You look like fun now, don't you?

The challenger

Mimi contemplated Etta's favorite toy from a safe distance but with great curiosity. Someday she would rise to its feathery temptations. But only after Etta had beaten more of the stuffing out of it.

Stop by Kitten Mom's place

The folks at Kittenpalooza, a blog chronicling the lives of not one but two litters of kittens in foster care, have suffered some very sad losses to parvovirus (a.k.a. feline distemper or feline panleukopenia) recently. Please click here and give Jane and her little ones some encouragement!

Jane, we're thinking of you and the kitties.

It's an image thing

As you may have noticed, some of our guests tend to need a little help with weight management. We're committed to assisting our kitties with losing extra pounds while making sure they also maintain a healthy figure.

So when I caught Etta checking out pictures of swimsuit models the other day, I was a wee bit concerned.


But then I realized she was just interested in licking the paper they were printed on.

Preferences

Etta may like our windows for the view.

But Mimi likes them for what comes through.

Victory is mine!

Rather, Etta's ...

Where there's one

... there's generally another.


Even though we've now given the girls access to both the first and second floors, offering them space from each other if they want it, they tend to stay fairly close.

Fortunately, there's room for both on the couch. But there's one small problem. At least, according to Mimi.




Etta snores.

Oh!

Mimi makes the kitty equivalent of an "Oof" whenever she flops over for a tummy rub or a snooze, which I thought was the height of her cuteness.


But then she did this.

The genuine article, please

So we know Etta loves our flying feather toy -- against her own shyer tendencies, she'll leave the coziest corners to give it a pounce. But there's one thing she likes even more: real birds.

We were in the midst of an enthusiastic play session when Etta heard a brief little twitter from outside. In the next instant, she was on the window ledge.


Can't beat the real thing for entertainment, I guess!

Pardon me, Miss Mimi

... but might we get a photo or two for your fans?


Mimi: "Mmm, nope, not yet. Keeping this coat white takes work, you know."

She's right. With such an abundance of floof, her fur coat requires regular attention from her to keep tangles at bay. Fortunately, now that she has lots of space to stretch and twist and bend, she's been grooming herself with abandon. She's also happy to accept help from a human in those harder-to-reach places, like parts of her chest and tummy. She rolls over promptly when we offer our brushing services.

Sneaking a peek

This must be what it's like for Etta and Mimi when they peer under the gate at our feet.





We'll let you come downstairs soon, ladies.

Bouncing or pouncing?

So Mimi's reaction to our feather toy was less enthusiastic than Etta's.


But when we brought out the Spider, she sprang into action ...




Her favorite angle of attack appears to be straight up.

Let's get moving

Not us, the kitties! Though I can imagine you'd think we were in the middle of relocating from all the boxes stacked in our upper hall -- we're actually updating a bedroom. Which makes the new nooks and crannies in the hall a prime kitty playground (preyground?).

Etta especially likes nosing her way under, around, and into the boxes. She's been more reserved in her interactions with us, preferring to perch politely and observe most of the time.

Though you wouldn't be able to tell if you happened to catch her with our big feather toy. When we bring it out, she leaves any cozy spot ...


and her sense of decorum ...



... behind!

A little backstory

When these girls arrived at the SHS in early February, their original monikers were unknown, but one thing was evident: they were a bonded pair. So to make sure everyone knew these two were meant to stay together, the folks at the shelter named the tabby Spaghetti and the longhair Meatball. We'll be calling them Etta and Mimi for short.

Our preliminary observations suggest that Etta (as you might have guessed) is an intrepid explorer while Mimi is a placid cuddler. Both are playful and eager to engage with us, now that they've had a chance to get to know us. We hope to help them get adopted together into the same family. Sound good, ladies?


Etta: "What's that? Did you hear that? There's something at the window; let me see, let me see!"

Mimi: "Um ... could I have another head scratch?"

I think they mean yes.