Tag Archives: smoke Persian kittens

Andy and Dougy at four months

The closer we get to Andy and Dougy’s Big 2nd Birthday on 1 July 2013, the more nostalgic I am about that stressful time when they were two sick kittens, a period that pretty much covered the first two and a half, three months I had them.

Fortunately for me, I made videos of the boys so I’d remember them as they were, and have a way to see how they’ve grown and changed. The following video is on my YouTube account, http://www.youtube.com/user/phainopepla95,
but I’ll spare you locating it among the 150+ videos there:

Gad! They were cuties! They were just starting to grow out their Persian hair. They are smoke Persians, so that new hair foretold how handsome this pair of cats were destined to be.

Maybe this video is more interesting to me than to others. I made predictions about their personalities then that are a hoot now. Andy as a “lap cat” is my favorite. It didn’t happen. Neither boy likes more than a little hold time, though they are friendly cats. Dougy as an explorer is true still, though both boys have normal cat curiosity about everything. Dougy is the camera hound still, but Andy is considerably more curious about that thing pointed at him, and he always wants to come over and sniff it.

Dougy still went by “Doogie” back then, the Scottish pronunciation of his name and mine. I’m not sure when I decided to throw caution to the wind and just call him “Dougy”. So what if people accuse me of vanity for naming my cat after myself? Dougy definitely fits the name, as does Andy his. “Douglas” and “Andrew”, their full names, not so much. He answers to “Dougy” so he isn’t confused with me. I’m the one who answers to “Doug”.

My Dad and I shared “Douglas” as first names. We had different middle names, so I wasn’t a junior, though no one ever got that straight, including family. I didn’t want my wee cat to go through that hassle, too. Before you call Dougy “Junior”, be aware his middle name, James, isn’t mine! I made sure of that!

Their big day is close now. The boys were born on Canada Day, 1 July 2011. No significance, I suppose, to that, though it is an easy date to remember!

kitten “ornithologists”

I have an interest in birds, and am, in fact, a life member of Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union.

I like birds. They are cheerful, often brightly colored bits of fluff that decorate our trees year around. Many migrate, so there is anticipation of their return each year that adds to the excitement of seeing them again on the bird bath or on a tree or feeder.

There is a fir just outside my computer desk window that is a reliable bird tree year around, a detail quickly learned by Andy and Dougy, my two smoke Persian kittens. For you who’ve followed their story, parenthetically, I note they turn nine months old April 1st, but back to the main thought: The kitten brothers are avid bird watchers!

I have no intention of letting the boys become outside or partly outside cats because of the dangers there of injury from animal or human encounters. Mosquitoes and other cats are potential disease hazards to the boys, too. They had a rough start in life as kittens, so I’m a bit over-protective of their health and safety. An ounce of prevention…!

The kittens aren’t without their window on the world. They are too small yet, possibly ever to look out the back door screen. (I have no idea how big they’ll grow.) That is a prime place, however, to view the outside world in relative safety. To that end, I set up a children’s chair that they can sit and stand on to view birds flying in to use a bird bath just outside the door. It has been a huge success!

View the video by clicking on the link below.
The kitten brothers like to watch birds.

This kitten brothers have a fan club that covers the world, yet their world is only as big as my apartment. I know they will live longer, happier lives as inside cats, getting their bird watching done looking out the windows and back door!

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It is my brother’s birthday today, March 23rd! Happy Birthday, Richard!