Two Kitties

Raggedy Ann in the foreground, Lizzie in the background.

These are my foster-kittens. They're on their way to become Christmas presents. Raggedy Ann has a cold, so I need to get her well so they can be adopted. Would you like one?

It has been So Much Fun having them at my house. They came from our farm, and are part of a long and loved lineage of farm cats. These babies are actually related to the cat we just lost this year, at the age of 18.

They've been here two days now, and they've decided that I am mom, or at least a close enough approximation. They follow me from room to room, are constantly underfoot (lots of bruised kitty-toes), and climb all over me. If I leave the room, Lizzie cries. It's so sweet. A few minutes ago she took a flying leap off of my desk onto my face, and neatly sliced my nose right open. She was just trying to pounce on the kitty she saw looking back at her from my apparently too-reflective glasses. They walk on my keyboard, they play the messages on my answering machine, one of them even sent an instant message to a friend of mine who, not being fluent in Cat, let alone kitten-talk, was a little unsure how to interpret "4444444444444444-." I believe it meant "this button sure is springy."

Carter loves the kittens and really wants them to play with him. But he invites them to play by bouncing like Tigger and barking rather loudly. The result is a furry fury of hiss-spitting don't-you-dare-touch-me-or-I-will-remove-your-eyeballs-from-your-head. After a while Carter curls up on his bed, sighs deeply, and goes resignedly to sleep.

A couple of hours ago I found the refrigerator door wide open, and Raggedy Ann inside helping herself to a snack. How did she DO that??