And here they are this October, with Sugar standing watch:

But one thing hasn’t changed.  They still understand that part of their job is to keep our laps warm.  The weather is getting nippy, but we still haven’t turned the heat on.  Think the cats are big enough to take the place of our furnace this year?

Peanut & Princessa

and this:

Pumpkin & Peanut

But tonight we discovered why they also like this particular place:

Princessa

We watched them take turns sitting on the stove, staring up at the range hood.  My hubby took the filters out and had a look around, but didn’t see anything, so we retreated to the computer room.  A while later, I heard a low, serious growl coming from the living room.  When I got there, Peanut was warning his sister Princessa to keep away from his mouse, so I will share the GaGa methods of removing mouses from cats that want to keep them.

• Step 1.  Get a small bucket or bowl and a piece of thin but sturdy cardboard.
• Step 2.  Follow the cat in possession of the mouse, until said cat releases said mouse.
• Step 3.  Quickly put the bucket upside down over the mouse.
• Step 4.  Slide the cardboard under, flip the whole thing over … and give it to your hubby to dispose of as he sees fit.

Alternate method if the cat refuses to let go of the mouse:

• Step 1.  Put on shoes, and warm clothing if it’s cold outside.
• Step 2.  Pick up the cat, complete with mouse.
• Step 3.  Take cat and mouse outdoors and set them on the ground.
• Step 4.  Stand over same until cat releases mouse.  This part can take a while.
• Step 5.  Quickly, before he can grab the mouse again, pick up cat and return it to the house, saying, “Good kitty, good kitty.”

Tonight we could use the first method, although with this being their first mouse and all, it took us a while to get with the program.  In the meantime, Peanut kept letting the mouse go so he could chase it again.  By God’s grace, it didn’t find a good hiding place before my hubby returned with the bucket.  It was a hoppy little thing, though we did manage to remove it.

I know, I know.  We stole their birthday present.  But I gave them all lots of kitty treats afterward, and that will just have to do.

And I am extremely grateful that this happened while we were still awake.  I’m sure I would not appreciate a new furry kitty toy in bed with us.

I’m working at the computer yesterday, and suddenly I hear this horrendously loud clattering noise in the kitchen. Assuming that one or more of the Three Musketeers (a.k.a. The 7-Month-Old Kitties Three) have gotten into something they shouldn’t, I turn to go investigate. Before I can get out of my chair, the clattering noise has continued through the living room into the computer room, in the person of Pumpkin (a.k.a. the orange trouble-making champ.) As this panicked feline phenom turns to make his getaway, I see that he has a mouse glue-trap attached to his rear foot.

So I’m off in hot pursuit.  The clattering terror is eventually trapped between my husband and myself, where I can grab him.  While I held him, acquiring only minor injuries, my husband gently disengaged him from the glue trap.  We then stuck his foot in some soapy water, rinsed, dried, and let him loose.

For about an hour, with every step he took, he kicked his back feet, which produced a very strange gate.

Moral of the story:  Don’t leave cupboard doors open for more than an instant.

It was Kitty Krazy Hour.  It  happens once or twice a day around here, when all three little beasties – Pumpkin, Peanut, and Princessa – tear around like maniacs doing bank shots off the furniture (and the dog) and generally create feline chaos.  I just try to stay out of the way.

Then I went out into the kitchen and discovered that, once again, they had knocked over the trash.  It happens right after it’s been emptied.  They jump on it, and with no weight, it goes flying.  This time, though, something was a little different.  Can you Find the Kitty?

Hmmm, they’re a little harder to find today, aren’t they? Give up?  Say “Uncle!”  Okay, I’ll have mercy.

What happened is that, when I went out to the kitchen, I reached down to stand the trash back up – only it wouldn’t move.  It felt like it was cemented to the floor … or was full of cement.  This baby just would not stand back up.  Well, you’ve probably guessed by now.  It wasn’t full of cement – it was full of kitties.  So I lifted the lid and they looked at me and said, “Hey, you found us!  This is a great new place to play.  Wanna join us?”

If you’d like to actually find a kitty today, go look for Olivia at New York Renovator.

Pumpkin Spice, however, is a very resourceful kitty, and knows what he likes.  My hubby thought to take this photo before he booted him off.

My three babies are back from the vet’s, and glad to be home.  They spent about 10 minutes prowling about the house, meowing and checking everything out.  My lap has been re-warmed, and all is well.

After the initial scouting was complete, they returned to their normal investigative mode, so … can you Find the Kitties?  You’re looking for two of them this time.  And no comments on the dirty dishes. 

Last night, my lap looked like this, and all was well in my life.

Today, there’s not a cat to be found.  They’ve all been delivered to the vet, so three kitties don’t become nine kitties … or thirty six kitties … or.  Well, you get the idea.

Now, my brain knows this is necessary.  My brain acknowledges that by God’s grace they’ll be back tomorrow, warming appropriate places, terrorizing others, and making me laugh.

Today, though, my lap is bereft.

I forgot to use the flash for this one, which may or may not add a degree of difficulty, but can you Find the Kitty?

Isn’t he cute?  In case you’ve forgotten, this is Pumpkin Spice, aka the ringleader.  And here’s a bonus photo.  They’re not hard to find, but they’ve slept like this since they were very little.  Do you think they’ll ever outgrow the “kitty pile?”

And because everybody seems to like the action shots, here’s another short video.  Note there’s no audio on this one, so do not adjust the volume.

And be sure to go look for Olivia.

When you haven’t had kittens in a while, you just think how cute they are and you forget the things they do.  When you get three of them, it doesn’t take long for them to remind you.

That said, can you Find the Kitty?

This is Pumpkin, the ringleader of the kitty gang.  If there’s a place in the house that he hasn’t explored yet, I don’t know where it is.  He spent quite a while up there.  Even when he’s being a “bad kit!” he’s still cute, isn’t he?

And be sure to go hunt for Olivia.