Mippies first day – 2 February

Half past two in the morning, the mippies can’t contain themselves any longer and wake me up! They need cuddles and reassurance and tummy tickles! Shame, they’ve been in that crate for nearly ten hours, and couldn’t do much but sleep! I also noticed sticky substance on their tails, I guess that’s where the CalmEze was pumped for them to lick. We cuddle, we talk, I sing to them, I hold them one by one – except Ziva, ha ha! She still doesn’t like being held!

They also didn’t finish their treat, and ants were helping themselves to the pieces outside their bowls. After an hour I go to the kitchen to make myself some coffee – unlike the mippies, I haven’t slept much in what feels like weeks! Mippies cry piteously while I’m in the kitchen!

When I come back, they need cuddles and tickles and lovies all over again. An hour later, I take a smoke break – hearing mippies cry, cry, cry all the while!

Back inside, the cuddling continues until they finally calm down enough to nap. I go out for another smoke break – mippies cry, cry, cry all the while!

Funny thing I just remembered: When Ziva first came out of the crate, her colouring looked browner – like Shadow – than her usual silver. I wonder if that was just a trick of the light?

Clearly, they no longer consider the cat carrier a safe place – not even Ziva – so I put it away.

Unfortunately, due to the work situation, my first priority must be my own recovery – mippies are second priority. I’m happy to say that hunger is setting in again, I had three Brezeln yesterday and several sausages – very delicious special sausages! They are called ‘Berner’ and basically they are cheese grillers, though thin like viennas, wrapped in bacon! I’m starting to feel more alive again, though – thanks to my mippies early wake up call – still tired.

The bathroom has a double sink, and my mippies have discovered that the one on the right is for them! When I’m in the bathroom, I open the tap, just a trickle, and Lady Jane and Mewthos love to stick their head in and lap the water as it trickles into the sink! Ziva still prefers to drink it out of the sink – I keep the plug in, so when I trickle for the minis, the sink fills a little and is never empty.

At first they are a little hesitant to jump onto the counter – since the only counters they know were in the kitchen, and they weren’t allowed on those! But they adapt! I still need to encourage them – especially my intelligent Ziva – but they are growing more confident.

I haven’t done much unpacking, yet – mostly, I’ve just put stuff away. Not organized, just put it away. I did, however, make a point of putting some knitted jerseys in the bottom shelf and some other clothes on the second shelf – just like at the old home, because they just loved to climb in there to sleep! That shelf is on my left – I’ve placed the PC in the center table of the built-in wardrobes – so they are right by my side when they are in there.

When I go to the toilet, all three join me. Lady Jane jumps on my lap while Mewthos and Ziva snuggle up to a leg each!

The scratcher is in the bathroom, but so far, only Lady Jane is using it. Ziva prefers to pull herself along under the armchair, which is in the bedroom. Sigh, it means she’s damaging the under-cover – but I don’t have any cat furniture to meet her needs, so I leave her to it.

Lady Jane was the first to use the red litter box – somewhat too enthusiastically, I’m afraid! Half the sand landed outside – but her wee was totally covered!

I had put up only the brown curtain in the bathroom, since mippie claws still open lace curtains, but that wasn’t working. My landlord couldn’t have walked in his own garden outside the bathroom with ease – the entire bathroom is clearly visible! So I got the suitcase with the curtains and put up the lace curtain from the lounge – the one Mewthos didn’t jump through!

Someone had thoughtfully put some shredded paper into the carrier with my mippies, which was offloaded with everything else here – and my mippies love playing with dangling paper strings! Even Ziva had a go at catching one! They are clearly coming around to their normal, happy personalities again!

Lady Jane already started pushing her boundaries by taking a stroll across the keyboard! That’s one place they are NOT allowed, I had to explain that to her several times, though! She now likes to jump onto my lap and from there stroll into the wardrobe shelf, after she’s had her share of cuddles.

They are coming to realise that I always come back after a smoke – but sometimes, their fear sets in and they cry. Sometimes just one, sometimes a chorus. And every single time I must sit down and reassure them all! One by one.

After the incident with the ants, I decided it’s time they learn about the counter. There’s another built in cupboard in the bathroom, with three doors and a counter. I had decided that’s where they should eat their treats, so now I introduce the concept to my mippies. Ziva was the most hesitant – I only ever caught her jumping on the kitchen counter, when I was defrosting meat on it, which she simply could not resist. I pick her up and place her on the counter, so she understands that it’s not a bad thing. This time, I give them a Whiskas treat, since they don’t seem to be eating much and I don’t want to waste another Royal Canin. They aren’t getting much exercise, so they aren’t eating as much – yet!

Around one, tiredness overcomes me and I take a nap. All three mippies snuggle up to me – true, it’s adorable but in this heat? Ha Ha! I’m not complaining, though! I manage to get in an hours sleep.

There is a fan in the bedroom – but it’s open, and if a mippie jumps at it, paws could get cut! I did try switching it on – but all my mippies went and dashed under the furniture and wouldn’t come out for some time, even after it had come to a standstill again. Sigh. All windows closed. Door closed. It’s really hot!

I’m taking it really easy, nothing ‘must’ get done, no pressure, just doing what I feel like.

When I unpacked the little Bigfoot scratcher, Mewthos promptly got his head stuck in the box! Unfortunately he had got out before I could get the camera ready! He’s also missing a couple of whiskers above one eye, or rather, they’re just stubs now. Over his left eye he has only one long whisker, one half length and then just stubs! Ai, ai, ai!

It started raining in the afternoon. Just a little at first, but then it came down quite hard – and all my mippies dashed under the furniture again! They’ve never heard rain on a tin roof – it’s really quite loud. It took a while for me to coax them out again.

Ziva is demanding an unusual amount of attention! She’s always been the independent one, getting her attention equally from Rose and myself by doing the roly poly in the garden. Now, she comes and eeuw! Eeuw’s at me, sounding almost like Shadow! Then I have to get down on the floor and play the roly poly – or coax her on the bed.

They are starting to want to go outside to explore. They’ve seen activity in the garden, when my landlord strolled passed, and they’ve seen that there are dogs. Although, when the people are home, the dogs are around them and not so much in the garden. Monday will be interesting!

They also got quite curious when they started hearing voices in the house! They sat up like meerkats with their ears upright!

I remembered about Mewthos’ wurmpie only in the afternoon. He was stretched out on the bathroom mat when I brought it to him, I could swear his eyes lit up at the sight of it! His head came up and he reached for it eagerly! As soon as he had it, he cuddled it happily!

When I went into the bathroom to shower, they all followed me – but when I put on the water, they dashed madly into the bedroom! Ha Ha! When I got out of the shower, they all went inside to investigate!

I still haven’t had a bath! Ai, ai!

I went to bed quite early and fell asleep fairly quickly.