The esurient siblings

Lately the Neighbourhood of Chaos Kittens have been visiting the House of Chaos rather frequently. Or rather, Franky and Frankette have. Not-Franky is too shy and prefers to pine outside, just out of reach of the simians’ grasping claws and sadly out of reach of the overflowing feeding bowls that this House sports. But Franky and Frankette… oh boy… they do know where to get at the grub and we have the greatest of difficulties when trying to get them out again. After all, they do not belong to us, but to another household, where they will be sorely missed since they are such sweet and silky-soft purring machines.

Franky is the most frequent visitor. But sometimes he is accompanied by his sister Frankette and together they form a mighty team around which the resident feline denizens of the House of Chaos are wont to tiptoe with care. Hrimnir would love nothing more than playing and romping and frolicking with them, yet they spurn his joyous overtures to play with growls and menacing claws. Bean Sidhe couldn’t care less, as long as nobody disturbs his majestic self when napping. Loup-Garou tends to sit around with a bewildered look on his black furry face because these black-&-white kittens do look so much like Zorro that he’s secretly a bit afraid of them. And Zorro himself sort of sits there, with a profound look of approval on his bewhiskered snout when the kittens snarl at the others again, but with his own set of cutlery at the ready in order to punish the tiniest of infractions. Everybody makes a detour around Zorro.

Clearly Franky and Frankette are siblings, possibly even full-blooded siblings. A queen (female cat) can have kittens from several different tomcats at the same time in every litter, but the twain that visits us do look so much alike that it is clear they must not only have the same mother, but the same dad as well. Rather rare in the feline world, but it happens. And Franky is a bit protective of his little sister, they often venture out together, and only rarely do we see them accompanied by Not-Franky (who is mostly white with a few black spots, but he has the same built as the twain). They all sport the same collar, so they must be from the same household. And I happen to know that one of our back-neighbours did indeed have 3 kittens. Thus, they may visit the House of Chaos for a bit of a bite, but they can’t stay.

Apparently they would prefer to stay. It is with the greatest reluctance that they allow us to carry them back outside into the Garden of Chaos and release them back to where they belong. It is with equally greatest difficulty that we manage to keep them from dashing straight back in. They would rather continue that uninterrupted-by-kids nap in the Couch of Chaos, or spend the next 3 hours shoveling the grub which is of a well-known and not-too-cheap brand. I know we are spoiling our furry friends, but eating is one of our greatest pleasures in life and how could we deny our purring babies the same and still respect ourselves ? Tsk.

Kitties know good grub when they encounter it. The Frankies are not the only kittens of the Neighbourhood who have come calling and made a straight beeline towards the bowls the moment they saw their way clear to come in. But they certainly are the most persistent and have now come almost daily to call upon our charity. And with those sweet furry faces with tiny pink noses upturned towards us, beseeching succour and nourishment with plaintive howls speaking of great distress and impending famine, how could we refuse ?

And thus we were regaled with the gay sound of kitty teeth crunching to their hearts’ content and the sight of tiny furry bodies trembling with joy and unabashed greed. Then, after the feast, both Franky and Frankette retired upon the Couch of Chaos for a well-deserved cat-nap and settled down with a profoundly happy sigh of utter contentment. They snuggled close together, as only siblings are wont to do, Franky protectively in front of his smaller sister, and the happy purring commenced. Now and then Franky would open his eyes into fine slits and scan the surroundings for threats. He didn’t mind that Zorro was napping a scant 15 centimeters away on a cushion. Zorro didn’t mind either, which had us immensely surprised. (If we didn’t know better we might have suspected that he had fathered the kitlings and is somewhat proud of them, but trust me, we know better…)

In the end we have to take them outside again. They do not belong to this House and would surely be missed elsewhere. But they are always welcome for a quick bite and a little snooze, the simian denizens of the House of Chaos are well-known for their generosity and hospitality.

Picture below:
Snuggled cozily together… Franky and Frankette… he’s keeping himself between the Big Bad World and his little sister… how sweet !!

Don’t forget to visit the Friday Ark today !! Lots of sweet kitties await your attention there…

Wordless Wednesday

click: WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Nature

Cats

Tummy Tuesday

Hrimnir was asked to settle down on the Couch of Chaos and pose for a nice tummy shot. Of course, our not-so-little-any-more-kitten just had to strike the most sophisticated pose I ever saw performed by a specimen of the feline kind.

Lovely.

“For you babe… I blow ze kiss… MUAH!…”

Celebrating Tummy Tuesday every week happens on LisaViolet’s Dairy. Have fun gazing at some fluffeous tummies there !!

Mum Monday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, click here to visit the site where it all started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Oh, and don’t forget to visit The Friday Ark and the Carnival of the Cats… worth your attention that !)

 

Wordless Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY (click on it to visit the site)

Nature

Cats

Tummy Tuesday

We are presenting again His Adorable Majesty The Absolute King Of Fluffy Tummies… Bean Sidhe !

This time a close-up of his formidable abdominal region. Just to show off the fluffiness…

There are more cute tummies to be admired on LisaViolet’s Dairy, every Tuesday.

Dexterity

Our feline friends can be quite the little geniuses when it comes to adaptation and versatility. And although they do lack the opposable thumb that we have been blessed with they can use their paws more or less like simian hands are used. Especially when there is something they really really covet. Then the paw becomes the fine-tuned and extremely dexterous grappling instrument we have come to learn to admire.

Bean Sidhe is a living proof of this. He is adept at using his paws in various ways but the grappling move is one of his best. In fact, the other feline denizens of the House of Chaos are wont to try to emulate him from time to time, but rarely do they succeed as well as the Bannster does. Because the Bannster has agile claws and a streak of intelligence seldom encountered in the feline species. He knows how to use his equipment to his best advantage.

Observe the movements:
There is a coveted item lying somewhere, a tasty titbit perhaps, and Bean Sidhe ambles over towards the spot where his formidable nose tells him it is located. For a moment his delicate sniffer is put to the task and the exact coordinates of said item are assimilated, then processed. The majestic behind is parked firmly on to the floor for supreme support and one paw is gingerly stretched. The paw is opened, the claws are extended, so as to have a reasonable surface of the paw exposed, and the grappling hooks are thus evenly distributed. Then the morsel is picked up in a scooping motion and brought towards the eagerly awaiting food processing unit, i.e. the mouth. Gobble. Swallow. Contented sigh. Sniff for more.

Bean Sidhe has been doing this trick since his earliest kittenhood but as a small kitten he was forced to use both paws for picking up stuff and hence had to perch precariously on his hind quarters, who weren’t as majestic back then as they are now. All the time he has been showing a remarkable dexterity and agility for one so encumbered by body mass and he never fails to attract an appreciative audience whenever the occasion -and a tasty morsel- presents itself. Could you fault him ?

He is a Master at his Art. But even a Master has still to learn extreme Mastership and so Bean Sidhe has been evolving his technique to the one-pawed one we know and admire today. And when the occasion warrants it he will not deign himself too elevated for the two-pawed technique of his kittenhood. After all, the classics often work best !

And thus was the Mistress a cheerful witness to a lovely display of his expertise when Hrimnir brought in a slab of lard that he has probably stolen from one of our neighbours. At first he allowed the kitten to play a bit with the food, knowing full well that the tyke wouldn’t be able to gobble up all of it. He was sure Hrimnir would abandon it sooner or later and he was right. After a few minutes of happy munching the slab of lard was lying forlorn on the floor of the Kitchen of Chaos and our Ban-Ban could amble over at his leisure in order to examine the situation and form up a working plan.

Clearly he decided that some dignity was in order and so he planted his fluffy butt next to the piece of lard and sat there for a moment, as if contemplating the sad fate of abandoned meat. Then a velvety-soft paw was gently inserted under the piece, the claws were extended, and with an expert swipe the meat was brought to his mouth. Having had this difficult task deftly executed he set to happily munching, just like Hrimnir did a few moments ago.

And now we are fearfully awaiting the day when he learns to apply his dexterity to the opening of cupboards and doors. Bean Sidhe is a smart little fellow, he’ll find out sooner or later that he has the force and the power to do what hitherto only the simians could do. But there is one instrument the use of which he desperately would covet and which he would never be able to master… the can-opener. Because for that you not only need opposable thumbs, but also strong, long, and agile fingers.

Forget it buddy.

Picture below: Bean Sidhe doing what he does best. Note the graceful balance… the questing whiskers… the deft paw… the car-grease on his right ear-tip…

Friday comes along and the Friday Ark beckons with friends and fun for all. Will you visit it too ?

Wordless Wednesday

visit the original site of WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Nature

Cats

Tummy Tuesday

Although Bean Sidhe likes the limelight, today he was a tad reluctant and so Hrimnir took upon his tiny shoulders the mighty task of convincing his big bro’ to show his tummy.

Did he do good job ?

No doubt a better view on tummies can be found at LisaViolet’s Dairy, where Tummy Tuesday originated.

The weary warrior

Imagine the fiercest warrior of the tribe: he’s huge, he’s a towering giant, his overflowing mane of hairs flares out in an impressive arc around his noble head. Bulging muscles quiver under his smooth skin and his temper is feared by all. He’s a veritable killing-machine, body honed to perfection. There he walks -no- prowls, prepared for battle, with all of his weapons ready and poised to strike. Silently he approaches the enemy. And then… he lies down.

That is more or less what Bean Sidhe does whenever Hrimnir invites him to play. He’s a lot bigger than the tyke, who has been the runt of his litter and shows little promise of having inherited his Dam’s Norwegian Forest Cat genes. Bean Sidhe, on the other hand, has certainly inherited his Dam’s impressive Maine Coon built, but do you really think he would flaunt it ? Not for nothing are the Maine Coons called the “Gentle Giants”. As with everything else, Bean Sidhe is wont to approach the serious business of fight-play with a certain laid-back attitude and he means the latter literally. He does lay back. At leisure.

Now, cats can adopt this stance (or is that “lie-ance” ?) when cornered and forced to rely upon their most formidable weapons: the powerful and well-clawed hind-legs. Many a bulkier and stronger opponent has backed away carefully when presented with this formidable arsenal and tactics, unless he was a dog who regard this kind of behaviour as the sure sign he has vanquished the prone one and got a nasty surprise when he closed in for the ritual neck-bite of dominance. The cat will recognize this as a most dangerous situation and make himself scarce. Hrimnir however is a bit on the dense side and still plagued by youthful exuberance and sense of immortality, so he doesn’t take the message when Bean Sidhe goes supine. Much to the larger feline’s chagrin of course, who is now forced to continue to exert himself. And Bean Sidhe hates exercise above all other things.

Seldom have I witnessed a lazier cat. Apart from Loup-Garou, who has elevated the art of couch-potato to hitherto unimaginable levels of expertise and excellence, Bean Sidhe has to be the most faineant feline I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness in all his grandiose slothfulness and majestic indolence. He’s the Über-cat of Otiosity and no mistake about it ! His disdain for physical effort has been noted before, as has been his fear of heights, but you can rest assured that, if there is a way to have his way with the least possible resistance, Bean Sidhe will already be using it.

Observe how he indulges Hrimmir in a little play-fight: how he lies there like the paragon of sloth. While the tyke is jumping up and down, running to and fro’, being everywhere at the same moment and generally making a momentous nuisance of himself, the elder and far more substantial playmate will idly lift a paw and swap his opponent with a mighty blow that comes from everywhere but the rest of his body. Bannikins is so strongly built that he rarely has to use more than the utter minimum of muscles required for the movement. His exterior may seem flabby, and his excessive amount of short fur certainly gives him the deceiving appearance of a cute cuddly teddy-bear, but like a Sumo-Wrestler there’s quite a lot of power hidden underneath that chubby demeanor and it is at moments like this that he manages to elicit gasps of surprise from the hapless visitor.

Hrimnir does all the work of course. But then, he’s a kitten. Kitten have an excess of energy that they absolutely must needs burn off else they explode. Bean Sidhe is quite aware of this, and it is only his absolute disdain for filth that urges him to comply with the kitten’s all-too-frequent requests for a good romp. Exploding kittens tend to leave quite the mess you know and it would be too much work for poor old Bannikins to go and clean it up. He’s having trouble enough already with the filth that tends to solidly congregate on his hind-paws and behind his ears so you can be assured that if he can avoid the mess he will certainly move.

I think I found the reason for Bean Sidhe’s sloth. He does have this massive amount of fur on his rather substantially corpus and all of that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. For some arcane reason his fur also functions as a supreme filth-magnet. And an even more worrying tendency has developed for this filth to become a rather solid mass clumped around the fur on his hind-legs. Not to mention the semi-permanent presence of car-grease behind his ears that can only be explained as Bean Sidhe having the firm conviction that lying under a car that’s just arrived might be comfortably warm. So yes, poor Ban-Ban has his work cut out for him and it is usually with a profound sigh that you can witness him starting on his daily grooming labour.

Hence the tiredness that forces our majestic moggy into forced faineance. It’s not of his own choosing that he spends most of the day cozily ensconced (and hopefully safe from Zorro’s usual ire) in the Nest upstairs, nor has he voluntarily submitted himself to fighting prone. He’s the victim of his daily hygienic routine and must needs recover from this ordeal as much as he can. Much to the eternal puzzlement of Hrimnir, who can’t understand why such a great warrior would stoop to gross indolence.

Picture below:
Hrimnir inviting Bean Sidhe for play. Bean Sidhe’s usual reaction.

Witness his problem… substantial surface, clotted filth on the paws, grease behind the ears. Bean Sidhe as we have come to know and love him.

On this lovely Sunday what better activity than to visit the Carnival of the Cats and engage into some frolicsome fun ?