Hello from summery Otowa! Please check out the summer pictures now up on the website.
Here is a blog written by my grandchildren about our new kittens.
On May 12th, we rescued two adorable kittens. One is brownish-black, who we named Boris, and the other one is brown with a white chest named Daisy. The big surprise is that they are both boys! They are brothers. These two small kittens became part of our family.
On the day they arrived, after we got home, we finished our homework quickly and went out to meet Boris and Daisy. They were so cute! After we carried them and played with them, we went inside and dreamed about Boris and Daisy.
Our first initial reaction about them was that Daisy seemed quiet and timid, while Boris was very adventurous and jumpy. But as we got to know them more, it turns out that Daisy is adventurous but quiet, and Boris is loud. Like, really loud. But we love them both equally.
We have to clean the litter box as one job. Shortly thereafter we discovered there are many types of poop. After we saw different types of poop, we discovered many pee clumps in the litter box. Once we found poop in a rainbow shopping basket that was in Grandma’s bedroom. It was a stink bomb.
Another job is that we have to feed them. In the morning Grandma feeds them, but in the evening around 5:30, we get the dinner plates and clang them together to signal it is dinner time. They come pelting out of their sleeping places, meowing nonstop. Usually we get the wet food and mix it together with kitten milk. In the morning Grandma feeds them wet food combined with the kitten milk plus an egg. We also give them a snack at noon. When we first got them, we gave them 2 meals, but gradually we increased it to 3 meals (including the snack).
They like to play with a string and ping pong balls. We would throw the balls in front them and they will wrestle with it for fun. Now they like to eat grass and play with each other. Sometimes they explore the many nooks and crannies around the environment.
Their sleeping areas are very strange. Daisy sleeps in a drawer of sheets under Grandpa’s bed, and when it is sunny, Boris sleeps in a patch of sun. Usually, in the night time, they would sleep in the sheets’ drawer together. They curl up into a ball and slip into sleep mode.
A few days ago, a small accident happened. They were playing in one of the garden cages. Boris was exploring the tall potato stalks. Daisy was exploring the snack peas. Grandma was weeding in the corner of the same cage. We were looking at the cats playing with the plants. Boris went near the snack peas plants and started wrestling with his brother (Daisy). Suddenly, Daisy started growling. At first the humans in the cage thought he was just growling at Boris, and we thought maybe he testing out this new skill he learned. But the growling wasn’t stopping. Then he started thrashing about, making the snap peas plants shake violently. Boris was looking at Daisy, clearly worried and freaked out. It turned out Daisy’s leg was stuck in the net holding the snack peas together. After five terrifying seconds, we were sent to get our dad. When we returned with him, Grandma had already cut the net with a garden tool. Daisy went shooting into the potato plants after he was freed. After that, we took them back inside. Daisy and Boris went to sleep immediately to get over the frightening event that happened in the DREADED GARDEN CAGE.
Boris and Daisy had 2 vet visits. The second time they got a vaccination. The vet put the needle right in their leg and… it was over. He also took their temperature by sticking the thermometer in their butt (that must have hurt!). Daisy was mostly calm, occasionally meowing when the vaccination came. Boris, on the other hand, was not happy with the vet visit. He was meowing constantly, and he was trying to wiggle free when he was held down firmly when it was his turn to get the vaccination. After the visit, they both fell asleep.
After all of these events with our kittens, it sure has been an adventure. And we still have a long time to go! The last cat Grandma had, lasted a very long time. For almost 21 whole years he lived. In cat age, he was more than one hundred years old!! This cat’s name was Bugsy, and some people know this cat’s name. In a blog that Grandma wrote before, named “Goodbye, Old Friend”, it tells about Bugsy’s long life.
We both know that, the two cats that we have right now (Boris and Daisy), will be in the whole family’s hearts forever. The cats that we had in the past (names are: Squid, Shrimp, Mike, and Bugsy) are still in our hearts. The pets that we have had over the years are some of the family’s cherished memories that will last for a long time. All of us will happily take care of our two new arrivals, Kuro-neko-no Boris and As-pure-as-a-daisy Daisy.
By the way, their birthday is the same day as Julia’s birthday! (3/14/2021) The kittens are pi-kittens π (or pi-cats when they get older).