Another memorable moment today….

Day 17

I offered Mitsy a treat on my self-made extendible spoon and she accepted it! Did it twice – really nice to see she did not hiss. I had first dipped the spoon into cat nip, admittedly, but nevertheless: it is another first step. I did it to make up for some unrest, as I was trying to see if I can reach the blanket-covered side of the Basecamp to insert something into the space behind the door of the Nest. This space worries me. The kittens are exploring more and my nightmare would be to see one get stuck there. One or two have stuck their heads in but have not persevered. I am not sure if I can do something about it so I pray to God that no kitten will try to get in there… It alerted Mitsy, who lay down right in front of the carrier where al of her kittens were at that time. Like a watchdog! She is a good mom….

One of the self-made tools I have been using: a discarded antenna I once found on the sidewalk and a plastic spoon attached to it with duct tape. It has been the perfect instrument to get a treat to Mitsy and also to try out her reaction to being touched gently.

We woke up to a very quiet Basecamp, everyone seemed A-Okay. We checked the night footage to see what Mitsy was up to with the Ensuite. She did not spend much time in it, other than to eat from the new food bowls that are in there, so it was a good idea to move them out of Basement. Man, that cat can eat!! But around 6 in the morning she actually did explore a bit more and even lounged in it for a bit. I am not sure that Wim coming in for breakfast interrupted her or not, because she did not stay there long, maybe 10 minutes and not long after Wim arrived.

You can tell that she is a bit fearful and I think this is because the Ensuite has 3 open sides. I have now covered the back with a towel, using the clamps. Let’s see what happens tonight.

Today we took our bikes for a spin. It was hard to detach ourselves from the Nursery but everything went fine. Detachment… and trust…..

The space behind the Nest door

And in the evening we agonised about the space behind the Nest door again. Have been doing this for a couple of days. On the cat cam it looks as if kittens can get stuck there. But tonight I seriously assessed and found that this is just because of the way the camera looks down on the scene. I was all ready to try and squeeze a towel in there or that piece of carton tube that is on the inside of kitchen towel rolls. But in reality the space really is too small to allow kittens go to through and get stuck. Phew. How much stress do I give myself with the fear of a kitten getting hurt!

I did block off one of the closed vents of the AC right over the second crate, as I found it caused quite a draft. I read somewhere that these leaky outlets can be the cause of houses never cooling down or warming up. I believe that now. It is just a crappy system, I would much prefer to have a simple radiator heating system. All that circulating air… it brings dust everywhere!

Wim’s turn to touch the kittens!

Tonight Wim had the opportunity to touch one of the two eldest kittens. Pumba (the new name for the eldest black kitten Wim has come up with) and Kabiri came to the side opening of Basement after mom had settled in the Nest, after dinner. We have to be careful with those two: Kabiri all but walked right out! Hopefully they will soon venture out into the Ensuite, where we will have a more secure place to touch them and play with them. Wim said he had the impression they came out of the carrier because they perceived us. I don’t think so. I had just refreshed Mitsy’s food with a pouch of kitten food and I believe those two precocious and eldest kitten are attracted by the smell. Also, my hands still must have smelled of the catnip…

Adding kibble from the bag

Another milestone: I refilled the dish of kibble straight from the bag right under Mitsy’s nose. Well, sort of. I was in the side door of the Ensuite and she was lying right at the threshold of Basecamp. I saw her being very alert, but not hissing. She observed it all and it did not take her long to come to eat. When I then filled the second bowl in Basecamp, she kept eating. That is when I took a really good look at that Nest door and decided it needed no adjustment. I could have reached in there, I think, without trouble. But I am relieved that it is not necessary. One day at a time, we build trust!