Copyright 2009-2013 Liz Sweibel

Monday, December 27, 2010

Stairway to ...?

My camera is too often out of reach when a photo opp comes along.  I've missed more than one shot of Glenwood climbing a ladder.  I have a four-foot ladder and a six-foot ladder; she has experience with both.  Here she is on the six-footer, which is hanging inside a closet door ...



She is such a flirt.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Strange Rituals

I know I left you hanging in my last post about some evidence of maturity in Glenwood's behavior.  It's true, but not as dramatic as I thought/wished.  I don't put all my belongings in a closet every night any more, and she sleeps later, but she still wakes up far earlier than I and has insistent means of getting my attention.


One proven strategy is to jump on the desk in my bedroom, then move to the printer, which creaks under her "weight."  Sometimes she clears the desk of papers.  This starts at about 6 am.  Get down, I say, sitting up.  One get down rarely does it, but two or three do.  At least she understands English.

Back on the floor, she walks over and stares up at me.  My role is to stare back.  We do this for a few beats, then she jumps on the bed and snuggles up, purring.  I pet her, having been manipulated into rewarding her for bad behavior to prevent it from getting worse.  If I fail to stare back, she proceeds directly to more antics without the snuggly interlude.  Snuggle-time ranges from three seconds to another hour of sleep, but sometimes we have to repeat the get down-stare ritual four or five or a thousand times a night, with no guarantee that I'll get more sleep.  I've been napping daily.  Go figure.

Once she has the household up and has snubbed her breakfast, she settles on the living room radiator with the creeping fig.  It's the perfect spot to watch bird activity on the fire escape.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Plan D

We were at One Love today, and Glenwood's ear is pretty much as it was, even after almost a month of twice-daily irrigating and digging.  But before I go into plan D, how much fun can one kitten have on a napkin?






She's such a flirt.  Anyway.  Dr. Humphreys has a vet-friend in Greenpoint who raves about this anti-everything ear med.  When today's exam showed no improvement (though she still thrives, obviously), she got an earful of it.  It's caramel-like and forms a plug; now she gets left alone for two weeks.

I'll post about this tomorrow or so, but I also think Glenwood has turned a corner in becoming, say, mature.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Then and Now

The release anniversary must have me nostalgic, as I've been doing some Glenwood-then and Glenwood-now comparisons.  She spent her first night as a free kitten in, um, the bathroom.  This is how I found her that first morning.

December 8, 2009
A little over four months later, she filled up more of the sink.  Big Timmy would probably overflow.

April 26, 2010
Today she had a superior case of the cutes when she awoke from nap #37, with her little furry paws curled and crossed.  I'm not a bad napper myself, which is quite thrilling to her.  Company!


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

One Year Ago Today ...

December 7, 2009
... Glenwood was freed from the bathroom after nine weeks of isolation, sleep, meds, and food.  Look how tiny she was!  And how kitten-shaped!

December 7, 2009
I thought she'd never go into the bathroom again, but she stays close to me so often keeps me company.  She's enthralled by the mirrored medicine cabinet and by the tub, which makes a mighty fine hiding spot, especially when approached at 90 mph (much faster than Timmy can follow).

Look how gorgeous she is now.

December 6, 2010
She is the sweetest, craziest, softest, most willful eight pounds of kitty ever.  I watch her and remain struck that events had me find her (and her me).  She was so close to death, and it was only Ellen's need to cancel dinner that brought us under one roof.  Sadly, so many Glenwood's don't get saved.  I think about them too.

A Penny for Timmy's Thoughts
She's been healthy since her release except for the stubborn ear infection.  Tomorrow I check in with One Love, and will be bringing her in for a look-see.  I'm still swishing her ear and cleaning out goo with Q-Tips twice a day.