Basket case

With a very cat-like attitude, Thor the kitten does like to inhabit baskets of all shapes and sizes.

The basket on the stairs
My knitting basket

Serendipitously, I put a project bag on top of my knitting basket before we let Thor come downstairs, so getting on top of the fabric is no big deal and he is blissfully unaware of the glorious balls of yarn beneath him.

By the way, those pictures were taken a week apart, and I can see the growth just in his face.

Toy resurrection

I found some old hexbot cat toys in my cupboard. Izzy and Sophie didn’t care for them when we bought them years ago, but I thought I would give them a whorl with the kitten.

Thor playing with a hexbot toy

Success. He loves the toys! At the first session he followed the hexbot around the house for almost an hour. He even shared play time with Missy the dog.

I am amazed how fast he is growing. My eldest went to camp for a couple days and commented on the change when she came back home.

Mushrooms!

My mushroom kit has sprouted mushrooms!

Mushrooms sprouting from a mushroom kit

I can harvest the mushrooms when the caps are 4-6” in diameter. I have a problem, though. My pretty terrarium container isn’t big enough to allow that kind of growth. I had to move it to a bigger plastic bin.

Mushroom kit in a plastic bin with water in the base
Thor on the office chair

And to keep with the kitten take over theme, here is a picture of Thor the kitten, to show I have more than one fun guy.

Walking entertainment

The Texas summer is ramping up, and I don’t like walking when it is hot outside. Luckily, I have a large kitchen counter with room to walk circuits in the house. To keep the kitten occupied, I tied a ribbon to a small clip and clipped it on the back of my shirt.

Ribbon tied to a clip
Kitten following the ribbon
Izzy also finds the ribbon enticing

The drier air is also better for my spinning, since heat, moisture, and pressure are the factors that felt wool. Missy the dog also thinks spinning time is kick the ball time, and it is amusing to watch her figure out the timing to drop the ball in my path so I can kick it before walking past. So yes, I walk the house spinning with a drop spindle, kicking the ball for the dog, trailing a ribbon for the cats. I am walking entertainment, but I’m getting in those steps!

Why shoes?

I personally do not like my nose to get up close and personal with my shoes. Thor the kitten loves everyone’s shoes, which I’ve heard and read is normal kitten behavior. He isn’t small enough to crawl inside, but he’ll stick his head in, or take his toy over to the shoes to play. If I’ve been outside, he will come give my shoes a thorough sniff, gathering info. Cats and dogs have much better scent receptors than humans, and are able to get more information from those invisible particles than we can. Familiar scents can also be a comfort (which happens to humans as well).

Thor playing with crumpled paper on my shoes

So I realize my blog has had a kitten take over. This is my first cat this age in my care, I usually get cats that are six-months-old or older. I’m not apologizing, just letting my readers know that I am aware of the invasion and as a warning that it will continue.