Category: Photography

Here’s a progress report on the Webmistress, and her brother!

Little Nishiko is growing like a weed.  She already likes to help me on the computer – and her training as a webmistress is going well.  It’s truly amazing how many traits she shares with Nezumi.  She even likes lettuce as she did!  She likes the same flavors of cat food, dislikes the same things, and has similar body language and habits.  It’s like having sweet Nezumi back in our lives again – and perhaps that is so.

Nishiko’s brother, Hiroshi, is wonderful and active and friendly.  The two of them play/fight every morning and every evening.  One of the things I love about Hiroshi is that the moment he sees me or the spouse, or if not then the moment I start petting him, he begins a deep, loud purr.  It’s a wonderful thing.  Sometimes when he’s a rascal I call him “monkey”  because of his really long tail and habit of grabbing everything.

These kittens are a trial sometimes, but they bring me true joy and have healed the deep well of pain that Nezumi’s passing left.  Sometimes I spend time just looking at them, drinking in their perfection.  The spouse and I both feel such love for them, there aren’t words to express it.

Shinji is being a wonderful foster father, doling out discipline with a gentle paw, even when he’s annoyed.  He also grooms them and cuddles them, and even once in a while plays with him.  Hiroshi wants to be like Shinji when he grows up, I can tell.  Nishiko plays with Shinji less but relies on him more for comfort and occasionally protection.

All three cats are just wonderful.  I’ve maintained a mostly grain free diet, including occasional treats of cottage cheese or unseasoned grilled chicken, that I make in little foil packets so that it’s protected from any salt.  They have boundless energy and are developing into truly beautiful cats.  They are also INTO EVERYTHING and on an endless quest to learn everything possible about their world.

As for progress, Nishiko and Hiroshi know their names, sort of come when called, and know “up,” “down,” and “no.”  They don’t always listen to “no” but they know what it means.  Tip for fellow kitten parents:  Get a squeaky toy that is as loud and shrill as possible.  It mimics a kitten’s distress sound so is a pretty good auditory deterrent, like if they start climbing up your bare legs or biting your fingers.  It tells them “ow!  That hurts!” and they understand it pretty well.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!  They are taken during the past couple weeks.