Kittens rule...

As I type this, I am in the breakfast room... the kittens and Sweet Pea are in the TV room with a vinyl lattice barrier propped up in the doorway between that room and the breakfast room. The plexiglass window that I had propped in the doorway between the TV room bathroom and the TV room itself is now history... I took that away when I was certain that Julius and Peaches knew that their litter boxes were in that bathroom and in order to get to them, they had to travel the length of the TV room to get back into 'their' bathroom. Smart kittens, both of them... within those few first weeks, they were exploring the TV room and running back into the bathroom when kitty-nature called.

For the past couple of weeks, I have kept the door to the TV room closed, but decided this morning that it was time for Julius and Peaches to at least be able to peek out of the TV room into the world of the breakfast room. That stretch of lattice that I found in the garage was just the thing... high enough so neither the kittens nor Sweet Pea could jump or climb over it, and strong enough to withstand Savannah's head or paws when she nudges it with annoyance because I had the nerve to bring two tiny kittens into 'her' house.

That's the issue here with Savannah and Sweet Pea... both of them think they rule the house, but Julius and Peaches have quickly done away with the Old Guard, letting them know that the tinier you are, the more clout you have... cuteness counts for a lot in the world of puppies and kittens.  My husband is in the TV room watching the Little League World Series, with Sweet Pea and Julius and Peaches. I think the kittens and Sweet Pea are fast asleep, and if the Little League game isn't that exciting, my husband will soon be sleeping also.

I chose to stay out here in the breakfast room with Savannah so she would not feel neglected. I know she wants to be in the TV room with Gary, but I also know that TV watching would be an impossibility because when she is in that room with Julius and Peaches, we have to keep our attention focused on her so she doesn't go after the kittens. Savannah has not yet fully accepted Julius and Peaches. We don't know if she thinks they are Beanie-Baby-sized toys or just battery-charged stuffed animals that she can play with and toss in the air. Needless to say, we don't want that to happen. I pray for the day when I don't have to have any sort of barrier up between these rooms and all three cats can live safely and peacefully in the same space as our 75-pound dog. Now that isn't too much to ask, is it?

One big happy kitty family....

And that’s what has happened in the past couple of weeks. Our older cat Sweet Pea has started to act like a kitten, playing with Julius and Peaches and the catnip-mice, but also teaching the little ones some manners. Such as Thou Shalt Not Bite My Ears and Thou Shalt Not Attack From Underneath The Sofa.

The kittens have graduated from the bathroom to the TV room... having access now to both of those rooms  in the back of the house. Sweet Pea stays with Julius and Peaches all day long, and I don’t have to watch where I walk as I move around the kitchen and breakfast room because I know for certain that I won’t be tripping over Sweet Pea.

Now we are working on Savannah... trying to teach her that Julius and Peaches are not Beanie-Baby toys to play with, but actual living breathing kittens who would be hurt if she pounces on them.  We let Savannah into the TV room on a very short leash, all the while watching her eyes as she watches Sweet Pea and the kittens playing. One slight move towards any of them, and Savannah is banished from the TV room with a loud NO!  Sooner or later, Savannah will understand that if she wants to nap on her sofa in the TV room, she will have to be on her best behavior. Until then, she will have to be content with her blanket-bed in the breakfast room.                                                              

Actually, Savannah is getting quite comfortable with walking around the front rooms of the house. With Sweet Pea in the TV room, I can open up the doors to the living room and dining room, and Savannah walks around the front of the house as if she owns it. At any given time, Savannah is sleeping in front of the fireplace in the living room or underneath the dining room table, or looking out on the property through the front windows by the door. Add two tiny kittens to the household, and all the day-to-day dynamics change drastically.

July went by in a heartbeat, and now August is threatening to do the same. Mid-August already.... the new term starts soon at the college and the elementary schools will begin classes before the end of the month. Another summer comes to a close and then the holidays sneak up and the elves will be taking Christmas decorations out of the storage closet.