Month: May 2009

Pets, Photography

Kitten Update

Shelly

The kittens are getting used to the dog, and the dog is (slowly) getting used to them. She’s not really cranky about the cats, but she has a serious jealous streak, and she thinks it’s her job to be The Fun Police. Both of these are problems we’re working on. For now, calm interactions are being rewarded.

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They kittens were spayed on Friday and came through it fine. In fact, when I brought them home that evening, they didn’t even seem to notice that they’d just had pretty major surgery. They did start licking at their incisions, though, so I had to put The Cones of Shame on them.

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They both figured out pretty quickly how to eat and drink with the cones on, which is good. The problem is that they keep getting litter in between the layers of plastic. I’m constantly having to clean their cones after they use the litter box. Not so fun, but they should be cone free in a few more days, so it’s a short-term issue.

Oh, and if you ever want a good laugh, try watching two kittens staggering around like drunken soldiers while they get used to The Cones of Shame. Apparently they forget how to walk when you first put cones on their heads. Who knew?!

Henry is turning into a total mush. She doesn’t care how I pick her up or hold her. She just purrs and purrs and purrs, as long as you’ll pet her. Polly ended up being the more outgoing of the two, which surprised me, because she seemed flightier than Henry. Probably the most surprising is that, while they play with each other and groom each other, they aren’t inseparable. They’re perfectly comfortable hanging out in different rooms.

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Harriet thinks the couch should be a kitten free zone. I sympathize with her, I really do, but all good things must come to an end, and she’s just going to have to learn to share. Not today, though.

Crankypantsing, Photography

Inconceivable

Shelly

I regularly complain about how hot it is at work. My cube neighbor told me yesterday, “Just wait until you start having hot flashes.” Now, this is not the first time this comment has been made to me (nor the first time she’s made it). I’m the youngest person working in my section. Everyone else is in their late 50s/60s. They think they’re being funny, because it is obviously utterly inconceivable to them that someone my age could be starting menopause. They are not as funny as they think they are. Alsotoo, it really is hot here. I always look at the thermometer before complaining, so I have empirical evidence. Alsoplustoo and FYI, I’ve been having a year-long hot flash, you patronizing jackass.

And some random raspberry blossoms:
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Pets, Photography

Introducing Henry and Polly

Shelly

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Henry (left) and Polly (right)

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Polly (with Henry behind her)

I said that Henry was the more outgoing one, but as soon as I opened the bathroom door and started taking pictures, Polly came out of hiding and stuck her nose in the camera. I love both of their markings. If you look closely at Polly, she’s got orange stripes leading away from the outer corners of her eyes. Henry has cream colored back feet, which are super cute.

(Please ignore the rumpled bath mat, which they’ve pulled down from the side of the tub. Stinkers.)

Pets

An Announcement

Shelly

I’ve been waffly about the whole cat search thing. Do I want an adult cat or a kitten or two kittens? If kittens, should I go for younger ones or older ones? Do I get them from the shelter or the paper or wait until they show up on the doorstep? I just don’t know. So last night, my neighbor was out on her patio. I went over to ask her if she knew of anyone who had cats or kittens needing homes. Her mom lives on a farm and has a steady stream of dumped animals, so I figured it was worth a shot.

And it was! Her mom has two six-month old littermates—a tortie and a torbie, named Polly and Molly. They’re the perfect age for me, the coloring I was hoping for, and best of all, I will only have to rename one of them, since Polly was at the top of my name list. Surely, these are Teh Kittehs of Destiny? Best of all, her mom was at her wit’s end, because she’s at her maximum capacity for cats. She had decided she’d have to take these two to the shelter, where she was afraid they’d be put to sleep. So I’m cutting out the middle man and taking two cats out of the shelter loop. This makes me very happy.

My neighbor is spending the day at her mom’s, so she’ll bring the kittens to me when she gets back tonight, at around 8pm. She was a little concerned that I might not like them, as A) they are not cute little babies and B) I’ll be taking them sight unseen. Ha! 1) I am weird, and I really do prefer young adult cats to cute little kittens. 2) I Every single cat I’ve had has been unknown to me before-hand or picked at random from the alley, so I assured her that that wasn’t an issue. About the only things that would be deal breakers would be refusal to use a litter box (they are both already litter trained, so not an issue) or extreme aggression. Also not an issue, as she said they are both very sweet natured.

So if all goes well, I shall have kittehs tonight! Photos will be forthcoming (probably not until tomorrow), as well as a final decision on Molly’s new name. Polly will obviously keep her name, but I have an aunt named Molly, so I think I’d better rename her. The kitteh, not my aunt.

My Garden, Photography

Fairy

Shelly

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I think my little tomato seedlings are a little stunted, but they’re finally developing “true leaves.” Exciting! The baby peppers I started from seeds are farther behind, but they’re growing, too. I wish I could say as much for the columbine seeds I planted. I’m not seeing any signs of life from them. The zinnias and four o’clocks are growing, though. If something doesn’t happen soon in the columbine beds, I’m going to plant some more zinnia seeds in them. Who doesn’t like bright, happy zinnias?