Fionny and the Cats

You know, it's funny. Here we are...FINALLY home after all of our Summer and Fall traveling. You'd think I would be calm and relaxed, right? Plenty of time on my hands without all the constant packing and unpacking....right?

Heck no. In fact, things seem crazier and busier than ever! How does that happen? Oh right. It's called having a 5.5-month-old baby. Gotcha.



Anyway, I apologize that I have been so delinquent in my posting lately. It seems that my ever-growing "to do" list, which took a necessary hiatus during the month of October due to all of our traveling and house guests, came back with a vengeance in November. It was a force with which to be reckoned, let me tell ya. As a result, I felt completely overwhelmed with tasks -- of both the mundane (laundry) and important (child-proofing) variety. Sadly, the blog fell by the wayside for a few weeks. But please know this: I thought of it (and you readers) often and fondly.

Okay, so where were we? Ah, yes. Fionn. Our delight and our joy.

Ah, Fionn. He who has rocked the world of our poor cats, Luca and Rory.

So basically, here's the backstory. We've had Luca and Rory for 2.5 years. As we were a childless couple at the time of their adoption, they were the apple of our eye. (Eyes?) Therefore, as one might expect, our little ladies became accustomed to a certain lifestyle. For example, they got regular petting sessions, their coats received fairly consistent attention with the cat brush, and they enjoyed relative peace and quiet during the day. It was a good life. A life any cat would view with satisfaction and contentment.

Yeah, well, it's gone. Over.

Yes, sadly for Luca and Rory, the relative peace and quiet of the past has been replaced by the coos (on good days) and screams (on not-so-good days) of our little guy. It's a much noisier scene now, no matter how you slice it.

And those regular pets and cuddles of the past? Okay, sure, I do an occasional "drive by" anytime I race past one of the cats (when I don't have my arms full of my fat baby, that is), and I smooch each of them every so often. But it's not the same.

The loving attention paid to their fur coats with the cat brush? Puh-lease. I have infant fingernails to clip and onesies to wash! Like I have time for that!

I joke, but of course, I feel bad that it's been so hard on the little ladies. I swear I often catch Rory staring at Fionn with disdain as he fusses, one of her paws crossed over the other, as if to say, "Really? This again?"

For a long time, Fionn had no interest in the cats. Luca could have darn well sat on his head, and he wouldn't have been the slightest bit phased. This all changed about 6 weeks ago. All of a sudden, Fionn took a very keen interest in the furry little bodies that were lounging on the couch nearby. You could see the wheels in his head a-turning. Here, Puddy, Puddy, Puddy Tat.


Now poor Luca gets to enjoy "play" time with Fionn in which he attempts to grab tufts of her fur as she sashays past. Lately, he has also taken to grabbing one of her furry paws in his little fist and trying to put it in his mouth. He's quick, I tell ya! I never even see him do it! And he's got quite the grip. Here's a pic of Fionn on the move. You'll notice that he has his eye on an unsuspecting Luca.



Luca, being the sweet-natured cat that she is, tries very hard to play along. She is so interested in Fionn, you can tell. She has even been known to lick his little head sometimes as he nurses. However, even sweet Luca draws the line at having her tail pulled. Of course, she's not completely innocent herself, as the below picture illustrates.



Rory, for her part, just hides. And sulks. Poor little gal lost significant weight during the first few months after Fionn's birth. She seems to be coming around now though. I'm sure it's mainly a matter of becoming accustomed to sharing her space with the little guy...And I'm sure the constant buffet of wet food (her favorite) being offered by yours truly doesn't hurt either.


Although it's not fun for the cats now, I see glimpses of the future, and that gives me hope. I really think that Fionn will be a wonderful playmate for the cats once he is old enough to understand the whole concept of being "gentle." In the meantime...Rory and Luca, consider yourselves warned! He is armed and ready...