Trotter, Water and "Fur Mouse"

Last night I was sitting at the computer and noticed Trotter bouncing his head up and down near the water dish (and plastic glass) on the kitchen counter.  Yes, I know, what is a kitten doing on the kitchen counter?  You try keeping two curious munchkins off the counters when they can jump onto the computer desk and onto the breakfast bar of the kitchen.  It's a losing battle.  Anyway, I had to get up to see what was going on with Trotter.  What I found was a very happy kitty with a very wet fur mouse toy he had been dipping into the water.  I managed to grab the phone to capture a little video of the events that ensued... including Maddie taking control of the situation.

 

This is the first thing I caught when I came into the kitchen. Then...

Changing Focus

I started thinking last night that maybe I should change the focus of this blog a bit.  Maddie and Trotter continue to amuse and entertain me every day, so there are plenty of adventures.  But, there is another joy that comes from having such lively youngsters in your life... education.  As I watch them grow and play, I begin to remember the simple innocence and pleasures of childhood.  Since I've never been a parent, I guess I've not been exposed to the rediscovery of innocence that comes from being around children.  Instead, I get a similar experience with my non-human-speaking children.  So, thus begin LIFE LESSONS BY MADDIE AND TROTTER:

Lesson 1: Bottle caps make great bathtub hockey pucks. 

Last night I was in the bathroom removing labels from empty medicine bottles.  Trotter jumped up on the counter and immediately deposited himself into the sink.  The trouble is, there is a tiny drip from the faucet that falls on kitty's side when he's curled up there.  Sometimes he reaches over and licks the spigot to catch the drips.  So, I decided to hold an empty bottle under the spigot to help him out.  That didn't faze him, but what did catch his attention was the bottle cap.  He came over and grabbed it out of my hand and ran for the tub, where he realized it made the most awesome sound... and, it came back to him when he batted it up the side!  Maddie then appeared and there was a very brief soccer match until Trotter picked the cap up and ran with it to the living room.  There it became the toy du jour and stimulated lots of mysterious whumps and thumps in the dark after I went to bed.  Those whumps and thumps translated into books and other precious belonging knocked to the floor by flying kitties. But, it reminded me that sometimes unexpected joys come from inexpensive toys.

Mischief

I was awakened about 2:30 this morning by the sound of my two kittens crashing and thumping into walls, doors, and other unknown targets.  Fearing that my neighbors might be bothered by the noise, I called the little ones into the bedroom.  They said a brief, "mrrttt," then continued with their lively games.  This was uncharacteristic activity for them, since they normally sleep through the night.  Fortunately, they wore themselves out and peace was restored.  I awoke with one grey kitten stretched out on the bed at my back, and the other one asleep in the kitty carrier perched atop some plastic bins next to the bed.  They must have been really pooped, because they were quite slow to rise and shine.

I have been having problems with tendonitis in my left elbow, so yesterday I bought an elbow support brace, which I'd left on the kitchen ledge when I went to bed.  At least, I thought that's where I'd left it.  It wasn't there when I decided to put it on this morning.  I immediately suspected that it might have been the source of all the romping and thumping last night. Only problem was, I couldn't find it anywhere.  I looked under the bed, all around the living room (including underneath all the various kitty-entertainments around the floor), in the bathroom, in the kitchen... looked everywhere two babies might have dragged it.  I looked a second time, and a third... I really needed that brace.  Nothing.  I finally gave up, deciding maybe it would be revealed when I got home after work.  So, I gathered my sneakers and sat down to put them on as I prepared to leave for work.  As I looked to my left into the dining room, I noticed a strange dark lump beneath the computer desk.  I had to check it out.  Yes, there it was, my elbow brace!  Guess I'll have to hide it in the bathroom cabinet next to the bathroom sink plug from now on.

Collars?

I bought collars for the boyz today.  Even got engraved tags, since Maddie is prone to escaping out the front door.  Can you say... "Get this thing off me!"  Chewing, rolling, biting, more chewing...  I finally had to take them off for a while and let them be used as toys.  Trotter was having a grand time carrying Maddie's collar around the living room.  Sigh...  I finally put them back on in the bathroom and distracted the two by drizzling a bit of water into the tub.  Priceless reactions... I'll post some video in a while.  The distraction also seems to have worked to get their minds off the things around their necks.  For now.