Steph and I spent a good bit of time cuddling with Archer and Lana when I got back from Atlanta. They were so nice and I really enjoyed the time to relax with my favorite beings.
Archer has been doing really well with the leash training and is wanting to go outside now. It is really fun to take him around. He won’t come in the direction I want him to yet, but he will stop going in a bad direction when I pull the leash and will choose a different route. I’m having so much fun with walking him. He isn’t doing too well on the toilet training as he hasn’t figure out how to perch on the edge and poop in the middle, instead he just goes next to the toilet. This is annoying, but if I can be a little more vigilant about it I think I can get him to poop in the toilet more. I know he’ll use it at this stage, as I’ve seen him doing it, just not consistently enough.
Lana is doing great on the toilet training and has figured out the perch on the edge and poop in the middle part. She isn’t doing well with the leash training though. This is more due to her not wanting to explore or be outside and not the leash being annoying. I don’t think I can get her over the fear of being outside, and even if we can work through it, she will be harder to control in public spaces if things weren’t going great. Archer is to the point that I can take him to the park and walk him around for a bit, I just need to get my backpack in a state that it can handle him, and he can handle it.
Archer and Lana have been amazing lately. I really have been enjoying them being around and getting to cuddle with them. When I sit down they will almost always come cuddle with me. Archer will show up first and be there for about 30 minutes before Lana comes to join. They like sitting on my chest, and I can just get my hands to the keyboard while they are sitting on me.
I have found out that I can make them climb a small carpeted area on the wall that is next to the front door by pointing the laser pointer there. Since Lana chases the laser pointer more readily it is easier to get her to do it. Here is a video of her climbing the wall after the laser pointer: Video1 (Good), Video 2(OK)
Here are some cute photos of the kitties:
Archer and Lana have been getting cuddlier lately, and I really like it. I found out how to make them cuddly, or more like when to expect them to be. If I give them wet food, then for the next few hours they will be full and ready to cuddle. I also haven’t needed to pick them up and put them in my lap too much, as they will come seek me out for the cuddles. I kind of want to make a game like Hungry Hungry Hippos, that is Cuddly Cuddly Kitties. You would have to catch and cuddle with all the kitties as they went running around. It would be very silly, and not that complicated to play, but I like the theme.
The kitties moved up on the toilet training yesterday and it is going great. The hole in the middle of the toilet is much bigger, and they have been tending towards going straight through the hole and skipping the littler all together. Here are some cute kitty pics with a toilet in the middle:
The kitties are happy to have me back and are making it tough for me to get any work done. They are sitting all over me and the computer. I can only fit one in my lap while working, and even then they tend to slip out and catch themselves with their claws. I can’t help but love them because they are sooooo cute. They were super excited to get some wet food today. I had to loosen the harnesses so that they would fit right, so I know they have grown a decent amount since I last saw them.
Yesterday morning I took the kitties over to one of the offices Steph’s company operates out of and introduced the kitties to the robots that Steph is working on. The owner of the company wanted to get videos of the cats riding the robots. He didn’t quite understand how one interacts with cats, or how hard cats are to control. There is the phrase ‘herding cats’ after all, which is not about how easy cats are to control. Archer and Lana were doing really well with the robots, and we got them to play on/with the robots as Steph drove them around. Archer went after the pink furry tail plaything when we taped that to the robot, and when we taped on the laser pointer Lana went after the dot. They got more comfortable with the robots, but wouldn’t put up with the robots driving while they were on top. We tried putting them on top of the robots and then driving it off really quickly for a bit of video, but even that didn’t work. We stopped that when Archer had his foot run over. He was fine, but didn’t want to go close to the robot after that. One thing that I found very strange is that they weren’t interested in the treats while they were at the office. Even when I tried to make them eat a few, they wouldn’t have any of it. It was a big adventure for the kitties, and me. We cuddled a lot afterwards as I worked on the games.
I gave the kitties their first bath today and I’d say they took it rather well. I did Lana first as I was pretty sure she would be the easier one. She hissed as I lowered her into the water the first time and jumped out immediately afterwards. I gave her tons of treats and eventually was able to keep her in the water and shampoo her down. I dried her off a good bit and then put her on the heated blanket while I washed Archer. He wasn’t too bad and was much easier to distract with the food. Once I got them both washed and mostly dried, I alternated rubbing them down with the microfiber cloths. They got mostly dry and really enjoyed being on the heated blanket. They are both so incredibly soft right now, and Lana’s belly is one of the softest things I’ve ever felt. I’m really glad she likes to come sit in my lap and get belly rubs!
The last day in Seattle Wit, Brian, Candice, and I went to breakfast at a waffle place. The waffles were soooo tasty, and I got the bacon maple syrup one. We then went to Pike’s Place Market and looked at all the various and odd things. There were a few fish stalls, flower stalls, and bakeries, but most of the rest of the places were knick-knack places. There was a really tasty chocolate pasta, but I would never want to cook with it since it would make a gigantic dessert.
We went to Yard house after the market and said goodbye to Wit along the way. At yardhouse we just relaxed and played a few games on Brian’s iPad. After a drink and some appetizers I hopped on the train for the airport and showed up a good number of hours early. Since I was flying through LAX I happened to be on the same flight as Ash so I talked to her and gave her Stephanie’s feedback on the video. The flights were non-eventful, and I was barely able to catch the connecting flight. It was on a twin turbo prop, which is something I wasn’t expecting. The plane still got me to SJC quickly. Steph was nice enough to pick me up from the airport, and we went back to my place. The kitties were happy to see me and I did a thorough cleaning of the bathroom before going to bed.
It's an Exciting World 