Not So Evil

If you've been watching the camera all along, you may have noticed a change in some of the more shy kittens and Pippa the momma. It took well over a month before Pippa came out of hiding. I finally got to see how beautiful she is a few weeks ago. She's food motivated. She knows that I bring the food. She greets me at the door with a barrage of howls that sound very much like "Now!" I am then able to pet her. I haven't quite decided if she actually likes being petted (she rolls around and kneads her paws and purrs) or if she's simply putting up with it so that I will feed her. For quite awhile, once I put the plate of food down, she wouldn't let me touch her again. "Thanks but go away." Now, once she finishes eating, she actually awkwardly stands near me, not next to me, and howls until I get the idea that she wants to be petted again.

Norman and Peter are two momma's boys. Any time I would approach them, they'd run to their mother. I rarely got to touch them. To weigh them, I would have to sneak up on them while they were eating. Even then, they were on to me and would watch over their shoulder, only to dart away as I approached. I have several blank entries in the weigh log for Peter because I had a hard time catching him.

But being as stubborn as I am, I made a point of catching Norman. I would then hold on to him and pet him. He would betray himself and purr loudly when I rubbed his belly. He begrudgingly realized that he liked belly and tushy rubs and to get them, he had to interact with me. It started simply by not running away when I approached him. He then turned a corner and began approaching ME for belly rubs. Such a happy day. He actually will pace back and forth, impatiently waiting for me to finish petting another kitten or clean the litter box so that he can get his belly rubbed.

One day, Peter saw Norman rolling around on the floor, purring away as I petted his belly. He had never been that close to me before. He was actually asking to be petted, too! Turns out, he, too, loves belly rubs. After the trip to the clinic to get distemper shots and a photo session, Peter regressed for a few days and refused to let me touch him. He came around. I scooped up who I thought was Piper this morning and kissed her head and cheeks before looking across the room and spotting the real Piper. I was holding Peter! He let me pick him up!

All of Pippa's kittens love belly rubs. I love when I come into the room and they flop at my feet, exposing their bellies. It's quite the tripping hazard but it's an adorable tripping hazard.

All of the kittens have gotten over their fear of me. Piper climbs onto my lap. Even Norman has started climbing onto my lap. I think they'd do it more and more kittens would do it if they wouldn't get bitten by Phineas as soon as they get on my lap. Apparently it's his lap.

Anyway, the last holdouts (Norman, Peter, and Pippa) have decided that I'm not so evil afterall.