meet my kitties

Remember last year, when I so proudly announced I had kittens? And then said kittens disappeared just a few days later? After that, I was reluctant to blog about my new cats until I knew they'd be staying around. I've had them for six weeks now, so I'm going to tell you about them (while hoping and praying they don't go away).

Isis is the oldest of the three. She turned up at NC, and my dad didn't want her to stay on campus, so he brought her over. She's still a kitten, but she's enough older than the other two that they somehow got it in their heads that she's their mother. So they try to nurse. All the time. You'd think after six weeks, they'd have figured out that they're never going to get milk from her, but they keep trying. Sometimes she won't put up with it, but other times she just gives up and lets them go at it. I feel so bad for her, but I don't know what to do to make them stop! A friend suggested that she's become their pacifier, and that has to be it, because I know they're not getting any milk!

Skaara is a little piggy. He's so incredibly concerned about getting his fair share of the food, and he eats way more than the other cats, yet he's the smallest. Most of the time, he's very active, but when he's tired, he likes to be held, and he's fallen asleep in my arms twice in the past two days. His face isn't nearly as angular as it looks in this picture. Really, he's much cuter!

Hammond is simply beautiful. His build and coloration make him so cute! He's the sweetest of the three, and he's the first to run over when I go outside to see them ... unless I'm bringing food, in which case Skaara beats him every time! (They have to be outdoor cats per my lease.) Hammond was the first to voluntarily climb onto my lap, and he likes being held the most.

In addition to my three, I also have plenty of visiting cats. At first, it was just the two toms that roam the neighborhood, but now some other kittens and their mama have started visiting. There's an orange kitten I call Jack, a gray one I call Sam, and another gray one that I also call Sam (I think it's probably a sibling to Sam, actually) and Blendy decided we should call Fauxlivia, since it's clearly not the original recipe Sam. These cats don't stay around long, but they keep coming back. As long as they don't chase my kittens away, I'm okay with it. (Bonus points to anyone other than family who can tell me which TV show all the names except Fauxlivia come from! Hint: Sam is a girl.)

This is quite possibly the only time I'll write extensively about my cats, but if you want to keep up with them, you can follow my kittens Facebook album, where I'll be posting pics every so often.