Kitten Diary - The Little Monsters - Day 2

Day 2

6.30am

I'm way too cute to make a terrible smell!

I open the kitchen door to be confronted by an eye-wateringly terrible smell. (It’s actually a million times worse first thing in the morning) and two small squeaking balls of fur who hurl themselves past me into the living room. Hmmm......not looking forward to waking up to this smell every day. Still at least they have used their litter tray, but what a mess they appear to have made of it. Although the poos are (thankfully) still inside the tray, the litter has been flicked all over the floor nearby and the newspaper inside has been scratched to pieces and is hanging out of the tray.

I'm sure I’ve seen a TV ad for cat litter with a calm looking lady scooping well-disguised lumps out into a small bag and then smoothing the remaining litter down a bit in a dignified fashion. Not the case here, the whole lot has to be thrown away and refilled with fresh newspaper and litter. I go back into the kitchen, wash my hands and move to put the kettle on and sort my breakfast out. The two balls of fur are immediately at my feet squeaking - looks like I got my priorities wrong. I feed them a pouch each and out come those starving gremlins again. As I eat my breakfast, they play together – fighting and wrestling over the living room floor. There's lots of squeaking and they seem to like hiding from each other and then stalking and pouncing. This is natural kitten behaviour and it’s good for them to grow up together so that they can do this. Still, they appear to be very rough with one another, biting each other on the underside of the belly and other sensitive areas!

Don't think we won't come up there!

After I have brushed my teeth, I come downstairs to find they have pooped again. Wordlessly I look at my husband, and he goes to sort the litter tray out this time. Again they have made a mess of it but this time it’s just about salvageable with the scooper and a small baggie.

I head off for work, placing my bags of litter and poo into the wheelie bin outside. (I can sense a new morning routine here) Once at work I worry about the kittens. There is just so much danger in a house for two tiny curious little animals. The clothes drier in the utility room, for example; what if they climb up that, and it collapses on them, the metal crushing their tiny little bodies? Trying to put it out of my mind, I get on with some work – actually I spend the morning telling my friend and anyone else who will listen, about the new arrivals.

I can't stop worrying about some terrible accident befalling them in my kitten death-trap of a house, so I go home at lunchtime to check on them – thankfully it’s not far away.

As I enter the living room, I am pleased to note that the smell isn't too bad. The kittens appear, looking unharmed and lively. I stand in my kitchen with them both at my feet, looking up at me squeaking. What a funny sight –their tiny pointed faces, with open mouths and those ridiculously out-of-proportion ears. As they sit on the floor, their tails that stick out behind them aren't even proper tails yet, they are just little triangular shaped stubs protruding from their bottoms which do their best to move from side to side.

I know they want food and the ginger one gets bored of waiting and starts up my trouser-leg like a tiny mountaineer. Easy there tiger......those are my work trousers..... OUCHH! The little blighter's claws are like needles in my skin. (at the time, I probably said something stronger than“Ouch”) I gently remove him and place him on the floor and give them some food. Woolfed down again without any decorum, and then full of food, it looks as though they might be getting sleepy. I decide to move the clothes drier into the upstairs spare room out of their way and I go back to work.

Later that evening I play with them – the usual kitten games, throwing small toys for them to chase and dangling things at them. They are incredibly amusing as they chase and play with these things and then settle down to some more play-fighting together, accompanied again by the usual chorus of squeaks and squeals.

The litter tray needs another complete change before bed and the kittens aren't sleepy, so I have to quickly place them in the kitchen, make a quick exit backwards and shut the door before they get out. I am reminded of a scene from a cop show when the officers have to place a violent criminal into a cell, without him getting out as they leave the room. But anyway, these are kittens not criminals! As I walk up the stairs I hear lots of small crashes and bumps coming from the kitchen, oh dear! hopefully they'll settle down soon.