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.

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...

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

Nuts about their health?

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

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...

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...

A new toy!

My mother likes to describe Ronan and Pandora as her "Grand-kitties", and every time she sends a parcel to me there is usually a small gift or two for the kittens, too.  Easter saw two toys: The Neverending Chirping Bird, and the Sassy Squirrel.  I saved the Squirrel until her Mother's Day visit this month.

Enjoy!

Happy Spring Equinox, Everyone!

As an Easter/Spring gift from my Mom and Dad, I was sent a huge box of Cadbury's Mini Eggs (my favourite easter treat) and two special toys for the kittens.  Here are Pandora and Ronan enjoying the first: The Eternally Chirping Canary!

With only the slightest touch this stuffed canary will chirp and tweet to its heart's content.  Witness two predatory styles:

1) Ronan:  Throw a wide net.  Chase, scratch, thrash and otherwise scramble until you strike or capture something.

2) Pandora:  Patient Spear-wielder.  She is a huntress, this one.  She will wait until the opportune moment, then seize her prey with hardly a muscle moved. 

Also, I can tell already this Canary is going to drive me nuts.  I am going to keep it in the toybox for special occasions only.

Adventures in Laundry Land

Pandora is sneaky.  She is far more stealthy than her brother.   This week she was a Laundry Ninja.

Enjoy.

DJ Kitty Scratch Mat...!

Have I mentioned I have the greatest Landlord and Landlady in the world??

They bought THIS for the kittens this past Christmas.  best. gift. EVER.

NOTE:  This video is 3-and-a-half minutes long.  I realize this.  But it's so full of cuteness I couldn't help myself.  If you get bored, skip to 3:08 and watch the kittens come up with a new way of playing with the Scratchmat together.  Hooray!

Happy 1st Birthday, Kittens!!!

Yes, it's true.  My tipsy twosome are now one full year old as of Sept. 4th :)

Here is a special birthday video I took of them on their special day.
Happy Birthday, Ronan.  Happy Birthday, Pandora.

And then I fell down some stairs...

... This was on Thursday (Sept. 6th).  I've been limping since then.

It has been chaos in the apartment with three individuals shuffling about and moving as if we all had inner-ear infections.

Normally, the kittens wobble about at their normal pace and I walk with a slightly wider gait to accomodate any sudden movements on their part.  But with my right foot swollen like a purple balloon there was little else to do but hippity-hop across the floor on my left foot.  Pair this with two unpredictable kittens and you have a recipe for disaster.  It's a wonder I didn't squish any of them over the weekend.

It was like playing football with two furry players who have never read the rulebook, forgot all their safety equipment, but have more enthusiasm going for them than Magneto at a paperclip convention.  More often than not, I was the one careening into the walls and collapsing against the countertop as the kittens skidded by oblivious to the near-carnage they had narrowly avoided.

I would like it noted, however, that both showed extremely poor judgement by playing swat with each other on either side of my injured right foot.  OWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
BAAAAAAAAAAAADDD Kittens.

Ronan the Film Critic

Last night I was watching the experimental French documentary Koyaanisqatsi and noticed Ronan was very intrigued by the sights and sounds coming from the T.V.  He spent a good 20 minutes just gazing at the screen, twitching his ears at every crescendo in the soundtrack, leaning forward during the multiple explosions sequences.

Pandora seemed less impressed by Godfrey Reggio's 1982 masterpiece than she was with Ronan's reactions to it.

Enjoy.

Also, Pandora is a weirdo.

Today, I caught Pandora chewing on my toothbrush.  THE TOOTHBRUSH I USE AND PUT IN MY MOUTH!!!

I was not pleased.

I set my face wash, toothbrush in jar, and lotion on the floor while I wiped the bathroom countertop.  Within seconds I heard a tinkling sound, looked down and saw Pandora licking and nibbling something with great enthusiasm.  It only took a moment to work out that it was MY TOOTHBRUSH.

I do not have an extra toothbrush to use tonight.... :S

Ronan is a weirdo.

This is why there is kibble all over my apartment.

This is how Ronan eats.  You can't make this stuff up.  Pandora chases kibble, too, but Ronan's method has two exceptions to hers:

1) He lays on his side, scoots the kibble piece under his jaw and quickly licks it up.  Because of his cerebellar hypoplasia, his head has a consistent wobble and he gets "intention tremors" where his body jerks or shakes in anticipation of trying to execute a movement.

This is his way of steadying his head while eating.  I have tried to explain to him that it is not wise to eat lying down, but i don't think he's listening.

2) Ronan does not like to chew.  This is why he still has minor gingivitis while Pandora's is all but cleared up.  The kittens were put on Hill's Science Diet t/d Dental Care a few months back to help clean and condition their teeth and gums.  Dr. J is completely shocked that Ronan can get that whole kibble piece down in one gulp.  He has suggested we think about mixing this kibble with some canine t/d Diet as it is even larger.  I am worried it might not make one iota of difference to Ronan.

Meanwhile, I have to put an antiseptic oral gel on the kittens gums, and brush their teeth as regularly as they will allow.

And yes, he really does do this every day.

Fountain!

I may have found a solution to the Messy Kitten Problem.  The kittens have problems eating and drinking without making messes.  Just feeding them often results in:

- Chasing of food kibble
- Playing in puddles
- Crumbs found under carpets, in corners, and under furniture
- Sticky wet food tracked across the floor
- Food in the water dish and vice versa
- Moldy kibble found under carpets, in corners, and under furniture

The above is a direct result of several kitten habits including, but not limited to:

- Falling in water dish
- Aiming at water/food dish and missing
- Pouncing on food dish
- Fighting for first access to wet food dish
- Chasing kibble inside water dish
- Chasing of food kibble across floor and crashing into water dish


Long before I even adopted Ronan and Pandora, I was busy mentally compiling ideas for how to care for two kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia.  It occurred to me while at a pet store one day that a water fountain might be just the solution to help them with their drinking problem (haha).

When I first met Ronan, I noticed he "pecked" at his food and water dishes because he lacked the control to simply lower his head to the bowl and hold it there until he was finished eating or drinking.  More often than not he wound up getting water up his nose.  Using a water fountain seemed a natural solution as it provided a gentle slope of running water that was much shallower than the dish itself and was therefore less likely to submerge his nostrils.

Unfortunately, a good quality, stainless-steel fountain is pricey (I don't believe in using plastic if it can be avoided), so I had to wait a few months until finances were sorted.  After finding a pile of moldy crumbs and kibble stretching more than a foot under a cupboard, however, I decided this would be the Week of the Fountain.

Behold!  Fresh running water for my favourite feline friends.  It didn't take long to fully set up (though it would have taken even less time had I not had two very curious and over-eager helpers at my side trying to tackle every bag or bubble wrap pouch), and only a couple minutes to get the water pumping.  The kittens heard the motor start up, wobbled over and explored the new toy. 

And verdict is.....

Uhmmm.... maybe the jury is still out on this one.

This is by far my favourite video of the kittens.  It was shot the first night they came home with me -- January, 21st, 2012.

Ronan and Pandora always try everything with their full hearts.  They have no reason to believe they shouldn't.  They have the most ridiculous, hilarious time trying to chase the ball (and the slippery tile floors are not helping matters), but they are obviously having a blast together.

Did I mention it was hilarious?