Sunday Snoozes

Rich snapped these and the title says everything else.

New Home!

Hello!

Really sorry for the lack of posts lately about Theo and Bailey but we've all been upping sticks and moving house!

This is a picture of Theo and Bailey's new home too. Isn't it lovely?

Bailey obviously got involved with the decorating!

 And then took over the controls and is all settled in now:

While we were moving they had their birthday too and now they're 1 year old! I can't believe the little skittles have been in our lives for over 9 months already (almost 10months now). It only seems like yesterday we were picking them up as teenie tiny little bundles of fluff and yet it's as if they've always been in our lives.

So Happy Birthday Theo!

and Happy Birthday Bailey!

New Toy

As the title of the post will tell you, Theo and Bailey got a new toy today and I kind of think they like it...

Little Heartbreakers

I read once that cats have about 100 different vocalisations and 90% of them are used for communicating with humans. I found it fascinating and read in to a bit more.

Different sources will tell you different things about feline vocalisations and what they mean. However, one or two things are definitely true about my kitties.

1) Meows are demands - for food, love or play.

2) They use frequencies similar to babies crying in their meows that strike a chord with our innate caregiving.


My cats have definitely nailed number 2. Theo at all times because he's just so squeaky and Bailey has really learned to sound sad and lost and in desperate need of affection.

This is Bailey being super sad. Tugs at the heart strings!

And Theo. Squeaky Theo who always sounds like he's in desperate need of help bless him.

How could anyone resist?

Adopting Cats

Back at the start of this blog I (very) briefly mentioned some problems I had trying to adopt cats from Cat Rescue Centres or the RSPCA and said I'd come back to it. So while I'm still trying to figure out the look of the blog I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about my experience.

I originally set out to adopt cats from the RSPCA or a Cat Rescue Centre because I know they are heart-breakingly full of unwanted cats and kittens. However, living in a flat and wanting to adopt kittens as house pets left me unable to do so.

Most of these places won't allow you to adopt a cat  as an indoor cat unless there is a medical reason the cat should not be going outside (eg. the cat is blind).

Having been brought up with 5 cats over 19 years I very much know how much cats love the freedom to go where they want, when they want. But, I also don't think it is cruel to keep cats as house pets if they are given a loving and stimulating environment and aren't over-fed. In my opinion it's much much better than being penned up in a rescue centre or being abandoned to go feral or the other worse things cruel people do when they no longer want their cat. Boooooooo to them!

To add insult to injury (for me), when I first started looking in to adopting a cat (which was many many months before it happened) the RSPCA were complaining about there being too many outdoor cats chasing and killing off the population of birds and small mammals. Yet they won't let you adopt a kitten to be a house cat!

I must point out at this stage that there is one exception where I do agree with the policy. That is when a cat has been brought up as an outdoor cat and is very much used to the outdoors. I think removing a freedom already given is cruel.

However, I think the contradiction of them wanting fewer outdoor cats for the sake of birds and small mammals but not letting you have indoor cats is a little bit ridiculous. Many centres come round and inspect your home before you're allowed to adopt too. So why not do the same for house cats and ensure they have a loving and stimulating home and the new owners understand the different needs of indoor cats with regards to food intake?

I know I'm not going to change the situation by ranting about it but I wanted to share my experience and  express that I think they're reducing the number of loving homes these cats can go to.

I think If I'd lived in a house surrounded by fields instead of a flat surrounded by busy roads my cats would be outdoor cats too. However, I feel blessed to have such adorable and loving cats and a lot of people comment about how spoiled and loved they are back. What more could they really need?

Under Construction

Hey,

This is just to let you know that over the coming week or two you'll likely see some changes to the blog. It may flick back and fore between styles, layouts, colours etc. 

This is just me playing with the settings and the look. I'm sorry if it causes any problems  for anyone. I'm just trying to make the blog a nicer place for everyone to visit.

Also, I'm happy to take suggestions on this so if there's anything missing (or goes missing) in the process, please just let me know and I'll try and fix it.

Thanks!

Kitty Gear Solid

Don't worry if you don't get the title. It's a game reference and if you want know where it comes from you can check out a game snippet here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDNUReQWf78



For those of you who get the reference I hope you think it's appropriate too. I found it really funny watching Theo confuse Bailey this way. I just wish I could have added the ?s, !s and sound effects.

Hope you enjoy.

 

Laura's Little Helpers

I thought my cats would grow out of this as it became a regular thing and they got used to it but apparently not. It's still interesting and they still want to "help".

Theo and Bailey really like the washing machine! 

They watch us putting in the powder (to make sure we do it right!):

  
Sometimes Bailey likes to get in and make sure there's no clothes left over:

And then they love watching the washing going round and round and round....

Think Pink

Lately I've been wondering if Theo, our gentle giant, has an obsession with the colour pink.

The first time I noticed was when I recently shifted some furniture around. I have 2 large bean bags and the dark blue one has been in the living room all the time and Theo enjoys sleeping on it. However, as soon as brought the pink one through he stopped sleeping on the blue one and now prefers to sleep on the pink one. He does look pretty fabulous on it to be fair:

The second thing that has made me wonder is his sudden increase in wanting to play. When he arrived he did prefer the little feather boa on a string as a toy but wasn't too fussed about play. As I've said before, he's more concerned with kibbles and cuddles.

However, the other day I got a pink version of the toy out because the other one had pretty much lost its feathers. He went mental for it! His little eyes lit up in excitement seeing it in the packet, he was meowing and pawing up my leg trying to get at it as I unwrapped it and then... well I don't think I've ever seen Theo run before! He chased and chased and chased until he was pooped bless him. Ever since then he's been really playful and loves chasing the pink feather boa.

The (nearly) Great Escape!

So instead of the post I intended to write, I thought I should tell you about their escape attempt.

I opened the living room window a little wider than usual last night because it was really warm and we needed some fresh air in the stuffy room. I went to fetch something from the bedroom and came back to find Bailey trying to get through the window with Theo doing his usual chin-ups (photo below) following suit.

Bailey had decided he'd have one front paw and one back paw on the main frame and the other paws on the handle so he was sort of walking over the gap!

I was lucky I got back when I did, any longer and they would have managed to push the window open further and run!

Boxes

So it's a well known fact that cats like boxes.

The one thing I didn't realise before getting Theo and Bailey is that the amount cats like boxes is not exaggerated in any way shape or form!

He doesn't fit in this box anymore but we still have it and they still play with it!

Theo and Bailey love all the boxes. Big ones, small ones, tall ones, short ones. If it's a box they will love it more than the contents inside regardless.

Personalities - Bailey

So the first thing to say about Bailey is that he is a bugger. Bailey is a complete and utter bugger and I'm sure this is photo sums up what he thinks of that:

Hahahahahahahahahahaha

He is completely obsessed with playing and loves to explore. He has a really inquisitive mind and loves it when something new comes in to the flat. It could be a new cardboard box - the same as all other cardboard boxes but just a new one - or some shopping or a letter. Anything. If it's new, he'll want to sniff it, bite it, try and play with it and, if possible, hide in it or shred it. Preferably the latter.

New toys are definitely the best!

Bailey is also really fussy though. Well, I'm not sure whether he's fussy or is just that not bothered by food that he'll only eat stuff he really fancies at the time. He's definitely the slimmer of the two cats but I think his obsession with playing keeps him very active and burning energy.

He's quite fussy with play too. Bailey loves to hunt. While Theo will quite happily entertain himself by throwing a toy mouse around or chase a ball, Bailey prefers someone to be moving a toy that he can hunt. His favourite toy being some feathers attached to a stick. This was a toy here when he arrived on day 1 and I have to keep replacing them as they snap (when jousted into a wall) or when all the feathers have fallen out. I've never seen a cat so excited by feathers on a stick! And if you think you can throw it away because you're done playing, think again.

He'll just bring it straight back.

AND if you don't play when he puts it at your feet he'll nudge you first, then he'll meow and then he'll pick it up again and jump on you! No avoiding play!

He even snook into the the bedroom where I hid them once and brought back one each for me and Rich!

We're having troubles with him at the moment because he won't let us sleep. While this started off quite funny, it's becoming a real pain now and I am utterly exhausted.

He thinks it's OK to jump at our bedroom door handle to try and open the door whilst meowing at 2:30am, 4am, 5am... Pick any unreasonable time in the morning and he could be doing this for his second or third time to try and wake us up so he can have attention and play.

We've tried spraying him with water, hissing and shouting and have even resorted to locking him in the travel carrier at later times in the morning (from about 4:30am onwards so as not to leave him locked up too long) to teach him he shouldn't be doing it but he just doesn't stop! It's been going on for weeks now! If anyone has any ideas on how to stop him I would be very grateful.

So there you go. Bailey the bugger. Inquisitive, playful and very very demanding!

Oh and a lover of the sun. I'm loving the sunny weather at the moment because it keeps him quiet and sleepy while he stretches out in the sun coming through the window. As soon as it moves around far enough to come through our window, he'll locate the sliver of sun on the floor and will lie in it. Ah the peace!

Personalities - Theo

Theo and Bailey are two very different cats. Sometimes it's hard to believe that they are brothers from the same litter they're that different.


So lets start with Theo.

I decided to call him Theo for several reasons. Firstly because I considered it short for Theodorable. I know, cheesy, but he's just so cute! The second reason is that Theodore often gets shortened to Teddy and I thought that to be perfect because he does have a teddy bear face.

To match his teddy bear face is his personality. He's such a big softy; a gentle giant. He was the first born of the litter and from what I've heard about the other kittens from the litter, he is taking after his dad more in how big he's getting. I'll try and photograph Theo and Bailey side by side (easier said than done) so that you can see the difference.

He is cuddles and food orientated. He does like to play but prefers to eat and sleep on my lap more. That is unless I throw the Christmas bauble across the floor and then he goes a bit mental chasing it around everywhere. Well, until he gets it stuck under the sofa, behind the TV, to the side of the book case etc. and I have to get it out for him. He's not the cleverest cat in the world bless him.

He also likes to have play integrated into eating. So kibbles are put in little balls he pushes around the floor so that a couple fall out every now and then. Theo prefers playing catch or chase with kibbles though. If I throw a kibble sort of over him, he'll reach up and try and catch it either in his paws or in his mouth! He started off very bad at this and ended up knocking them everywhere or missing completely and having to chase after them (in much the same crazy fashion he chases the bauble). But he's actually quite good at catching now and doesn't have to chase many. Which also means I don't find as many kibbles randomly left across the floor too!

For all his size though, Theo is a big fraidy cat. He jumps at a lot of stuff and tends to hide away around new people. He has been better recently. When I had a few friends over he hid for a bit but came out for treats and didn't hide away again. But he didn't approach and play with my friends much and either walked around very cautiously.

I'm hoping with time he grows out of this and warms to new people quicker but I'll just have to see how he does when people come to visit. Maybe he'll warm to the people who come round over time and be fine around them and only panic when someone brand new comes over.

Either way, at least I'll know that I can coax him out with kibbles and treats!

Sleep

So this isn't my image. I just found it on the internet but I think it sums up a lesson I learnt very quickly.

Like I said before, the kitties slept through on their first night and did so for about a week. However after that I was woken up by constant meowing at increasingly earlier times of a morning. At one point I was being woken up at 4am, feeding them and then going back to sleep. Well, at least trying to go back to sleep.

After a couple of weeks of this I decided I had to stop giving in to their meows straight away. I was beginning to feel exhausted all the time and it didn't stop them meowing after they'd eaten either!

I imagine this is akin to a parent having to learn not to go to their child every time they cry. It's not easy. Especially when both cats meow in a way that sounds sad and breaks your heart.

I persevered though and now I can actually sleep through their meowing if it starts at silly o'clock in the morning. However it doesn't normally start until about 6:45am at which point I'm getting up late and they are acting like a reliable alarm clock. Although it does suck that they do this at a weekend too.

They themselves are adorable when they sleep though. It's the best time. They are so peaceful and innocent looking.

I have to resist picking them up when I see them sleeping like this! They get grouchy when woken up so it's best to let them sleep.

I do get used as a bed quite frequently too. 

Which is really nice for about half an hour but after then my arm is either dead/dying or I want to get up of the sofa for one of many reasons. Then I look at them and my heart melts and I stay for at least another half an hour watching crap on TV.

Christmas and New Year

So the kitties arrived half way between Christmas and New Year. They settled in really quickly and I imagine that was helped by the many toys, treats and the cat tree that were already here awaiting their arrival.

Christmas definitely came twice for these little kittens :)
 
By the end of the first day of exploring and playing they were pooped and spent all night sleeping.

Before being transferred to the baskets Bailey fell asleep on Rich's lap and Theo fell asleep leaning against my leg. Bless them, they were exhausted.

However, after a good snooze it was all play! Especially with the Christmas tree which was still up at this point. They loved the baubles (Theo still has one as his favourite toy) and Bailey really enjoyed helping us take the tree down :)

And ever since then it has been non-stop play as far as Bailey is concerned. He loves playing more than anything else. He'll play so much he'll get out of breath but won't want to stop! His favourite toy is feathers on a stick which he likes to bring to you to play with if you're in the same room as him.

He'll also bring it back if you throw it across the room!

Finding My Furry Feline Friends

I've always grown up with cats and I love them. When I left for University I soon started to want my own kittens again but for a long time this was not possible because of living in rented property. However, in October last year Rich and I enquired whether our landlady would allow us to have cats (we live in a rented flat) and she said she would! 

So I instantly got on the internet and started looking at rescue centres in our area to try and find the perfect little balls of fluff to bring home. Unfortunately a lot of places don't allow you to adopt cats and kittens to keep as indoor cats which restricted us greatly. I also think it's a very silly policy but this is something I will write a separate post about.

So eventually, I ended up on gumtree. I know, probably not the best place to be looking for kittens given a lot of people will lie about the age of their kittens to get rid of them or not look after them properly or a combination. However, I stumbled across one advert about some kittens in Manchester and was instantly drawn to this tiny tabby kitten inside the smallest shopping trolley I'd ever seen. He was so adorable! Then I saw there were other pictures of tiny cute kittens 2 pure white, 2 tabby and one odd one who was a mix of the others. 

                                         

After seeing the photos I started reading the advert and discovered that the girls who had them were caring for them well, were going to get them vaccinated and weren't willing to let them go to just anyone. So I sent a message explaining my situation, how adorable I thought the kittens were (because they were just all so cute!) and asked if it would be possible to visit them and adopt them from her. I got a response the next morning saying they'd love for me to adopt them and that I could go and visit. I was over the moon and couldn't wait to see them!

So a week later Rich and I went to visit the 5 teenie tiny kittens and and fell in love with two of the kittens who we have since named Theo and Bailey. 

Just as a side note, Bailey was originally called Miracle because he was the runt of the litter but born 9 hours after the other 4! A miracle he survived and I am very glad he did.

Theo is the tabby in the shopping trolley and Bailey is the mix of tabby and white on the bag. However, when we visited, it was mid November and because of work and not being able to get time off until Christmas we couldn't collect the kittens until 28th December. We had to just see pictures of them until then. Here are just a few of those photos:

But how cute were those pictures? It was a long six weeks but finally December 28th 2012 arrived and I collected two beautiful kittens :)

Since then we've had lots of fun and laughs and a few frights too! I hope you enjoy reading about the Cute Kitty Chaos that has ensued since then as much as I have enjoyed living it.