#Target Gingerbread House Cat Scratcher

Yes, I got into the gingerbread house craze, I couldn't help myself. I was going to buy a whole village so all of my cats could get in on the fun, but then I came to my senses. (it probably helped that my local Target only had one in stock and they wouldn't ship them to me from the website - and now I can't even find it on their website)

Yes, I took a picture of the box.. 

I wonder why they felt the need to put "for pets only"
What if I wanted to use it as a doll house??

oh nose.. I haz to assemble?

Don't worry momma, we help.

Nicely done momma, nicely done.. 

Fleurp approved

and Fleurp denied.. Jack was the first one in
And also the second.. He likes to go in and out of things

Scratchin on the scratcher
Good boy.. 

Muffin, Jack and Fleurp
(and empty food plates I'm such a slacker)

and as always, the box is much more fun

I wasn't happy that there was no adhesive on the chimney to hold it together, but there was on the sides of the house to hold the roof on.  Also the whole thing just sits on the scratcher part so it isn't like you can easily pick it up and move it.. but all in all for $9 (I got it on sale) it will be a fun addition for a while - at least until it smells like everyone in the house and then it will be ignored..

As for the quality of the photos.. I got myself a new high tech flashy flash, and I'm still trying to figure it out.  When it works it works really well, when I duff it, well I get what you see above..

Play time with Lena and Lori

I've been hoping to catch some of the real cuteness these two have going on when they play, and I caught a bunch of it. Lori has a habit of trying to pounce and jumping straight up instead that I didn't catch, but there is a whole lot of goodness going on here..

Who's the new guy?

He isn't going to eat my food is he??

It is that Elf on the Shelf time of year.. Our Elf simply hangs out with the kittens.. no spying, no telling.. just visiting.

I grew up with an elf and sadly he didn't make the move when my parents sold the house I grew up in. He was just an elf that I liked, we never did anything with him growing up.. he just sat on a shelf (well okay fine, he sat in the tree, we didn't really have a shelf in the living room). I looked for one for years and nabbed this one just before they became really big a few years ago.

Holding food for ransome of cuddles didn't work so well..

So I figured if the kittens were hungry they would come up and sit on me and ask for food.. well as you can see they simply sat around the bowls waiting for food to appear. I even tried picking them up and snuggling them, but they went and sat by their bowls some more.

So I gave in.. and there was much rejoicing.  I am sure they will become cuddly again soon, they usually do.

Lena is still very food possessive and will growl and push Lori out of the way. I put the exact same food in two bowls, and Lena will push Lori out of what ever she is eating, no matter where I put the second bowl. All attempts to break her of this have failed. Normally I pull kittens off the food and make them watch the other kittens eat, but Lori won't eat when she gets growled at and waits for Lena to walk away.

I decided to try to introduce dry food. I am not a fan as you all know but since they are shelter cats and the shelter feeds dry food,  I know it is important for kittens to know that dry food is food so they do not starve. Because of their poor health and the slow healing their colons have done, I went slow and gave a small handful a few days ago.  Lori LOVED it and snarfed it all down. The next morning there was some diarrhea in the litter box, so I waited a day before offering some more. Now Lori is the one possessive of the dry food - which I think is quite humorous and a bit annoying because these are supposed to be obligate carnivores. I have to remind myself to take their rough start into account and I have no idea what foods they were living on before they got to me. I know it was not filet mignon, as there was long fibers in their diarrhea.. Maybe Lori found a bit of dry food somewhere, or someone gave her some and she has memories of eating it when she was starving.. *shrug* it makes her happy so I will give it to her... but we are going slowly.  The two of them got another handful last night and this morning things seem okay, so they got some more this morning. Lena's intestines feel a little ropey so she might end up getting some probiotics if I can get them into her.

I was also asked if I have an Amazon.com wish list, which at the time I didn't, but I do now. I went ahead and linked that bad boy to the side bar if you are interested. Please remember I am not an independent fosterer, so all of my supplies are taken care of by the shelter, but I have to rely on what I can scrounge from them for specific things I like.  This time of year the supply closet isn't stocked as well as it is in the spring and summer because there are fewer kittens in care, but this is the time of year the kittens need the better options for nutrition and what not.  I generally use items up until they can't be used any more. The food bowls I have I've been using for at least five years if not longer. The towels I have were all once mine and are slightly stained but still work fine for wiping up spills and providing soft bedding for mother cats to lay on with kittens. I would love a new scale so I can stop sharing between my own cats and the kittens... basically what I am saying is those are all wants.. not needs.

And if you made it through the entire post, I appreciate it :) This year I have about 30 Christmas cards left after sending out my Christmas card exchange. I'm not sure if there is anyone out there reading this that wasn't on my list, but if you would like a card, feel free to email me your address to connie at kittyblog.net

3000th post winner

Well a week after my 3000th post I finally picked a winner, and it is the indulged furries over at Indulged Furries!

I've already sent an email over and am waiting to hear back.. on the off chance I don't hear back I'll wait a few more days and try again.. but some how I don't think that will be an issue :)

The girls are doing very well. Lori is being a bit more sociable which isn't surprising, and they have also reached that play stage.. which means once they eat they want to play, so I am getting less cuddle time. I am going to have to hold off feeding them until the end of my visit with them each evening to get the cuddles I want..

The Girls have names

Well finally I have come up with some names for the girls. I don't know why it took so long to do it, nothing really seemed to fit with them. I really liked the idea of the PowerPuff girls, but it just wasn't sticking. Many other names were also very wonderful were suggested and I couldn't seem to settle on any of them.

I had been calling them "The Girls" in my head, so I googled "The Girls" and came up with the book of the same title by Lori Lansens.  Looking down the page I also saw the TV show Girls by Lena Dunham and Lori and Lena they became.  I am naming girl #1 Lena because she is far more bold and outgoing and that is what I know about Lena Dunham.

Lena

Lori

They have also become a trip hazard when you walk in which is nice. Originally they both scattered when you walked in the room, with Lena coming out to look at me pretty quickly. Then it was just Lori who would run and hide, but Lena would sit back and make sure I wasn't coming to eat them. Then Lori would not run and Lena would come towards me but not all the way - still not sure I wasn't going to eat them. Now they both run up to me and rub all over my ankles.  Lena is a chest and face snuggler, Lori is more of a nearby girl. She'll climb up on my lap and accept pats, but about half the time she is sitting next to me not on me but she is purring up a storm. I've said all along she is about a day or two behind Lena, so maybe she'll realize snuggling is awesome.

They do need to go in for their FELV test at some point this week. They are also close to size, but I am not in any hurry to give them up. I often have kittens through Christmas, but considering how this kitten season went I am unsure if there are any more out there for me.  I hope so, and we'll have to wait and see.