Anniversary of Homecoming

One year ago today I brought home two 5 pound bundles of sweet, gentle, adorable kittens.

Quite the cute tiny kittens, aren't they though?

They were so tiny! Now they are triple that size. I can't really call them adorable anymore (to my mind you have to be small to be adorable), but they certainly are lovely cats, and they are still sweet and gentle. 

Thimble's in the sink. He's his mother's son all right.
(She used to sit in the sink to watch over her kittens.)

Colby, looking regal. He isn't. 

We've been through a lot this past year. They grew so rapidly that it was astonishing to me and confusing to poor Apricot. Having them around has been difficult at times, as training kittens to be house-friendly, especially giant kittens, is not an easy task. Although I will admit these are better than most, as they came somewhat pre-trained from Ginger, the breeder. (For example, I never had to tell them not to play with tissues. As someone with allergies, I appreciate that!)

But I'm so very glad I have them. The interplay of their different personalities has been so fascinating to watch, and they are so wonderful to be around, to hold and hug. I love that they like to be hugged, as many cats do not appreciate that sort of interaction! Thimble will even initiate hugs, something he's started doing recently. 

Apricot has benefited from their presence as well. He's no longer quite so scared of anything new, and will often watch from a distance as Thimble and Colby investigate something, or look to them for signs that he should be alarmed or not about this new noise. And after they give the all-clear, he'll come investigate things himself, which is a great improvement over hiding from everything. 

Recently I got out the drill to fasten a stairway to their cat tree. It originally belonged on this one side but the placement of the tree didn't allow for it. I'd attached it somewhere else, but poorly, and it had fallen under one of the Coons' weight, and they weren't even using it as a stair at the time, just a foot in the wrong spot. Then I discovered if I attached it to the top of the first platform, it was just the right height to go from the platform to the fireplace's raised hearth. 

Apricot had encountered the drill before, when I'd put up a light-blocking curtain over my doorway to allow him to come and go as he pleased while I slept without light invading the room. I'd made quite a big deal of letting him investigate it (before it was on) and telling him it was going to make a dreadful noise but I had it under control, and he had actually stayed in the hallway while I did the drilling. (I have drywall, so anything heavy I want to hang from the wall--like a curtain rod and heavy-weight curtain--has to use drywall screws ... and you have to use a drill for that.)

But the Coon boys weren't here yet, and I hadn't used the drill since. 

This led to an interesting experience where there was something alarming going on, but Apricot knew (smugly) what it was and Thimble and Colby did not. I swear he was almost grinning as he watched them be various forms of alarmed. (They were okay with it after a little bit, and Thimble was so okay with it after the first pilot hole was drilled that I had to push him away so I could safely drill the second pilot hole!)

It's really been amazing watching their personalities develop. I wonder if this is part of why (some) people love to be parents (of baby humans). They (both kittens and human babies) have personalities as babies, sure, but those personalities really grow and change as they grow physically.

Thimble thinks he is the brave one. He always is the first to investigate. When I have human visitors, he's my greeter cat. (And why I felt it necessary to specify human visitors, I don't know--it's not like I invite strange animals to come over.) But it's all bravado. If he's truly frightened, he can't deal with it and wants to run and hide just like Apricot. 

I discovered this one day when I took him outside (in my arms), thinking he would be fascinated by all the smells and new stuff, but instead he was terrified and wanted so bad to go back inside that I felt horrible about the whole experience.

Yet his bravado gives the other two courage; they follow his lead so when he pretends to be all brave and investigates the new people, or objects, they are less likely to be afraid and will come investigate too (Apricot with the notable exception of people).

Colby, my poor baby, is turning into my scaredy-cat. When I was gone for the funeral, he hid with Apricot under the couch. He's also best friends with Apricot, so I'm not sure how much was "Colby being scared" and how much was "reassuring Apricot".

But Colby won't ever investigate things first. Thimble has to do it. And Colby is scared of things he has no experience with. Okay, the unknown is scary. I totally understand that. It's a driving force in my own life. However, for contrast: Apricot's fears are based in reality. His fear of people and his fear of thunderstorms are based on his experiences with those things. But when it comes to things he hasn't encountered, he's willing to give them a chance. One chance. And Thimble has to investigate first. Still, he's not allowing fear of the unknown to control him. Much.

Unlike Colby. And I really feel for Colby, because his approach to life is rather like mine, in that fear of the unknown defines him. I wish I had had the ability to take both him and Thimble into lots of new environments back when they were baby kittens. Baby kittens have no fear of anything. And that's the sweet spot for getting them used to all sorts of things. Oh well, too late now.

It seems too short to have been a whole year. I was so anxiety-ridden when I brought them home that I put them in the nursery, made sure they were okay with the room and knew where the food, water, and litter box all were, and then left the building because I was so scared. Not of them, or of anything in particular. That's the nasty thing about anxiety. It's quite often fear without a cause, so you can't investigate, you can't reason your way out of it; all I've found to do is remove myself from the situation causing it.

Now, with their help, I can't imagine having to do that, to leave them like that. They are my relief from anxiety, and being with them makes things better. Spending time with them is restful (mostly) and reassuring (mostly). 

I am so glad they are in my life, my two Maine Coon boys and Apricot, too, even though this isn't his anniversary date post!