Rain...

I am sitting in my favorite spot at home - high up on a soft pillow at the back of the couch. I can see outside through our big windows and the rain is just pouring. From time to time, there is thunder and lightning. I don't mind the lightning so much, but the thunder is really scary. Because I am still small, loud and unexpected noises find me jumping, or falling, in case I am on a ledge. My older sis, Sadie, says that one gets used to it. Apparently, she was never afraid of it (of course, she likes to rub that in), but she also grew up in a first floor apartment in Cambridge that had a bunch of trees in front of the windows and thus, thunderstorms were hardly noticeable. I am growing up on the fifth floor of a building with 15 foot windows and a wide open view of the city and the skies, and when lightning strikes, it is really visible and loud.

B and Kip are home with Sadie and I tonight. Usually, they go out on Friday evening, but because they left us last weekend (for a wedding... who does that?), they want to spend time with us. Kip always sits on the right side of the couch, B and her knitting projects are tucked into the left side and I move back and forth between them and usually settle on the back of the couch. Sadie watches the three of us by sitting on the floor behind us. Sometimes, she comes up on the couch as well, but I try to push her off. (She takes too much attention away from me. It makes B upset, but as a boy kitten I often do what I want. Cough, cough...) Well, it looks like the rain delay at Fenway may be over and we are about to watch the game. I am becoming a true Red Sox fan, because B loves them so much and Kip said that it is truly a manly sport and I must become a big boy kitten at some point, right? I wonder if I could hold a baseball with two paws?

Baby, you can drive my car

I prefer the weekend over the weekdays, because it generally means that B and Kip will be home to cuddle with me. I like to spread my love out between them and like to sit five minutes on Kip's lap and then five minutes on B's lap. When it is really hot, I prefer B's lap as Kip's tends to be a bit hot. I guess male humans are designed that way. The other good thing about B is also the fact that she always has a glass with ice tea next to her. I like to lick the condensation of it and cool myself down. I am not sure if you knew, but we kittens don't have sweat glands and we use our tongue and ears to cool us down.

Well, I was hoping this weekend would turn into a chilling one again, but Kip seems a bit riled up. B says that he is looking into getting a new car - not a new new car, but a used new car. So there are constant phone calls and emails and Internet searches. Too much movement for me. I prefer it if the human is as still as an inanimate (BIG word for me) object like a pillow. I have been trying to get Kip to pay more attention to me by walking over his keyboard and biting on the power cord, but he just gets upset with me. Hmmmm... it's hard to understand the humans sometimes. All this kitten is looking for is some simple L O V E.

Well, B's cake is ready and I need to check it out. Nothing can go unnoticed as long as I am around. I will write some more later this week.

64 by 16

I am growing, grooooowing, groooooowwwwing... B came home tonight and measured me. My front legs are 16 cm long and from tail tip to nose, I am 64 cm long. I am not quite sure if that makes me actually a big kitten, but from B's excitement I would gather that it is a good step in the right direction.

When B first saw me at the shelter (and yes, she is the one who picked me out, even though, I am now officially Kip's kitten) I was about a large handful. She likes to tell the story of how I tried to get her attention by meowing loudly and trying to touch her with my legs (still short, at that time). She opened the cage and picked me up with one hand, bringing me over to the "kitten acquaintance" area. There I tried to chew on her fingers and then after some futile attempts fell asleep on her lap. And, that is all I had to do to get her to fall for me. I am such a kitten stud!

It took some convincing (and some serious charming by me) to have Kip feel the same, but now he is totally hooked (see pic!). Even Sadie, who was the biggest pain in my little kitten existence in the beginning is liking my presence. (She hissed at me for two days and would not come down from her loft area unless it was for food.)

But back to my growth. My kitten doctor lady said that I will be a good jumper when I am all grown up. I will also be long and lean... yeah, right, like a long and lean machine with ultimate kitten power (We watched Transformers last weekend!). I cannot wait to show the world what I am made off.

Hot Sundays

B offered to shower me today, as I am feeling mighty hot. But I really don't like water and am actually pretty afraid of it. B thinks its a psychological thing (whatever that is) in that I would not feel manly enough when drippin' wet. Honestly, I don't like it because it would take me forever to lick it all dry and as a male feline in a human world, I have no time for such adventures. I'd rather spend this time sleeping on Kip's lap and dreaming of big mice.

A couple weeks ago, I started to get a rash on my lips and when brought to my doctor (I hate the doctors, but I hate the ride to the doctors even more.) she said that I may have a ringworm. Kip says its a "hypothesis". Not sure what that means, but now I have to get my lips wiped with some gross smelling and soaky wipes. I hate it. I despise it. (Yes, I know what that word means, even though I am just a 16 week old feline.) B usually does it and I try to run away when the time comes. I hide after under the dining room table or under the couch. She always gets me (Her arms are mighty long for a female human.). I cannot wait for my legs to be long enough so I can jump like my big sister onto the loft and hide. B tries to appease (another big kitten word) me by pointing out that the rash goes away, but since I don't really recognize myself in the mirror (I am trying to become more self-aware like Sadie.), I am not sure of that is actually true.

Well, I am off now to another nap. Keep readin' my awesome blog because as they say "Life in the Fast Lane is never boring."

Hi

Hello human world, here I am. My name is Nickel and I am the latest edition to the Schellenberg - Paroo household in Pawtown, RI. I have been wanting to set up a blog for while, ever since my 4 year old sister Sadie told me she used to keep one, but my paws had been too uncoordinated and typing was clumsy.

See, what you need to understand is that I am only about 16 weeks old right now. I still do not have a broad attention span and I get easily distracted. For example, right now, I am as much interested in blogging as I am in the cable that is connected to this computer. After I am done with this first posting, I will probably be so tired that I will fall on the keyboard.

My humans - B and Kip - are very good to me so far and after some initial challenging moments, my big sis - Sadie - and I are becoming best pals. (I like to tempt her into a big rolling fight on the ground by standing on my hind legs and pretending that I am really tall.) Anymeow, I am hoping to post about my life regularly, even though as a kitten I am really bad at keeping time. So, maybe I can promise this, I will try to post after every 3 short and 1 long nap. Hope you keep on reading, cause life in the fast lane is just going to be one wicked feline ride.