:+:curl in a box:+:: October 2006

Hi all, sorry for the long overdue update. Since term started again we've both been pretty busy and I haven't really had much energy to write.

We now have a 2nd kitty with us - Emmanuel Curls wished to rehome one of their girls. Samantha was born in the States on 27th July 2005 and brought to Singapore by Emmanuel Curls. She came over to stay with us on 16th Sept 2006, and we had one week to see how she would adapt to staying with us, and how Blinker would adapt to her.

Samantha is an extremely sweet girl, who loves to come to you for attention. She'd nudge your hand for a pat and a rub. She is also the first kitty I've encountered who actually loves having her tummy rubbed. She will roll over onto her back, and when you pat and rub her tummy she purrs and her paws will curl inwards with delight.

She's a quiet, obedient, loving and affectionate girl with a special, quiet meow. She loves attention and loves getting pats from everyone. At first, Blinker would hiss and swat her. But Samantha took it patiently and only hissed when Blinker went too far. As our first week together passed it seemed as if they get along well, and Samantha seems a good influence on Blinker. It is almost as if Blinker has a "jiejie" to learn from. In return, Samantha would watch Blinker play with her toys and join in at times, almost as if she is keeping some of her kitten behaviour.

The two of them are opposites by nature but they form quite a complimentary pair. Blinker is active, hyper, daring and extremely curious. Samantha on the other hand is patient, gentle, curious (while knowing her limits) and very sweet.

At the end of the one week "trial", we knew for sure that we would like Samantha to live with us permanently. While she doesn't play with Blinker the way another kitten would, they both seem to have grown fond of each other. After eating they would lick and groom each other, and at times I have seen them rubbing heads and noses. And so, Blinker and Samantha are now both permanent residents. :)

Last Sunday (Sam's 1st week with us and Blinker's 3rd week with us) we bathed the two kitties and it went more smoothly than we expected. Samantha tried to escape the shower stall a few times but was quite calm about the whole thing. She was quite scared of the hair dryer at first but after a while I think she realised that it was harmless and the warm air was actually quite comfy. Blinker didn't struggle as much as during her first ever bath (just before coming home with us). She wasn't quite as afraid of the dryer but didn't like staying still for so long. But we didn't want them to catch a cold, so we held them and made them wait until they were fully dry. We also cleaned their ears - Samantha hates it and jerks her head whenever she feels the cottonbud in her ear, and clipped their nails - Blinker dislikes this and meows as pitifully as she can, but we cut her nails anyway.

They are both doing fine - Blinker is growing steadily, and Samantha has a great appetite. They both have their own special favourite places for sleeping. Samantha likes to sleep on the 2nd level of the scratch post and on the sofa. Blinker likes to sleep on the top level of the scratch post and on the TV console. Perhaps it's because the glass is cool on warm days.

I will update again soon. For now, here are some photos from Samantha's first day at her new home (16th Sept 2006). Enjoy!