It's ridiculous. The kittens are so cute they're melting my heart. I'm practically talking baby talk to them, and I've only had them since Thursday night. I mean, just look at them. The kittens are Siberians (which are supposed to be hypoallgernic) from litters born 1 week apart (they're 12 weeks old). The marmalade one is Kirby (who's the shyer of the two), and the colorpoint one is Cody (white with reddish ear tips/tail stripes). More in extended...
I may have to stop being cynical and jaded, because with the kittens around to laugh at and play with, I may be getting a bit soft around the edges. It is so fun to watch them play with the "kitty fishing pole" as I've named it. It's a flexible plastic tube with a mouse-like thing at the end of a string. They like to pounce on it, chew on it, and be led around in circles. And they like to play soccer with little balls that roll across the hardwood floors.
Cody is pretty adventurous, and is starting to follow me around the house. Kirby definitely has been taking longer to warm up to me, but I'm encouraged that he's getting braver. I put them in the office the first night as recommended by the breeder. I "misplaced them the first night. I thought I'd kitten-proofed the room by not allowing them places to hide and lots of soft/comfy places to sleep (blankets I'd used, etc.). But after an hour or two I couldn't find them. I finally found them behind some paintings that I had leaned up against a bathroom cabinet from the old house. Once I moved the paintings, I found they'd crawled in a little cubby in the cabinet. They wouldn't let me get close to them, much less hold them on Thursday night. I let them start wandering around the house that night, but then couldn't find Kirby. Cody is the more vocal of the two, and he cried all night as if he was looking for his mom. It was heartbreaking - he cried so long I think he made himself hoarse. Cody cried a bit too, but not as often and not as loudly (merely a chirpy meow once in a while as opposed to Cody's constant mrrrowwwling)
I stayed at home in the morning on Friday doing con calls, and still couldn't find Kirby, but figured there was really nowhere he could hurt himself, so I went to work. I came home at beer bash time, and still couldnt' find Kirby. I finally noticed that one of the bottom drawers of my dresser was ajar (not open, but slightly out of place). I opened the door, and Kirby was sleeping in there. Whew... I didn't lose the kitten in the first 24 hours, he merely managed to misplace himself. I went off to play poker Friday night, getting home around 1:00. They were in my room sleeping. I left the bedroom door open so they could wander - and that turned out to be a good idea as they got a bit rambunctious, but were able to run off some energy in the rest of the house so I could sleep. Cody cried a bit, but not as bad as Thursday night.
Yesterday I took them to the vet. They were not overly happy with me, and still wouldn't let me pick them up anymore. (I was able to get Kirby into the carrier as he was in the drawer and couldn't get away from me, and picked up Cody when he went to investigate Kirby being in the cage.) They did pretty well with the vet, who said they were healthy. He gave me some info to read about behavioral issues with cats and how to deal with them, vaccination schedules, etc. They warmed up to me a bit more through out the day, and let me play with them a bit, though if I moved too suddenly or was too loud, they'd run for cover.
Today I was shocked that not only did they come out and explore the house on their own, they also started climbing up onto the bed to nap. Kirby and Cody also let Shane and Alyssa play with them, though wouldn't let themselves be picked up or held. I'm hoping they'll continue to warm up and maybe even get snuggly soon. I'm guessing that if it starts getting cooler soon, they may start snuggling up with me if only for warmth. It's amazing how much I love them already, and since this is as likely as I'm going to get to parenthood, I hope my little family thrives.