Foster Fun

I write this with my feet propped up on my darling Argos, who has decided to do his part in keeping the chill off of my feet by lying on top of them.  So...  an eighty pound foot warmer.  I'll take it!

It's been a quiet week, though I'm going to leave to go to the airport in a couple of hours to fly away for the Easter weekend.   I'm always a little nervous when I do this - even though the animals are being left in excellent hands - my husband is staying home to manage the chaos.  It doesn't mean that I don't worry about them - human and animal - and that I won't miss them.

The foster "boys" are providing so much entertainment!  There are so many things in the house that mystify them, and it's fun to watch them explore when we're able to let them roam.   Here is an example, which happened just the other night while I was taking a bath.

THUMP!  The door flies open, and Mitchell enters, wide-eyed, looking around at the bathroom.  Patches is on his heels.

Patches makes a beeline for the bathtub, and rears up on his hind legs to look over.  He looks back up at me, wide-eyed.  "DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE SITTING IN WATER?"

Mitchell joins him, and I have two kitties staring over the edge of the tub.  Mitchell starts talking, as he does about everything.  "Wow, water sure is deep."  (Splash splash splash with the paw)  "And WET too!"

He darts across the room and jumps up onto the radiator cover to stare out the window.  "Wow, there's a way outside here!  Oh... it has a screen!"

Jumps down, and jumps on top of the thankfully closed toilet.  "Look, a perch!"

Jumps down, then jumps up into the basin of the pedestal sink.  "Wow, this is just the right size for me to lie down in!"  (He does lie down, experimentally, for about five seconds, before leaping to his feet again.)

He rears up on his hindlegs to look at the medicine cabinet, and startles when he sees his reflection.  Then starts methodically trying to open the medicine cabinet with his paw.

Meanwhile, Patches has dropped over onto his side on top of my bath towel, and is watching Mitchell with a somewhat amused, resigned tolerance.

Mitchell flips out of the sink, comes over to explore the edge of the tub again, talking all the while, then darts out of the room and tears up the stairs leading towards the attic.  I hear boxes (empty ones, thankfully) avalanching all over the place, and feet pitter pattering over my head.  Moments later, the sounds of a cat tearing back down the stairs.

I love both of them - they are going to make someone such good pets.

Patches is the quieter of the two, and is a little shy at first, but is a real cuddle-bug when he is given a chance.  (And by a chance, I mean, stay quiet and still in the same room as he is for I dunno...  45 minutes.)  He gives face kisses, and loves to sleep curled up beside you on the bed.  He also fancies himself to be quite the hunter - he relentlessly stalks the moths that seem to be getting into the house so much lately, and loves playing with the feather toy.   He has a quiet, sad sounding mew that he makes when he wants to be let out of their bedroom.  He is not as willing for rough and tumble play as Mitchell is, but I have seen him get involved in some elaborate games of chase, and I've also seen him patiently grooming the top of Mitchell's head.  Especially the first few days, when they were still very uncertain about their surroundings, I saw them snuggled together most of the times that I went in to check on them.

Mitchell is a talker - he has meows for everything that he sees.  He is a total lover, though - he will bump your face with his over and over again, purring, and nuzzle your hands for attention.  He also will curl up on top of you and purr himself to sleep.  He is a bright, happy, cheerful cat, who adores people and other cats.  He's rarely bored, and if he does get bored, he WILL find something to do to entertain himself.  Whether that's attacking Patches' tail, or making an improvised toy out of your shoe laces.  I know that black cats tend to take a long time to get adopted, but I will be personally offended if someone does not see the value in this little guy.

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