The kittens learned how to use the cat door very quickly. Nala got the hang of it right away, but Marie had a little trouble. Before we knew it, they were spending most of their time on the main floor of the house. They gravitated to the dining room chairs, just like Sophie did when she was a kitten. It took them a few weeks to get comfortable in the living room. They found Sophie's blanket on the couch and decided to use that spot for naps. Occasionally, all of the kitties cuddle there together.
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| Cuddling on the Dining Room Chair |
Sophie, Nala, and Marie all have "special," the wet food they only get in the morning, in the kitchen. The kittens are skittish when there is noise in the house, but they eat their food with Soph when all is quiet. Whoever is finished first usually tries to sneak some of somebody else's food. Hungry girls!
Playtime mostly takes place in the living room or dining room. Marie always carries her favorite mouse around in her mouth. Nala is more fond of a little hedgehog stuffed-animal that she likes to "clean." Wrestling is also a popular game for the kitties. Even Sophie joins in on the fun! The kittens also enjoy sitting at the windows, looking for outdoor friends.
After the kittens' big heater adventure, they became a bit more comfortable with coming out of their crate and exploring the basement. We brought them out to eat and play, and they became more familiar with us. Our older cat, Sophie, was usually kept upstairs while the kittens were out playing, but we began to let her go down and watch them. Nala loved Sophie and always purred and tried to rub against her. Sophie wasn't a big fan of that. Marie seemed to be more shy and stayed away from Sophie and everyone else. Nala was definitely the friendly one. Nala and Marie found a spot on a shelf where we keep autumn decorations and made it their new "safe place." They used the crate less and less until they didn't need it anymore. Their spot in the shelf became known as "the hole." The new goal was to get them to come out of there and explore the rest of the house. 
The kittens spent a good amount of time in the crate. Two weeks since their arrival, we had to have our heater cleaned. Unfortunately, the heater was in the same room as the kittens. My mom was worried that they would be afraid of the noise, so she tried to move them into the small crate so that she could move it into a different room. The kittens wouldn't go into the crate and escaped into the basement. The heater guy was coming soon and my mom had to find a way to contain the kittens so they wouldn't run outside when the guy was working. Luckily, the babies ran behind the bar in the basement, which was a safe spot for them. Nala jumped over the bar and my mom had to chase her around to try to get her back with her sister. She needed to be picked up in order to be put back there. It was the first time she was picked up, so she was pretty scared, but she got back behind the bar. My mom kept watch over the kittens when the heater was being cleaned. When the guy was finished, the kittens were left alone in the basement. They eventually went back into the crate. What an adventure!
