Strange Machines

I show Jade how to pet Tuxie gently. He sits like an angel.

So it came to pass one fine sunny Sunday when I decided it was time for me to try reintegrating the cats again. This time with plenty of positive reinforcement.

First, Jack, Jade, and I sat down and hand fed the kids some treats. We petted them and talked to them. Buffy stared at us rather confused. I felt sad.

Tux ate most of the treats as usual and the younger 2 merely peered out. The older 3 explored the kitchen.

Later, Jade and I said bye to the boys and we went to the bedroom as Buffy followed us expectantly. She jumped onto the stair ledge as she always did and Tux lounged along the stairs.

We went outside to look for the other 2. Sam scuttled to look for Buffy and Tux while we found Kaku lounging on her table in the cat room, probably pleased to have the place all to herself.

To my greatest delight and surprise, she meowed at me and let me stroke her just like before.

She never forgot our bond – she still hisses at daddy and only I have been ever allowed to pet her. I felt so sad and sorry that we’d wasted all this time due to my old complacency and fear of being unable to cope… But here were we.

The sweet girl even rolled around inviting me to pet her and she allowed me to groom her for a good ten minutes then stood up. Buffy had come in.

I realised then Kaku would have been a perfect only cat, just like Boy. Indeed I adore her because she is so much like him, a female him, both perfect. It was love at first sight when I first saw her too.

So we spent the afternoon together. Tux, Buffy, and Sam tried repeatedly to climb onto the bed and get into the closet but was repeatedly foiled by me. They settled for under the bed as compensation.

Kaku wandered as far as the couch where she sat on the couch head, so like Boy. I tried getting close to snap a photo but she hissed and jumped off. Other cats were about.

Buffy watched as I attempted to doze beside a playful Jade but failed. Tux lay on the floor. Earlier he and Sam played hide under the rug. I nudged him and he ran like a bat out of hell.

Finally it was dinner time and their daddy fed them and ushered them all back to their room.

It wasn’t till the children were asleep and I was in the kitchen that I realised Kaku was still inside. She’d been lying on the same spot on the couch and hissed at me to get my attention.

I duly opened the grille door and indicated for her to go out and she did. Just as Buffy was trying to slip in unnoticed.

Mom’s Beef Stew: an original recipe.

Makes one week’s supply of beef stew for babies and cats. So far the hubby says it is tasty, Jack (the baby) likes only 3 bites, and the cats love it.

Ingredients:
300g premium minced beef
1 handful frozen sweet corn, peas, carrots
1/2 handful pasta (twirly ones in durum wheat)
1 small tomato (cut in 4)
10 leaves of baby spinach

Non-edibles:
Non-stick pot with cover
5 baby glass bottles, sterilised and dried
Bowl for distribution to cats

Cook it:
1. Throw all ingredients into pot.
2. Add water to just cover the ingredients.
3. Turn on fire. Ensure is boiling then turn to low.
4. Leave for 1 hour but return every 15 minutes to make sure it is not burnt. If running low on water, add a small bit more.
5. When cooked, let cool for a while before bottling. Put in freezer.
6. Place remainder in bowl and distribute to cats.

How to use:
When you wish to feed baby, put 1 bottle to thaw in refrigerator 4 hours before. If you forget, microwave on high for 1 minute then use spoon to stir. If still cold, repeat. If baby dislikes food, feed cats. If cats dislike it, you don’t have to make lunch for yourself.

Although he began cruising in a fashion a couple of weeks ago, Jack is seriously at it now. Today, being open house day for the cats and all, he cooed at the cats and crawled confidently to the living room where he cruised from one chair to another while looking triumphantly at me.

After his nap, he played with Boy some excitedly patting his tummy pretty hard till I had to put an end to it. Boy lay there tolerating it for quite a while before getting annoyed and leaving. Tux went up to Jack later to meow at him, maybe to thank him for annoying Boy. :p

It is open day for the cats every Saturday and Sunday, and supervised playtime for the cats and Jack. Today, the kids got all upclose and personal.

Jack wakes up from a nap, looking rather disoriented.

He notices his brother Boy lying nearby.

Then goes across to say hi.

It’s open house day today for the cats and the critters cheerily explored the house then went to their fave corners for a nap. Jack, too was due for a nap but was too distracted to sleep. He pooped twice and I wanted to slip out to wash my hands.

Buffy was lying on her usual perch and I edged to the bathroom saying, “Mommy will be back in 1 minute”. He kept looking and smiling at Buffy who was blinking back. I quickly washed my hands and returned. There was nary a peep!

I decided to try again shortly after he nipped my nipple and refused to nap. I got up and said, “Mommy will be back in 1 minute”. He smiled and stayed put till I returned. This is monumental as he’d never let me out of his sight before (unless someone else was around).

The kids seem calm around him now and he’s simply delighted to see them. They’re used to his crying and it seems unlikely they’ll mark again out of fear. Looks like open house might be able to be extended forever now.

It’s sad to hear the older generation criticise us for loving and giving our cats a home, but for the most part, most quietly accept it despite how they feel. When baby makes 8 (5 cats, hubby, and me), gentle and less gentle reminders resurface.

I will go with the evidence. Scientists have been proving for years that children are better off growing up with pets. They’re stronger, more responsible, more compassionate, and have less allergies than children who haven’t.

Nonetheless, as hard as it has been, I have stuck to my guns.

Jack enjoys supervised playtime with the cats now. He’ll sit next to Tux, eagerly patting him while I guide his hand to be gentle. He understands gentle, just as he understands light, flower, Buffy, and cats. He stays his hand until he gets excited again.

But he will learn. Already he no longer grabs at something. He pats at things he likes: Mommy, Daddy, Boy, Tuxie, Buffy (Sam and Kaku are too shy for now). So he likes the cats. Very much. That just brings a smile to my face.

There is a curious similarity between my two boys Jack and Tux. They both love to slide open their father’s cupboard door, go through the garbage bin, and even tear open supermarket-sized plastic bags with stuff inside.

Both howl a lot, and demand a lot of their parents’ attention. They both love to eat a lot and just about anything. Tuxie has been known to even tear through candy and chocolate wrappers. Jack gnaws through anything plastic-wrapped.

Both are big-boned and heavy. In fact they weigh the same: 9kg!

Both have the same naughty look on their faces…

Jack is down with flu. I should have really known better. His cousin has been coughing for a week now. I should have kept him away. His nose had been runny for a few days, and he’d been sleeping shorter periods at night. More 4.5+4 than the usual 5+5 or 6+4. Sunday he was more subdued and his nose ran even more.

Sunday night he woke several times with a crying burst but when I got up he was fast asleep again. Finally at 6am, I decided to wake him for a feed, feeling particularly dehydrated myself. His nose was full of snot. I cleaned him up and fed him. He fed well, unlike his last feed at 1145pm. He smiled several times, and then slept again. At 10am another cry woke me. He was asleep again but I picked him up for a feed. Once again he ate well, and stayed up to play.

Last night he slept 9 hours! Then again, maybe I was just too tired to wake up for a night feed. He nursed fairly well – I was quite engorged, and after, treated me with happy smiles, coos, and ahhs. Back in his cot for a while, he was talking to himself quite cheerily, then later cries for a suckle and nap in Mom’s arms (more like on the MBF so I can type).

Boy too, is sick. He has a blocked urinary tract which can be fatal if unchecked. I’ve blogged about how it started on Five Cats Blog and what happened at the vet clinic and after.

His appetite has been poor but it could be the new c/d food he’s been put on or his house arrest in my room. He ate quite a bit from my hand yesterday but nothing today. The good news is he is peeing in puddles! With his own poo pan in the bathroom, it’s been easier to track his pee schedule. He’s been quite happy napping by my feet, on the rug, or in his Dad’s sock closet, although once in a while he does get wanderlust and sits by the door looking at me forlornly.

As for he and Jack, it’s almost as if he understands the baby needs me a lot more, physically and emotionally, so he sits or lies close by quietly. He knows Jack’s smell is my smell. Sometimes I let him sniff Jack’s hair or hand, and he does so with an acknowledging nod.

Cat experts have often noted how cats know babies are small humans and give them a ton of leeway they normally wouldn’t accord big humans. I’ve noticed this in all the kids. Buffy particularly, who is perpetually jealous of anyone who takes her Daddy’s attention away, is protective of Jack. Perhaps he smells like her Dad too!

I hope both kids get well soon. It’s always terrible to see your children ill, but it melts my heart to see how brave and upbeat they have both managed to be – Boy, selflessly sacrificing Mom-time for baby’s needs but remaining close to us like a guardian and constant companion (I can imagine the wonderful days and nights ahead when the cat-kids comfort an ill Jack and vice versa), and Jack despite an uncomfortably runny nose and cough, never without a smile for anyone watching over him.