We stayed at home this new years' eve, in case the fireworks would launch the boys up the wall, but we needn't have worried. Ben stoically went on contemplating ways to eat our food, while Sam's biggest problem was figuring out if the fireworks at the front of the house or those at the back were more worth watching.
On a similar note, we've observed before that while their mother generally fled to the darkest corners of the house when there were strangers around, Ben and Sam have no such need for privacy. Any lap that's warm and has a hand around willing to stroke is a good place to sleep, and if there's no such place, new people are once again interesting things to attack, run around on, or beg for food.
Interesting observation: Aside from the normal food, we have some of this so-called `cat candy', small pills the beasts are supposed to like. And indeed, Sam will gobble them up in no time. However, no matter how I try, I can't get Ben to eat the darn things. At first I assumed his mother had told him not to accept candy from strangers, but seeing as a) he's perfectly happy to take `normal' food from me and b) he no longer considers me a stranger (judging from the way he'll dance around on top of me when I'm trying to sleep), that theory recently went out the window. Luckily Sam is more than willing to eat it for him, so we won't get stuck with the leftovers. I guess I'll have to find another way to reward him for jumping after my shoelaces...
The beasts finally arrived last friday. Due to a busy schedule otherwise, I haven't gotten around to posting before now, but here are some pictures, more to follow soon, hopefully.
We've finally decided on the second kitten, and revealed the names of the cats we chose.
Allow me to introduce:
As befits all proper upcoming parents, we've started purchasing stuff already. Today we started with the big stuff. First, the little beasties need to be brought to our house, and quite possibly at some time in their lives make a trip to the vet (if only to have their balls cut off). So we got ourselves a cat carrier. Nothing fancy, but we like the colour. Other possible uses might suggest themselves at a later time.
Also, in a most likely pointless attempt to prolong the life of our curtains, couch, bed and everything else in the house, we've bought something the little ones can be allowed to set their nails on. Again, nothing fancy (and you'd be amazed at how fancy these things can get. Wide-screen TVs are only the start of it), but practical, not so big as to give the couch an inferiority complex, and quite reasonably prized too.
We went to see the litter and snapped some pictures. We've decided on one of the two, and are still trying to choose the second.
One of my sister's cats gave birth to four kittens. By then F. and I had decided we wanted part of the cute-cake and were going to take two of them in once they were old enough to leave the nest.
I'll periodically post some pictures or notes on their progress through the world and our curtains.