Tuesday 15 December 2009
Auditions for "2001: A Space Odyssey"
Ayesha on a speaker, on top of a display cabinet, about one inch from the ceiling.
Thursday 10 December 2009
Zhukov and the netbag
I was planting a sapling for the BBC's tree-planting campaign the other week, and Zhukov promptly latched on to the netbag which had been around the root ball, and played with it for hours. It's still his official favourite toy.
Zhukov and the glove
For some peculiar reason, Zhukov really likes being stroked with my suede-palmed weightlifting gloves. Here is the incriminating footage.
Jingle Bells
It's Zhukov Appreciation Day! Here he is getting into the seasonal spirit by playing with a jingle bell.
Wednesday 2 December 2009
Sleeping with the rats
Today I found about one-quarter of a rat on the doorstep; the head, feet, tail and part of the skin. It looked like some kind of Mafia warning.
I don't know if Ayesha and/or Zhukov are responsible, but they are the most likely suspects. If it's them, I'm not sure whether to be proud or appalled.
I don't know if Ayesha and/or Zhukov are responsible, but they are the most likely suspects. If it's them, I'm not sure whether to be proud or appalled.
Sunday 22 November 2009
Friday 13 November 2009
Happy birthday Ayesha and Zhukov!
In honour of Ayesha and Zhukov's official first birthday today (we made them a special birthday tea of poached haddock), here is some more footage from the time we adopted them-- I couldn't upload it initially as it was too large, but I've finally got around to editing/compressing it down. It's hard to believe how small they were!
Thursday 12 November 2009
(Thwarted) Cat Fight
Ayesha defends her territory against a marauding neighbour cat (this is how you get injuries, Ayesha!) until Alan intervenes.
Regarding the roaring noise on the soundtrack: the fact that we live pretty close to Heathrow isn't normally much of a problem, but on cloudy days (like this one) sometimes the planes fly low, which interests Zhukov (he thinks they're really big birds).
Ayesha the Warrior Princess
Ayesha's territorial incursions against the other neighbourhood cats came a bit of a cropper yesterday when she came back from a cat-fight with a large chunk of fur missing and a nasty bite-mark. One trip to the vet's later, she's on antibiotics and having her wound swabbed out with dilute salt water twice a day. Not that this has slowed her down in the slightest-- she's not only back out in the yard again, but we heard the sounds of no less than three cat fights between letting her out in the morning and now (9:55 GMT). You'd think she'd learn...
Tuesday 3 November 2009
Random surprising things
Two strange things we found out, totally by chance, this week:
1) Zhukov hates punk. Although he's normally indifferent to mildly interested when music is played, when we watched a film of a Sex Pistols concert on Sky Arts, Zhukov spent several minutes looking at us with a shocked and pained expression (as if saying "you guys don't really like this stuff, do you?"), flattening his ears, and eventually slinking up to the bedroom where he spent the evening being standoffish to us until he decided we'd been punished enough for our poor taste.
2) Ayesha likes pink. She's been inseparable from Cartoonhead, her pink toy mouse, since we bought it for her. Unfortunately he's now approaching his last legs, and so we've been trying to find an acceptable replacement. All toys of the same approximate size, texture and shape she ignores; however, when I brought home a little pink stuffed cat (now christened "Pinky"), she pounced on it and has been carrying it around ever since.
1) Zhukov hates punk. Although he's normally indifferent to mildly interested when music is played, when we watched a film of a Sex Pistols concert on Sky Arts, Zhukov spent several minutes looking at us with a shocked and pained expression (as if saying "you guys don't really like this stuff, do you?"), flattening his ears, and eventually slinking up to the bedroom where he spent the evening being standoffish to us until he decided we'd been punished enough for our poor taste.
2) Ayesha likes pink. She's been inseparable from Cartoonhead, her pink toy mouse, since we bought it for her. Unfortunately he's now approaching his last legs, and so we've been trying to find an acceptable replacement. All toys of the same approximate size, texture and shape she ignores; however, when I brought home a little pink stuffed cat (now christened "Pinky"), she pounced on it and has been carrying it around ever since.
Thursday 29 October 2009
Royal Cats
According to I Can Has Cheezburger, it is Treat Your Cat Like Royalty Day today. Well, obviously, that's every day really. But we gave them some salmon as a treat nonetheless.
Monday 26 October 2009
Ayesha zonked out, for a change
In which Ayesha demonstrates that she can sleep as creatively as her brother.
Friday 23 October 2009
Looking down on the hoi polloi
Remember I mentioned the cute thing Zhukov does on top of the wardrobe? Here are two short videos of him doing it.
Never work with children or torties
In which Alan attempts to set up a shot of Ayesha jumping off the wardrobe, and Ayesha cooperates, but not quite as expected
Monday 19 October 2009
Zhukov on guard on top of the wardrobe
Just to clarify: same wardrobe, slightly higher angle. Different pose, obviously.
Zhukov, chilling on top of the wardrobe
Zhukov likes to lie on the wardrobe, put his head over the edge and look down cutely. We were trying to get a picture of him doing that... and then he did this.
Monday 12 October 2009
Sunday 4 October 2009
Friday 25 September 2009
Watch out, Zhukov's about
In which Zhukov steals, plays with, carries and smacks the heck out of my watch, with occasional help from Ayesha. Filmed at Alan's parents' house.
Like a cat on a wire, II
Zhukov, on the other hand, was just fine with it after a few minutes of trying to figure out just what the heck the thing on his back was. It got so that, any time he saw the lead, he'd ask to go out.
Like a cat on a wire
We can't let the cats outside when we're visiting Alan's parents due to the proximity of a busy road, something about which they complain bitterly. On the last visit, we decided to try a compromise and let them out on a cat lead. As the video indicates, it was a bit of a mixed result.
About two minutes after the camera was switched off, Ayesha got free from the lead and sprang into the neighbours' hedge (only emerging after much bribery). She's been permabanned from the garden as a result.
Picking them up at the cattery
We went on holiday earlier this month, and left the cats in a local cattery. They were glad to see us when we got back.
Friday 4 September 2009
Slave! Peel me a grape!
We put up a new shed, and Zhukov used the foundations to audition for "I Claudius".
Above the Rooftops of London
Actually, only perching on the back fencepost, but still nicely dramatic
Thursday 20 August 2009
Public Service Announcement: adopt kittens!
We interrupt the usual stream of cute cat videos and photos to say that if you want to adopt a kitten, and you live in the Southeast of England, now might be a good time, as Battersea Cats Home are facing a kitten emergency. As mentioned in the sidebar, they have a shelter near us, and also we can't stress the benefits and pleasures of adopting rescue kittens enough, so please, do a cat a favour.
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Ayesha plays in a duvet cover
I was hanging up the laundry to dry, when discovered that I couldn't hoist it up because the duvet cover had a passenger...
Sunday 2 August 2009
Inverted Zhukov
He actually quite likes being held this way, he just doesn't like being photographed by rude paparazzi when doing so.
Ayesha hunts a cabbage white
Wasn't sure whether to post this one...
...because it's not as nice as the last one. Posted anyway because the look on Ayesha's face is pretty amazing.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Saturday 4 July 2009
Ayesha on the kitchen windowsill
This is actually a couple of months old, but I found it when I was digging through the video folder and thought it was worth posting anyway.
Getting through a cat door with a subwoofer on
Shortly before this video was taken, she got into a staring match with the neighbour's ginger mog, and came through the cat door so fast she broke it off its hinges.
Return of the subwoofer
A couple of days back Ayesha got some superglue on one of her paws (long story). We rang the vet, who told us that superglue isn't toxic once it's dried and just to let her wear it off her paw naturally. Unfortunately she's been chewing her paw sore in her efforts to get it off, so she's back in the subwoofer for the moment. Any advice on removing superglue from fur is welcome-- we've tried warm soapy water and olive oil, both suggested by the vet.
Thursday 2 July 2009
Zhukov attempts to defy the laws of physics
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Saturday 13 June 2009
Saturday 30 May 2009
Ayesha messes with Zhukov's mind
They've now mastered the art of using the cat door-- problem is, when Ayesha goes through first, she thinks it's great fun to block the door from the other side so Zhukov can't follow her. We've been trying to talk to her about this.
What makes Ayesha tick
When Ayesha's after a bird, she makes a funny ticking noise. Here she is making that same ticking noise when chasing a catnip toy which we bought for them while on another visit to Alan's parents.
Thursday 28 May 2009
Zhukov up a tree
He's still not as keen a climber as Ayesha, but he's become quite nimble at going up and down trees.
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