Athena is a snugglekitty???

In other news, Orpheus was having some sort of allergic reaction (he sounded like he was having asthma) so I took him to the vet. They weren't able to identify exactly what it was, but they gave me antihistamines and antibiotics. Additionally, we got him test for FIV: He was negative!!! So that means that Alma is my only FIV cat. (Thank god, I'd feel incredibly guilty if I cause O to get the disease)

Most surprisingly, Athena snuggled up to me on the couch last night. She curled into a little ball with her back against my leg. For about 2 seconds, but what a breakthrough. I had put Rescue Remedy into the cats' water a few months back. It just made Athena sleepy but no less wary. Recently Alma has been in a bitchy mood (I think it's because she's weaning, but she may just not like other cats). Orpheus has been pissed off because he's not feeling well. And I'm tired of the hissing and growling. I added the flower essence to their water again and Athena is perceptably more laid-back. If this keeps up, I'll keep dosing her until she's tame.

Life is good!

Six Photos

A few of my favorite photos from the last few weeks.



Alma (left) and Henry (right) sitting in the office window.



The twins in the window. I think it's Athena on the left and Henry on the right.



Alma being very cute while I try to work.



It's hard to see what's going on in this photo, but it's one of my favorites. Alma (left) had started to wash Henry (center). Like he usually does, he started washing her back. He's licking her ear while she's cleaning his right arm. Athena is on the right.



Here is one way of getting rid of my kittens; Athena in the bathroom garbage.



All you can see of Athena in this picture are two yellow dots for her eyes.

Kittens: Free to Bad Home

Suggested uses:

• Medical Research
• Dog Fighting
• Target Practice

I managed to leave the cat family out of their room when I went to my dance class. When I came back home, the dining room was snowed under with shredded pieces of paper napkin. Thank god Sergie wasn't awake.

This is not the first time either.

On top of that, Athena confuses the bathroom trash with her toy box. Scratch that - she makes a discrimination. She prefers the bathroom trash for her entertainment needs.

Henry won't stay off the kitchen table. There are four tiny parallel scratch marks on the table surface that I won't live down. And I'm tired of picking up napkins. THIS IS NOT A GAME.

Alma refuses to let anybody else lie in a good cat-spot. Even if she is in a perfectly good one herself and does not intend to lie in the other one. Her kittens put up with this, but it makes Orpheus's life a living hell.

Now I understand why other people refuse to get involved when they see kitties in distress.

All of your cats hiss

"Why do all of your cats hiss?" Jean asked me after experiencing a houseful of cats that sound like leaky balloons. I still don't know. But, I'd like to add a few more things that they all do to that list.

They bite when you pet them, and
They kill small animals.

Alma offed a shrew in the basement. I came down after it was all over. The sad part was that she kept batting it with her paw, as if to try to make it run again. Sorry, Alma, you broke it.

I would guess that the small dead mammals Sergie keeps finding in the yard are also shrews, and are killed by Orpheus. I'd prefer it if they were mice; shrews mostly eat earthworms and insects so I WANT them in my yard, but maybe not in the house. The O-man also had a small bird shoved deeply in his mouth, before Sergie rescued it. Apparently, she was just traumatized, so O can't add her to his kill list.

The supremely athletic twins haven't killed any mammals, though I wouldn't put it past them. They ARE the terror of any unfortunate insects who wander into our house. Insects are technically in the animal kingdom.

Maybe I could rent them out to an exterminator.