Breaking news: kittens are still pretty cool

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Hey all — sorry for the long time away.  Work is pretty nuts and I just got back from PA on Sunday night.  In any case, here’s a brief update on the cats.

General update: Thor and Loki are becoming more and more rambunctious.  They’re getting bigger, stronger, braver and more willing to break the rules if they can get away with it.  They climb and jump higher; they’re getting into places I never thought they’d reach.  One particularly problematic behavior problem is their biting.  Both of them have started to bite both of us very regularly.  Thor even bit my face yesterday… this is definitely something I’d like to talk to the vet about.  I’m planning on scheduling them an appointment tomorrow since we haven’t been able to afford another one yet (both kittens need some expensive vaccines.) Truthfully, I will have to start disciplining them more when I see them misbehaving.  However, we also need to play with them more, which I theorize is the root of their bad behavior.  I’m looking to get them more toys and make sure to play with them for at least 10 minutes every day.  Here’s to happier, healthier little buddies!

Thor: He’s a weird one, that’s for sure.  One of the little idiosyncrasies I’ve failed to mention thus far is his face-licking.  Thor, when starting some major cuddle-time with Steve or I, will come up and absolutely cover our faces in little kitty licks.  I’m not really sure why; I feel like this is a more common thing with dogs.  Unfortunately, his tongue has the characteristic sandpaper-like texture and the love-licks start to get painful after a little while.  He tends to concentrate on the nose and cheek areas.   He’s gotten a hold of my nose ring a few times.  Ouch.  Other than that, he continues to be a huge whiner and Momma’s boy – not that I mind that, of course.  He still needs to pack on a few pounds.  Overall, he still behaves better than Loki and is less picky when it comes to food.

Loki: Man, this bugger is working on my nerves.  He has been comporting himself pretty badly as of late and I’m getting a little discouraged.  Loki always seems to be biting something or someone.  Worst of all, he loves to knock over trash cans and walk all over the tables, especially if he suspects there’s people food nearby.  Using the squirt bottle doesn’t seem to faze him; he’ll only quit once he’s completely soaked.  From the places he explores and the trouble he causes, he’s obviously very cunning but brash.  I’m going to bring up my concerns about him to the vet.  At this point, I’m willing to chalk it up to our long work hours and the fact that he’s still so young.  I tried feeding Thor and Loki some Fancy Feast kitten food and Loki totally refused it.  Thor would eat the chicken and neither of them would eat anything seafood-related.  If we have an exceptionally bad day, though, Loki usually will be very loving at the end.  Apologetic, even.  He definitely is getting more snuggly as time goes on.

Anyway, that’s it for now.  I’m going to try to update the blog once or twice a week — not much, I realize, but realistic considering my present schedule.  Hopefully I’ll update more.  Next post will include a batch of new pictures!  Yay!  Thanks for bearing with me.

Nerdy cat stuff — my favorite!

 

Absence

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Hi, all.  Just a brief post to let anyone who reads this know that there has been a death in my family.  I’ll be returning home to Pennsylvania briefly later this week.  Sorry about the hiatus — family business and work have taken up most of my time.  Hope to get back in the swing of things soon.

Sorry, cuteness calls

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I was going to write a post tonight but then Thor and Loki were so cute and snuggly and warm that I couldn’t resist them.  I just want to sit here in silence, pet and snuggle them.  New post soon, I promise.  I have a topic and everything.

*baby talk gibberish* I love my little buddies!

A little (buddies) reminder

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I apologize for the long delay in posting again — I recently started a full-time job and work a variety of shifts.  I just started this week and will already log 40 hours by the end of tomorrow.  So bear with me as I get into the work routine.  Because I’m pretty exhausted and need some time to collect my thoughts for a complete, coherent post with a definite theme, here’s a little tidbit that I thought of today:

Appreciate the simple joys of owning a cat.  After a long day at work, it was tremendously relaxing to just sit with my cats and stroke their backs.  I even had a fun time giving them belly scratches as we played on the for together.  I feel lucky that I have these little buddies in my life.  Take some time and appreciate your kitty!

Thor and Loki chillin’ on the top of their modest scratching post.

Two cats vs. one cat

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It’s Saturday evening!  Do you know where your cats are?  It’s likely you do.  And where am I?  Why, I’m in my bedroom typing up a blog about cats on a Saturday evening!  Think about that last statement and quietly shake your head.  :crazycatlady:

Anyway, I was sitting on the couch with Thor and Loki after a spirited 20-minute Zumba Kinect workout.  I pet them and came up with the idea to list the pros and cons of a two cat home vs. a one cat home, as well as provide a little of our history.  When Steve and I originally decided to adopt a cat, having two never really crossed our minds.  However, after we went to the Humane Society, the sight of those two, meowing and playing with each other in the cage left me with a huge heartache. Fun fact: Thor and Loki’s original names were Cobra and Mustang. Obviously, we decided on two; the fact that at the Humane Society it was “Adopt-A-Kitten Month”, which meant that we could adopt any two kittens and only pay one adoption fee, influenced our choice as well.  However, as we were completing the paperwork, all the volunteers and workers at the Society said it’s much easier to adopt two kittens.  Here are a few reasons why, including my own observations:

  • If you have two cats, they are less likely to get in trouble around your house.  They spend more time sparring and playing with each other than getting into your stuff or tearing up the furniture.  They keep each other entertained!
  • If you are a couple or have one other roommate, each of you can have a lap-cat.  It’s pretty great.
  • Playing with two cats is just more fun.  It adds a competitive element between the cats which equals beaucoup amusement for you.  Try two cats and one laser pointer or dangling feather toy for best results.
  • Cat-siblings seem to generally look out for one another.  If one gets stuck somewhere, the other will meow and make a fuss until you come to them.  Or if the one gets hurt or in trouble, the other will at least go check on the first one.

“Those are pretty good reasons,” you grumble, scrolling through your 6GB of LOLcat pictures.  “But there are definitely drawbacks.  You’re then responsible for two separate, individual animals.”  You’re right — it’s not all happy fuzzballs and kitten piles.  I present to you the cons:

  • If one cat is misbehaving or doing something it shouldn’t be, the other cat will often follow suit.  For instance, Loki starts playing around in his litter, getting it all over the bathroom floor and encouraging Thor to do the same.  Then both of them get in trouble.
  • You have to buy double the food, litter and toys.  It can get expensive.  Also, double the vet bills.  And at times, double the mess to clean up.
  • At the end of the day, you deal with two individual animals.  They have different personalities and different needs.  It can be difficult to find the right balance and the right training tools for two young cats.

I think adopting any cat is great — especially if it’s from an animals shelter or rescue.  Two cats were right for our family; when thinking about adopting cats, consult your own list of pros and cons if you are considering more than one animal.  Anyway, that’s all for now!  Here’s a funny cat picture and make sure to check out the new gallery on the Pictures of the Cats or the Only Reason Why You Read This Blog page:

 

Moving along

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The cats are still growing insanely fast.  I can’t believe how strong Loki has gotten and Thor has become quite the little climber.  Still have some voracious appetites as well; they’d have me feed them their wet food 5x a day if Thor and Loki had their way.  Sorry about the long period between posts — I’ve been applying for lots of jobs and recently snagged a position at Whole Foods, where Steve works.  I’m still putting in applications for some publishing jobs as well.  I had a great idea for a short story last night and will perhaps post it somewhere on the blog once I finish it.

But you’re here for the cats!  I’m to administer their Flea/Heartworm/Tick preventive topical medication today.  I’ve got to wait until they’re really sleepy to do it, since I’ll be rubbing a decently sized tube of goop on the back of their necks.  Hopefully they cooperate!

I’m still a little pressed for time, so here are so more pictures!  Yay!

Herp derp whats goin on guys

Loki at the Altar of Scratch

Also, check out the new page and do the poll!  I’m interested in your opinions.  Really I am!  https://thorandlokicats.wordpress.com/pictures-of-the-cats-or-the-only-reason-why-you-read-this-blog/

Bad Days and Cat Moods

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Thor and Loki continue to go about their daily business of eating, pooping, sleeping, meowing and playing.  They have huge appetites for both food and play.  More than anything, they are learning and exploring the house.   In any case, what I have noticed recently is that cats have good/bad moods and days just like people do.  Some days they are hellions, being in places they shouldn’t be and biting everything in sight.   Some afternoons they fight and others all they sleep for hours.  Today was a bad day for the boys.  They started the day by invading our bedroom; Thor crawled into this broken part of fabric on the underside of the bed and got stuck there.  With no small I effort, I eventually fished him out with a feather toy.  This event wasn’t a great start for me either because I had a job interview later that morning.

I decided to catch a few more z’s and when I awoke, Thor and Loki were absolutely ravenous.  They whined and complained as I heated up their wet kitten food (currently feeding them Iams Kitten Formula – Chicken Paté along with Iams Dry Kitten Food to increase their weight.)  After that, I began to get ready for my interview.  Half way into my shower, Thor jumps in with me.  He starts to freak out and I quickly remove him from the evil, cascading water.  Loki seemed like he might follow suit but thankfully stayed out of the shower, though he had a grand ol’ time knocking over the waste basket.

I got dressed and tried to dry Thor off a bit; since he was frightened, he crawled up in his little “spot” on top of chest, directly under my chin.  Yay!  Now I smelled like wet cat for my interview.  A memorable scent if there ever was one.  I felt bad for him but I soon had to leave.  Throughout the morning, they bit my feet and tangled themselves in my shoes.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better: Loki kept trying to get in the dishwasher as I was loading dirty dishes in and Thor attempted to wedge himself inside the couch.

All of these little disturbances are funny in retrospect, but sometimes I’d like them to just be quiet and sit in my lap.  But they have their own will and ways… they are still so young after all.  I have to learn to be patient with them.  Today wasn’t a banner day in terms of behavior.  We all have our bad days.

A quieter time.

Playing rough

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Super intense blur fight.

and Loki love to fight with each other; it’s appropriate considering their mythical names.  I swear they spend half the day tusslin’ and wrasslin’.  It’s probably good because they fight instead of tearing up the furniture or getting into trouble.  Throughout the day, I hear Thor or Loki crying and whining as the other bites his ear or tail.  It’s all mock aggression, of course, but I still worry that they are playing too rough.  Just like I have difficulties determining what is a wanting cry and what is just a meow, I usually can’t tell when one of them is seriously in pain.  However, Steve can usually tell when they are playing too rough.  Fun fact: cats will never hiss at each other in a play-fight.  And now, BATTLE PHOTOS:

Kind of looks like a hug.

Grr!

Cat tangle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, Loki gains the upper hand.

Captain Butt Stinky/Sir Whines-a-lot

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These are my two amazing nicknames for Thor.  He seems to be slightly stinkier than Loki and he also meows all the time.  He sometimes cries when he’s hungry or wants to play, but most of it is just random vocalizing.  It’s hard to distinguish when he actually needs something.

Anyway, in lieu of a longer post, here are a few happenings from the last few days:

  • I’ve started a toy rotation for Thor and Loki.  I hope doing this will keep them interested in the myriad of toys we’ve bought them.
  • Loki is a little ankle-biter.  He follows me around and nips at my feet… it’s pretty hard to substitute that behavior.
  • I bought them a scratching post with a dangling toy and perch at the top.  The boys really seem to like it and the post encourages good scratching behavior.
  • I also bought them two chewing toys made from jute.  They seem to like them but have yet to really chew them.

AND:

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!

After talking to the vet, I heated up the wet food and Thor and Loki liked it!  Yay!  I wish they’d eat a bit more of it, but this is a great step forward.