than not, changes their litter box when I'm out of town, puts up with their antics, and has suffered material losses on account of them. So, here we are a happy little household of four: two felines who are pretty sure they run the place, and the two humans who are here to serve their every need. And whim.
Shortly after camp ended, Olly made the difficult decision to move back to Pennsylvania. She couldn't take Java with her, so she called me to ask if my friend Ryan would want to adopt him (she knew he'd been thinking about adopting a cat, and he had met the kittens a few times throughout the summer and had fallen madly in love with them). He said yes immediately, and began preparations for Java's arrival. By the time Java arrived, he had his own bedroom (yes, that's right, Ryan cleared out the second bedroom in his apartment just for Java), with a deluxe litter box, toys, catnip, and lots of empty boxes and paper bags. Into this room also went the kitty condo that Yoda and others gave Olly and Java as a gift at the end of camp. In addition to Java's bedroom, he has access to Ryan's bedroom, a fully-equipped living room, with window perch, two bikes to jump around and hide under, lots of furniture, and a wine rack that all three kittens used to crawl around in quite happily (they don't fit so much anymore).
Merry and Pippin continued to explore, and for a few weeks they had lots of messes and paper and boxes to play around with because Meg was just moving in and we were getting the place settled. It took only 24 hours for Meg to be able to tell the boys apart, without the color-coded collars, and thus began a love affair that continues today. The boys are mad about Meg, and often advise her on how best to spend her time at home (for instance, "Momma Meghan, you don't really have to grade papers. Here, I'll chew on that red pen for you." or "You don't need to check your email, I'll sit on the keyboard so you can pet me"). They've broken glasses that belong to her, hidden small items under the couch and refrigerator, eaten her dinner when she turns her back, knocked over her tea/soda/whatever she's drinking, inadvertently given her puncture wounds when using her as a launch pad during high-speed chases, and even flung themselves at warp speed directly into her head when leaping over the couch. Somehow she continues to think they're cute. :-)
Today, they weigh about 10 pounds each, and they're THIN. Merry is extremely thin, like you can see his shoulderblades and ribs when he's stretched out, even though he's fluffy. Pippin has a little bit of pudge potential, but he's still pretty skinny. They eat a cup of food each per day, not counting what they steal from me and Meg. That's about twice as much as the reccommended amount for their weight, but they are bottomless pits! They are the picture of extremes... either sleeping or running about in a frenzy, just a grey blur whizzing past you. Java-Osiris (who is called "Si" by his new daddy, whose vet records say "Java-Osiris Johnson" and whose tag says "J. Osiris") weighs about the same, but eats only a half a cup a day, at the vet's reccommendation. So you can see how much more calories are burned by cats who have a playmate! As such, Ryan is considering adopting a sibling for J-O so he can get some more activity. Plus, Ryan feels guilty about leaving him home alone all day and frequently comes home for lunch just to see him!! So you can see, no worries about Java's fate, huh?
Personality-wise, the three kittens are worlds apart. Merry and Pippin are the poster boys for "nature" over "nurture". They have had nearly identical experiences since birth, and yet are drastically different. The main difference is the Merry loves to be loved, while Pippin loves to love. Merry is the egomaniac studmuffin, always basking in the sun and positioning himself so as to be admired, petted, and generally tended to. When Merry wants attention, he stands on your chest and tells you so, usually by shoving his wet little nose into your lips. If you fail to comply with his demands, he becomes pushier... shoving his head under your hand for petting or even nipping your arm or chin. If you try to reason with him, and explain that you're very busy, he forcefully places one paw on your mouth. "Yeah, I hear you baby, now give me some lovin'." Merry's favorite past-times are sunbathing, admiring himself, and hiding in the kitchen cabinets (we have to put long spoons through the handles to keep him from opening them). Pippin, on the other hand, genuinely loves others and is not quite so self-centered. If he wants to cuddle, he'll generally curl up next to you and rest his head on your lap. At night, he comes to me and curls up in the back of my neck and purrs in my ear (Merry, Meghan reports in the morning, spends most of his night wrestling with her toes through the blankets and as such needs to be kicked out of her room periodically). Pippin's favorite past-times are chirping at invisible flying objects, chasing invisible running objects, and decapitating Q-tips (again, Meg and I had to find a way to store them so that he couldn't get to them - but he is determined and I often find him in the bathroom inspecting the plastic box and devising a plan). I'm not sure how Q-tips made it into Pippin's Axis of Evil, but believe you me, they need to be smoked out of their holes and hunted down. Pippin takes this very seriously.
Java is a whole nother story, in that he lives without another feline companion. He has become spoiled, territorial, and aggressive. When we have play-dates at his house, he chases Merry around and starts fights (Pippin, always the brains of the operation, usually sits somewhere high up and observes). When we have play-dates at our house, Java is sullen and suspicious, he skulks around, snarls and hisses at everyone (feline and human), and most recently established his own little piece of territory by peeing on my armchair. He is perfectly nice and sweet with people, but when other cats are around he gets a little paranoid. Consequently, Ryan is going to consult with the vet about his behavior before adopting him a brother or sister.
Health-wise, they've all been to the vet for two series of shots and to have their little manhoods removed. And, to give credit where credit is due, St. Joseph Animal Hospital has the most wonderful vets, AND they gave us the reduced rate for neutering because they knew the kittens were rescued from the "wild". They're healthy as can be, as evidenced by their never-ending appetites, their outrageous activity levels, and the overflowing litter box. Most of all, they're all loved and spoiled rotten, and always have a loving human or two to curl up with when they feel like it.
There's an update on the Tapawingo Kittens of 2004. I know from Draco that Fiddlesticks is also doing wonderfully, but hopefully we can get a whole update. Merry just jumped down from the bookshelf to come say hello, and Pip is snoozing happily on the couch. Big purring kitty hugs to all!