Ummm, yeah, so sorry for dropping off the blog radar screen. In my defense, I left for two weeks in Australia the day after the marathon and returned with a charming little cold that kept me out of a work for an additional three days when I got back. Much to Partner's delight, I still have a nagging cough that likes to make an appearance when we should be sleeping.
And thank you very, very much for all your congratulatory comments about the marathon. Sorry for being a schmuck and not replying to everyone.
I had full intentions to post when I was in Australia... took a USB drive and even preloaded the pictures for this post in typepad. But it didn't happen. However, let's move on to what is happening, mainly, this post now. Oh, except, before we begin, I should say that you ought to come back in a day or two for something big... I believe that is the correct knit blog parlance for - I'm going to have a giveaway. Just sayin'.
Several months ago, a guy moved in to the house next door with five (yes, I said male and five) cats. He pretty much lets them free-range through the neighborhood. Beckerman has become OBSESSED with these cats. To the point of sitting at a hole in the back fence and watching for one of these cats for 2-3 hours without moving. If he had thumbs, he'd Kinnear them. It's a little weird, and a lot disheartening.
So, in the way that people (and by people, I mean Partner and I) are apt to personify their pets, we arrived at the obvious solution that Beckerman was lonely. To backtrack a little, Beckerman was a seven-week-old stray that Boy #1 picked up from the street at around 10:00 pm to my cries of, "No!!!! He probably has fleas!!!!"
Which, for the record, he did. And worms. If it was up to my (occasionally) rational and organized brain, we'd never have got a cat because the house wasn't "cat-proofed," et cetera.
Anyway, back to the current story. I may have thought Beckerman was lonely, but we clearly weren't ready for a second cat. However, we'd found out there was an animal shelter down the street and had looked at the kittens a few times. On Partner's birthday, I came home early from work with the idea we'd go look at the kittens because it always makes him happy, and hey, it was his birthday. When I walked in the door, he told me he'd been to the shelter and adopted a kitten. We'll just skip my shocked disbelief and worry, for the purposes of this post.
We couldn't bring her home right away because she needed to be fixed (which is a California law that I understand the good intention of, but I find really really REALLY wrong to fix kittens at 6-8 weeks -- and that is a very poorly-constructed aside, but I'm going to stop trying to fix it). We didn't care for her shelter name. One day Partner was talking about her and just said, "Sasha..."
Beckerman meets his new sister, Sasha:
I wish I had video. Beckerman hissed at her in the cage. When we opened the cat carrier and she tried to sniff him (because, she was raised with other kittens and that is what cats do), he ran away and hid on the top of the washer. Yes, our 13 pound cat hid from the two pound kitten that had just had surgery.
Sasha's first night at home. Food!
Explorin'!!! Look Mom, no cage!
Things did not go well between her and Beckerman. I'd worried about this and my fears were realized. They fought. She usurped Beckerman from the bed, where he has slept since he was a very sick kitten. Beckerman has never (as far as we can tell, aside from critical nursing) been around other cats and didn't understand butt-sniffing, play biting or any thing else. He actually doesn't meow like a normal kitten and we think it's because he never had a model to teach him.
A little late, we read that you shouldn't introduce new cats when one has had surgery because they smell weird. And that you shouldn't put their food next to each other. In fact, after a few days, we regrouped and exiled girl kitten to one room, only letting her out when Beckerman was outside. The idea being to slowly introduce a new cat smell to a house.
Partner had done a lot of research and (a bit of) thinking before getting Sasha. He'd read that it was better to get a kitten that was smaller (not too hard), the opposite sex, and of a similar temperment. Beckerman has become pretty reserved and Sasha was very timid at the shelter.
That didn't last. She doesn't like to stay still. Partner says she has two modes - sleep and play.
Sit still!
That's better, now everyone can see how cute you are. She's a grey tabby, but she has small bits of fur that are light brown. One of her brother's was actually a brown tabby, with no grey at all. She has nearly perfect circles on either flank (you can see it, kind of, in the running shot above).
These days, Beckerman's quiet moments are few and far between:
But things are getting better... it's happening more frequently, but this is one of the first bed truces.
He still looks a bit wary, if you ask me.
But, they do play vigorous games of chase and while I was in Australia, they actually starting grooming each other. In fact, one night in my sickness induced state, I woke up and watched Beckerman get up and groom Sasha while she was sleeping. Melt.
She and her brother share the same love of soccer.
Particularly trying to catch the little men:
Oh, and I may have been a bit apprehensive of getting another kitten, but how can you resist this much cuteness?
Have you noticed? She really likes to snuggle.
And she's her mama's girl. Now I'm not the only one in the house that dreams of string.
Though I think what we do with the string might be different. We're working on that. You know, so I can knit again.
Her naughty habit of biting the yarn and needles (as well as laundry baskets, hangers, fingers, double-sided "keep-you-cats-from-scratching-snort-snort-as if-laughing-all-the-way-the-bank" tape, and her brother) as well as other kitten behaviors (climbing into the refrigerator, attacking her brother while he is sleeping, knocking over all my jewelry) has earned her a middle name.
Because that way she knows we're serious.
Miss Sasha Lynn:
Playing is hard, I'm tired.
Melt my heart, she is so cute.