It's the Kittens' 7th Birthday!

Oh!  I can hardly believe my beautiful kittens are 7-years-old now :) Ronan Jameson Fenriz and Pandora Rune celebrated their seventh birthday on Sept. 5th, 2018. 

They make me laugh and live every day I'm with them.  They greet me at the door with wild yowls of excitement, they wake me with paw slaps and aggressive mews for their breakfast, they cuddle with me and hold my fingers with their paws as we go to sleep. 

I have watched them grow from awkward, curious kittens to sleek and sassy (and still awkward and curious) cats whose very presence makes our little apartment a True Home.

Happy Birthday, Ronan.  Happy Birthday, Pandora.
I'm so lucky that you chose me.

Happy Birthday, Kittens <3

Fiesty game fun!

Ronan has a new favourite game.  I call it:
Make It Rain Receipts.

Technique:
1) Remove your massive pile of receipts from your wallet.
2) Enter each item and amount into your household budget app.
3) Toss completed receipt into the air or onto Ronan.
4) Watch him go nuts.
Repeat.

Enjoy.

The Kittens' 6th Birthday!

Can you believe it??

[Sorry, everyone, for such a long wait between posts (i have a new dayjob and my downtime has been spent on film/art projects, not so much blogging lately), but what a great post to come back with!]

Ronan and Pandora were born (according to their adoption file) on Sept. 4th, 2011, exactly one month after my feline friend Joe passed away.  We have spent almost six wonderful years together in this little apartment, chasing dreams and catnip mice together.  Can you believe how big they are now? :)

I feel so lucky all the time for being the human chosen by these two special kitties.  Every day they show me love and affection, gentleness and compassion.  When I have my Down Days, they let me know that I am loved and cared for and that there is still hope and beauty in this world.  And when I have my good days, they are also there to remind me that the greatest gifts are laughter and acceptance.

Happy 6th Birthday, Ronan and Pandora!

Holiday Baking at my Apartment

I love to bake most months regardless, but December means lots of breads and cookies for Solstice, Christmas and Hannukah gifts.  The kittens love this because it means lots of spilled oatmeal and flour on the floor.

Ronan discovered the pile of flour before I did.

Sneaky, Ronan... very sneaky...

Why I can't leave my gym bag on the floor.

Energy Nuggets.

Really, you guys?  Energy Nuggets?? 
Those things have carob in them.  Even I don't actually like them.

Hunters #1

The kittens have hunting instincts but almost ZERO hunting skills.

But, now and then I am surprised by signs they have been busy protecting the apartment while I was away.  And then I am proud.  Very proud.

Today, and last week, they desecrated two nasty spiders who have undoubtedly been biting me in my sleep (i'm not joking, i have the marks to prove it). 

Proud Mama I am.

My Kittens are so SMART!

I like to describe the kittens as ill-behaved puppies:  They know what they are supposed to do, and most of the time they listen.

But the truth is, I have been training them since they were 4-months-old as if they were actually puppies -- same commands, same rewards-system, etc., and it really works.  Cats can absolutely do tricks, but most humans just don't bother to teach them.

The kittens are a bit limited by what "tricks" they can learn as their coordination and balance will always impact their physical ability to perform, but they are very smart and very eager to try.  Yet, people tend not to believe me when I tell them that the kittens know how to SIT upon command.  Here is video proof of their intelligence:

Pandora knows how to sit.

And Ronan knows how to sit.

Smart kitties :)

Carbohydrate Craving Kittens #3

Dear Kittens,

I get it, carbs are amazing.  Lord knows I couldn't possibly make a satisfying sandwich without them, i wake up in the night sometimes craving a nice, fat bagel, and don't even get me started on my life-long commitment to pasta.

But here's the thing:  Genetically speaking, as a Homo sapien, I am an omnivore.  And you, genetically Felis castus - or Felis domestica - are a carnivorous mammal.  And that is why I cannot comprehend what drives this inner compulsion of yours to seek out and consume CARBOHYDRATES.

Two days ago i bought two loaves of bread on sale, thinking I would slice one of them and freeze it, thus storing some extra food for the coming weeks when I would not have time to go purchase fresh bread for dinner.  You -- RONAN -- have spoiled this plan.

Exhibit A & B: A previously pristine loaf of 12-Grain Bread (yes, really) that you have mangled through the plastic bag and torn pieces out of for your late night snacking pleasure.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C & D:  Your completely guilty (if completely adorable) face.

Exhibit C. (w/ possibly accomplice?)

Exhibit D.

Look.
I love you.  And I like carbs.  And I get if you like carbs, too.  But for the love of god, stop eating my bread!

Sincerely,
Your frustrated human,

Rain

Blocked video in another country!

So this is interesting.

According to YouTube, one of my kitten videos cannot be streamed in Germany.

Was there kitty nudity?
Kitty cursing?
Nazi-kitty rituals?

No.
I happened to be playing a record by trip-hop artists Alpha while Pandora explored the DJ Kitty Scratch-mat in THIS video (*If you are in Germany, you will not be able to see it!*):

UMG registered a complaint and because of this they can play ads during the video that will benefit them, and I (*gasp!*) am not allowed to earn any money from this video (did i ever??).

So, there you go.
If you are recording a video of your cute kitty having fun with their new kick-ass toy, better not be enjoying any good audio art at the same time.

Sorry, Alpha.  I really wasn't trying to step on your toes.
Not sorry, UMG.  It was Pandora's selection, and on Christmas we all take turns picking out records to play.

Nuts about their health?

Or just being sneaky jerks... ??
I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!  IT'S JUST NUTS AND RAISINS!!!

PATIENCE.

It is a virtue they do not have.

Ronan is a Jerk

Well.  Not all the time, but it is springtime, so he's been extra "wild" lately.

Here he is trying to stalk his sister.

My favourite part is when he pounces and lands unceremoniously on the squeaky-squirrel toy at 0:25.

I found this in my bed the other day...

Multiple-choice quiz:

What is Exhibit 'A'?

a) Gross
b) A Sneaky Kitty Snack
c) Dissappointing
d) Used to be a Crispy Crunch Chocolate Bar
e) Almost Entirely Void of Chocolate
or,
f) All Of The Above.


EXHIBIT  'A'

The answer is F) All Of The Above.

Oh, those sneaky kittens... I'm not even sure that there is much carbohydrate value in a Crispy Crunch Chocolate Bar...

Trick Or Treat!

Trick Or Treat/
Kitty Feet/
Give us something tasty to eat!/
If you don't we don't care...

...'Cuz we're likely to take it anyways (especially if it contains carbohydrates)...

Happy Belated Hallowe'en everyone!

Most of you already know how I feel about animals in clothing (i don't approve), but i have made an exception in celebration of All Hallows' Eve/Samhain 2014.  Also, I couldn't resist the idea of Ronan wearing a pirate hat....

TOOOOOOTALLLLLLLLYYYY  satisfied.....!

(note the kitty slobber on the blanket below his mouth.)

A Sneaky Snack...

Last night, I made myself a foot bath with oatmeal and honey in very warm water to soothe the extremely itchy mosquito bites on my feet (received during my recent trip to Saskatoon for my sister's wedding).

Guess who thought it looked good enough to eat...

NOTE:  I do not have any photographic evidence of the sneaky snack that took place as I was far too busy trying to keep not one, but TWO kittens away from the basin.

"A Tale of Two Kitties"... Ronan and Pandora read a book

My most excellent Acting Instructor is also a part-time novelist.  The second installment in his Junction Chronicles trilogy is called A Murder of Crows and I shared it recently with the kittens.  This is how it went...

Ronan looks as if he is quite stunned by a passage he just read...!

Pandora isn't sure if she approves of that cliff-hanger chapter ending.

".... Whoa..."

Princess Pandora has found a new favourite book :)

Ronan vs. The Duvet

I like to think that Pandora is the Master of Ideas and Ronan her willing henchman.  Usually, he will try - and fail - at things 10 or 20 times, while she will sit and observe him (judging, if you will), then try - and often succeed! - just once.

I think the Duvet downfall is Ronan's alone, however.  I have woken on many a morning with him buried inside the duvet cover, helplessly trapped and still squealing for breakfast.

I came home this evening to find Pandora at the door, but Ronan nowhere to be found.  Usually, he will make his timely appearance after the second or third time I call his name.  Tonight, I heard him call back, but show not even a whisker.  I went looking in the bedroom and found this:

(*** yes, it looks like there's no video, but trust me, it works)


Lord knows how long he was hanging around and waiting for my return!  I feel grateful he has such strong feelings about proper bathroom behaviour and did not relieve himself in the duvet...

"Beautiful Joe"

Joseph Oliver Moneen, or "Joe", was my first feline friend.  After he passed away from cancer two years ago, I wrote a song for him called "Beautiful Joe". 

Imagine my emotion when I found a young adult novel recently titled "Beautiful Joe".  Written by Canadian author Margaret Marshall Saunders in 1982, and based on a true story, the book follows a cruelly abused and mutilated dog named Joe as he learns to love and trust again.  Despite his horrible disfiguration, the other characters in the book understand that Joe is truly beautiful -- inside and outside -- regardless.  And the best part:  It is narrated by the Joe the dog himself.

I am going to be reading -- and bawling about -- this book, and shall therefore do you the honour of blogging (and bawling) about it over the weeks to come.  It's going to be dreadfully emotional.  I can already tell...

It's the Kittens' 2nd Birthday!

It's the Kittens' 2nd Birthday!  Ronan and Pandora turned 2-years-old on Sept. 4/2013.  I was so busy that week and forgot until the next day :(  Baaaaaaddd.... I felt terrible.  Thus, the really, really super tasty treat to top last year's Wild Sockeye Salmon:

Medi-Cal SO diet canned food cut into triangles ("cake slices") and topped with fresh, organic catnip grown in my very own backyard.  Suck on that, Martha Stewart. 

Dear Dr. Kent, if you are watching this, please do not be mad.  I never, never give them treats, and this has been the only time since last year they have "cheated" on their diet (and by "they" I really mean Ronan, because Pandora is not allowed any treats since Ronan can't have them.  I believe in fairness).

Happy Birthday, Ronan!
Happy Birthday, Pandora!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Kittens!

Din-din.

The kittens are messy and creative eaters.  Ronan in particular has gone through a ridiculous transition in terms of his eating habits (see previous posts), but one thing has always remained:  A passion for food!

This is what dinnertime is like at our household every night... Note how Ronan holds the bowl (and himself) in place with one firmly planted paw...