Just opening up the new thread......... Doing it quietly - all the kitties are sleeping!

Mark

Mark, I was watching your other thread on Pippin and wondering about the 64 post limit. I was laughing when I read you were starting a new thread on him.
Pippin sounds so adorable. It is funny that he is picking habits from each of the others to copy. It makes for one heck of a grown cat!!

Oh gee...I didn't see this new thread until I posted in the old one!!!! Sorry about that!

Margaret extended the old thread for another 16 posts. However, I'm pretty sure we'll need to move things to this one soon.

Mark

Well, it’s about time for another Pippin update.

Pippin is moving out of his cute, kitten stage and becoming the dreaded monster we all fear – a teenager.

Seriously, he continues to grow like a week. He’s now half the size of the smallest of the four male cats, and is three quarters of Dusty’s size. He is getting longer and thinner. His behavior is less timid and more independent (as in, he is not clinging to me all the time).

He is becoming more assertive. On Wednesday night, I was washing a comforter for a friend (having a large, front loading washer helps with these things). I folded the comforter up and put it on my dining room table. It did not take 10 minutes before I heard a ruckus – Ranger and Pippin were “vigorously and animatedly discussing” who was going to sleep on the comforter. Much to my surprise, Pippin won. He had the look of the cat who ate the canary. I guess sleeping on the comforter is better than his regular spot – on the wood pile next to the woodstove!

The integration seems to be going fine. In the mornings, all five cats are underfoot waiting for me to stumble out of bed to feed them. It’s still Ranger’s job to wake me up if I am sleeping – he has not passed that on to Pippin yet (although Pippin thinks that I must get up between 2-4 every night. He must be checking to see if I am still breathing!).

Little Bit has returned to sleeping in his bed on my dresser. For the first week after Pippin was out, he would not sleep there. I think he and Pippin have come to an understanding of who is where in the social order. Pippin has learned to understand Little Bit’s various moods and nonverbal communications (Did I ever mention that Little Bit is a very moody kitty? He even gets “mean” when on catnip – needless to say there will be very little of that coming out in the near future).

Pippin and Dusty mostly play chase. Ranger and Pippin are mostly wrestle. Pippin has jumped on Evan once or twice – I’ve quickly taken him away at that point.

The ringworm medicine was finally finished last night. Next Tuesday, I take him back to see if the ringworm has finally cleared up. I’ll also see about scheduling his “fixing” – he is plenty old enough right now to get that taken care of!

Until last week, Pippin was very fond of being picked up and cuddled. As a teenager, he does not care for that any more, thank you! How quickly they grow up!

I should try to take some more pictures this week. He is twice as big as he was when he first come here!

Mark

Oh NO! I missed that Michelle! Or it didn't register at the time. Oh my! I have to make it up to you! Oh no! Oh dear.



I do have a migraine today!



Michelle, I have read some of your Sparky posts more than once - you have to put a few more stories in there too!

Maria

I managed to start a fight with my Pippin update!!!!!!!

I guess I will never understand women.....

Not to worry Mark! Michelle and I are good friends! We're just playing. Like the kitties - play/fighting.

Maria