So much changed this week – and this look tells it all! The kittens figured out how to get past our makeshift barrier into the rest of the house.
Escher
Kitten chaos ensued!
Shibumi
Little by little, they’ve been discovering the larger space…
Scout
Getting a fresh look at the outside world…
Action Shot!
Discovering that epic adventures are to be had on the stairs.
Shibumi
Queen Shibumi the Instigator is dauntless. She and Scout shocked us all this week by getting up into the basement ceiling. Thankfully with the lure of food and toys, we were able to get two dust-covered kittens out safe and sound.
Escher
Not to be left out, Escher found his way into the same spot later in the week despite our first attempt at kitten-proofing. Of course, no matter what mess they create or barrier they break, they feign innocence incredibly well.
Scout
With all of the new space, grand adventures and many a big “No!”, there’s been more distance between us and the kittens this week. Exploring the brand new world was certainly more interesting than we humans.
Shibumi
We’ve had to keep a close eye on these little ones and anticipate, as best we can, what they’re dreaming up next.
Shibumi & Escher
Still, there have been lovely, cute and quiet moments. We’ve had a few pets and purrs along the way.
The Triplets at Home
And though I’m learning that progress is anything but linear, everyone’s starting to feel at home.
In the Kitten Zone time works differently. It’s an eternal present. It’s hard to fathom just how much has changed in a week. Whereas last week we worried about fear and feeding, this week we find ourselves measuring in pettings and purrs.
Shibumi
We have officially heard them all purring, usually at breakfast but also sometimes when we come close. Shibumi and Scout have both purred while letting us pet them (Yes! We’ve managed to pet them!) In fact, Shibumi’s so happy that Shannon found her lying on the piano, purring in her sleep!
Escher
The beautiful Escher remains the most distant. He loves to curl up in kitty carrier, which we have dubbed “the condo,” and stays there peacefully for hours. He moves away from most petting attempts but does like to sit right close to my leg around mealtimes.
Scout
Though he’s still very nervous, we’ve made major progress with Scout this week. If his eyes are closed, he’ll let you pet him gently (I’ve even managed to get in around the eyes and nose) but if he sees you, his reflexes have him moving away.
Scout
They love to play, especially with shoes, scrunched up paper balls and each other.
Shibumi Wins
They’ve settled in enough to be curious.
Escher
And comfortable.
Scout
We’ve spent a lot of time just being near them, even curling up on the floor with them, especially if they’re sleeping. In fact, one of the major events this week happened when we were lying on the floor.
Shannon & Shibumi
What a moment! Shibumi just decided to walk onto Shannon and sit down – the first non-food-related “cat on a human” moment in the Kitten Zone!
After Escher’s breakout last week, we thought it was time to start thinking about expanding the Kitten Zone. Our plan was to kitten-proof a larger area, letting them into it on the weekend when we’d have more time to watch over them. They had other plans.
Shibumi
Of course, Shibumi made the first move, figuring out how to bypass our makeshift door.
Scout Enters the Studio
Then it was Scout who would not be contained. Once he’d found the larger area he also realized he could jump the barrier. So we’ve ended this week with them moving more fully through the house, including into the studio!
Shibumi
It’s amazing the progress a week can bring. I’m already curious about where we’ll be next Sunday!
Taking in three abandoned kittens came as quite a surprise – as does three vet visits, three sets of vaccines and three spay/neuter surgeries! So we’re getting creative and relaunching the Sparkles e-course in support of these much-loved rescues! We’ve even made the registration fee adjustable in case you want to add a little extra to their care package. We know they’d appreciate it.
Sign up for Sparkles – LIVE and bring your creativity to life in just 5 minutes a day. Your heart will start sparkling right away with doing good!
We had just been talking about whether this weekend we might open up the gates (aka the big TV box) and let the kittens explore an enlarged portion of the house and they must have been listening because within minutes they had squeezed through and started the next adventure.
It won’t surprise you to know that Shibumi was the first through.
And that Scout searched the farthest afield.
Or that Escher, perhaps after last weekend’s foray into the basement, wanted none of it!
When it was late night snack time, they rallied back in the zone and we took the opportunity to re-establish the door (in a new way though because Scout had figured out he could actually jump over ‘the wall’). We know this is a temporary peacekeeping attempt and that soon kitten chaos will reign!
Stay tuned!
Taking in three abandoned kittens came as quite a surprise – as does three vet visits, three sets of vaccines and three spay/neuter surgeries! So we’re getting creative and relaunching the Sparkles e-course in support of these much-loved rescues! We’ve even made the registration fee adjustable in case you want to add a little extra to their care package. We know they’d appreciate it. Sign up for Sparkles – LIVE and bring your creativity to life in just 5 minutes a day. Your heart will start sparkling right away with doing good!
Our biggest worry when we took in three abandoned kittens was that they would never be interested in or even be truly able to connect with people, that they would always be wary, aloof and untouchable.
For the past 11 days we’ve seen them move forward so much. (Follow their daily progress on Chronicles of the Triplets) Slowly they moved out of their hiding spot beneath the piano. Warily they began to eat, stretch out and even sleep with us near by. Shannon, Justin and I spent as much time in the Kitten Zone as we could. We got down on the floor with them. We threw paper balls. We doled out treats. If we reached out our hands, they bolted.
We learned, instead, to sit close by, to sidle up inch by inch and be patient. (I can barely describe how badly we all want to reach down and pick up these little boos and hold them to our hearts!) The more we spent time with the kittens, the more we became aware of their signals. If there was any tension at all in their body, any wariness in their eyes, we moved away.
In the past few days something started to change. For me, it started with Scout.
Scout has been the most terrified of the kittens. It took days for him to even look at me. And now when he does, it’s looks like this – full of soul and… something. It’s as though he is longing for something but has no way to ask for it.
It isn’t food because, trust me, they’ve all learned how to ask for that.
I’ve spent hours sitting quietly next to Scout. I’ve counted it a success every time he hasn’t moved away. Then, the other day, he surprised me by shifting and coming in a little closer. I was amazed when next he reached out his paw towards me. I gently moved in just a little bit. He put his head forward. Emboldened, I gently stroked his paw, just once, twice, and then, heart full to bursting, I let the moment go.
Soon Shibumi showed signs of a similar longing. As I sat with Scout and Escher, she trotted over and curled up near me too and started to purr. Gently, I reached out and touched her side. She startled and then came back and looked at me. I tried again. One stroke. Two. She moved away and returned. This time I tried petting her head, gently rubbing around her ears, and she sat there as though on a precipice of longing, on one side the familiar, on the other side love.
That’s when Escher became curious as well.
His desire was clear, as was the fact that he didn’t know what he was longing for, how to ask for it or how to receive it. I reached out gently. He pulled away. I tried again, approaching from a different angle. He stayed very, very still. I rubbed his head and up around his ears and watched. It was like he didn’t quite understand what was happening but he couldn’t walk away.
It was in that moment that I started to understand is that we are literally teaching the kittens how to receive love. The desire is there but they have no experience with it at all. They have never been touched kindly, never stroked until they fell asleep, never picked up with love or kissed on the nose.
And though love is a wonderful gift, for the kittens, just as it has been (and may still be) for many of us, learning to receive love and affection is tremendously uncomfortable while being magically magnetic.
Love is vulnerable. It’s a risk. A risk we need to keep on taking if we want to feel loved and at home.
photo by Shannon
Taking in three abandoned kittens came as quite a surprise – as does three vet visits, three sets of vaccines and three spay/neuter surgeries! So we’re getting creative and relaunching the Sparkles e-course in support of these much-loved rescues! We’ve even made the registration fee adjustable in case you want to add a little extra to their care package. We know they’d appreciate it.
Sign up for Sparkles – LIVE and bring your creativity to life in just 5 minutes a day. Your heart will start sparkling right away with doing good!
When I adopted my very first cat, Bascha, I spent a lot of time researching cat names, including what makes a cat name magical. These are the principles I used then and they have guided us with naming The Triplets today.
First, Get to Know Your Cat
Sometimes this happens very quickly. It’s almost like your intuition tells you “Hotspur” or “Miss Mittens.” This often happens to me when I meet Cats in the Hood. For example, I’m sure you can see why I named this guy “The Emperor.”
The Emperor
But cats can be subtle creatures and it may take a while for them to reveal themselves to you. Give yourself a chance to see them in different situations and moods. If you’ve just brought them home, give them a while to adjust. Their seemingly tentative nature may give way to something entirely different once they feel at home.
Trippingly off the Tongue
Make it a name that you enjoy saying, something that’s delicious to your mouth. This is where our personality is the magic ingredient. Some of us like sweet tiny bonbons while others enjoy savoury treats. Try saying “Piu-Piu” or “Salamander” or “Harvey”. Notice how different each feels? You’ll be saying this name a lot. Let it be soupcon of delight.
Jinx
Sweet Nothings
Choose a name that is rich in sounds that are easily discernible to your cat. With Bascha it was the “sh” sound. With Jinx, the “ks”. If you’re unsure, try the name a few times and watch for a hint of movement in the cat, especially in the ears. If you find they keep turning their ear towards you when you use the name, you’ve got a winner.
PS You can tune the names you’ve chosen for a cat’s ear and we naturally tend to do that by adding a bit of rhythm or a sing-song quality to how we say it. I can still hear how my sister Shannon would call out to her sweet Gobo. His name had a melody all its own.
Try It On for Size
Spend a day using the name. See how you feel about it and how your new-found friend likes it too. A name that feels good to both you & your cat will become a word of love magically bonding the two of you throughout your lifetime.
Re-Introducing the Triplets
We’ve been going through this process with the triplets. We knew it was time because their “names for now” were starting to stick. After much contemplation, conversation and experimentation, we have found names we just love for Big Brother, Little Sister and Grey.
Scout
Scout (aka Big Brother): This was the one name we all knew immediately was exactly right. He’s the explorer, the first to jump up and over and behind – but only if there are no people nearby. He’s also the most distant so far, the one who has the most to learn about being around us humans.
Escher
Escher (aka Grey): Escher is a gentle, contemplative cat. We thought the name of the Dutch artist whose meticulous works are thoughtful and mysterious and feature “velvety dark greys and blacks” would suit him just right.
Shibumi
Shibumi (aka Little Sister): This is a subtle Japanese word describing a of beauty and we just love the sound of it, especially the “boom” in the middle. I heard this word over a year ago and have been carrying it in my heart. One look at Little Sister and we knew it was hers.
Look how far we’ve come in just 5 days! From abandoned kittens hiding behind the refrigerator to actual physical contact! Grey even sat on my lap for quite some time grooming after all the food is gone. I think we’re making great progress!
