Kitten Mischief
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If I’ve learned one thing about kitten mischief in the past two weeks, I should not assume a kitten can’t do something.
I was sitting at the kitchen table eating an egg salad sandwich when Daisy wandered into the room.
I’d noticed that the toe kick at the bottom of the cabinet kept falling off in the corner. Why now, I wondered? Did a kitten somehow cause it to come off the front of the cabinet?
I told myself it was a small hole the toe kick had covered, and a kitten could not get in.
Note to self: Never assume anything where a kitten is involved.
Daisy Disappears Into A Hole:
Before I knew it, Daisy had disappeared into the hole. For one second, she was there, and then she was not.
I was stunned she’d gone into it, but I told myself I could probably reach her through the cabinet door. But I was wrong. I was horrified to discover she was in a dead space beneath the kitchen cabinets.
Later, I remember thinking, “So now I understand why people have called the fire department when a kitten is stuck up in a tree.”
By their very nature, kittens are a force to be reckoned with. There’s just no end to the things they can get into. And that you have to figure out how to get them out of it.
Like a ninny, I kept shouting for Daisy to come out. I don’t know why I did that. Cats are not like dogs. They don’t come to you when you call them. If anything, they run in the other direction because they figure they’re in trouble. And they usually are, I’ve quickly learned.
I didn’t know whether to get a hammer and start trying to bust through the wood or what to do next.
I’d just texted Kendra to ask if she had any suggestions when Simon entered the kitchen. He’d come to see what the ruckus was all about, probably because I sounded slightly unhinged calling Daisy’s name.
Simon walked up to the hole, and suddenly Daisy’s face appeared. Then she disappeared again.
When she finally came out, I jumped up and started pushing towels into the hole to keep her from disappearing again. My heart finally slowed its rapid thumping once she was where I could see her again and the hole was covered.
Kendra’s Kitten Millie:
Kendra said she had the same problem with her kitten. But she managed to move quicker, grab Millie by the tail, and pull her out before she could disappear inside the dead space under her kitchen cabinet. Then, she had to devise a way to fix the situation so it wouldn’t happen again.
Suddenly, Simon was interested in why towels and books were stuffed into the corner of the lower cabinets. And then here comes Ivy. Kendra had told me to stack books in front of the hole until she could get over to fix it in the next few days.
I knew a stack of books wouldn’t stop Ivy from digging into the hole, so I went for the thick, heavy decorating books. After closing the hole with towels, I stacked those books in front of the cabinet as snugly as I could fit them.
So far, so good. Kendra will be here later today to take Daisy for her last vaccination.
Daisy, who I thought would be a little princess with the sweet elfin face, is thus far the biggest mischief-maker. Now she’s discovered the beads at the bottom of two of my table lamps. And now that she’s found them, she won’t leave them alone.
The kittens have grown bolder in the two weeks I’ve had them here with me and Ivy. How had I forgotten all the mischief Ivy had managed to get into for the first year or so?
It never occurred to me that two kittens could make so much noise. Sometimes, I wonder if they hear voices inside their little kitten heads, telling them to run faster, chase harder, and get into more trouble.
Just watching them scramble about is like watching something possessed.
A New Place To Play:
They’ve found a new place to play. I had shoes lined up in my bedroom closet on the floor—emphasis on “I had.” Now they’re in a mad scramble, with no two shoes matching or anywhere near the other.
The kittens get in there at night and scramble about in the shoes. It sounds like sneakers tumbling in a dryer.
I’ll throw Ivy her swirly toy to chase. But of course, the kittens are faster. And when they hear it scuttle across the floor, they come running. I put them in the guest room so Ivy could play without their interference.
Why do they want to eat Ivy’s dry food in the laundry room when they have their kibble in the guest room? It’s essentially the same, except theirs is sized for kittens.
Why do they want to use Ivy’s litter box when they have their brand-new litter box, that’s exactly the same, in the guest room with their other things?
So, I try to anticipate their movements and grab them to ensure Ivy gets first to things they will all want.
Kittens Are Little Acrobats:
Holding onto two kittens is like trying to hold onto a slippery fish. Sometimes, it seems like they have more than four legs. Suddenly, it seems like surely they have double that. One foot will go in one direction and one in another.
The kittens must have been acrobats in a former life. They can bend and stretch as though they don’t have bones inside their skin.
But I must say, there’s hardly anything more entertaining than watching two kittens. They chirp, tumble, and pull things down until they’ve completely worn themselves out. Then, they sleep where they fall until they gain the energy to begin again.
They have stopped jumping up on the table while I’m eating, which happened the first day or so.
I saw a bug on the kitchen floor—the first bug I’ve seen in this house. It probably came from behind the cabinet toe kick. I picked it up with a tissue and flushed it down the toilet, figuring that would be a kinder fate than letting one of the kittens catch and bat it around.
Simon managed to get hold of the bookmark I used to hold my place in the book I was reading. Who knows when I’ll come across that again and if it is still in one piece?
I’ve woken up more than once when one of the kitten’s teeth grabbed my toes as I was moving under the covers. My word, but their little teeth are so sharp!
Steve came to see the kittens yesterday, and then we went to lunch. It was the first time I’d left the kittens. We chased them around until we caught Daisy and Simon and put them into the guest room while we were gone. And they did just fine.
Telling The Adult Ivy About The Kitten Ivy:
I want to tell Ivy, who watches them with such curiosity, that she did the same thing once. There was just one of her, however. And with two, you’ve got double the trouble.
Ivy was a little pistol, I must admit. She caught crickets and stuffed them into house shoes. She carried red and white checked curtain ties from room to room at night. Why, I don’t know, and she still does it.
When Ivy was a kitten, she would grab the end of the toilet paper and tear it down. I distinctly recall coming home one day and finding an entire new roll of toilet paper gathered in a pile on the bathroom floor.
The air around them seems to pull paintings off the mantel from the sheer force of their running. Those kittens run so fast that their speed creates an energy vortex, somewhat like a tornado swirling.
Ivy is more accepting of the kittens now. If they get in her face, she will hiss at them. They seem to know when to leave her alone.
I give her special attention, just as I always have. Ivy grew out of the kitten stage, and so will they, I keep telling myself.
Oh my goodness that was the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time!!! Thank you !
Enjoy them while they’re young, like kids they grow up so fast!!!
LOL Kittens are hysterical!
Your descriptions of the kittens antics is perfect. I can easily picture it all happening. My husband’s workshop is in the basement along with boxes and shelves. When Nikki was your kitten’s age she would fly around that large room jumping from box to shelf and bouncing off walls. I called her my parkour girl from that sport that young people do. She is 15 now, more Ivy’s age. Time goes by so fast.
Oh my gosh, I think these are my favorite posts! I love hearing about all the animal antics! 😂
I just chuckled through the whole post!! Thanks so much for all the laughs! Bless all your sweet kitties! 💕
I’m glad you enjoyed the commentary on their mischief!
Simon and Daisy are absolutely adorable, and of course Ivy has always been a beauty! I hope you’ll be able to keep Daisy away from that lamp though, as her swallowing one of those fringe balls could be a choking or gastrointestinal disaster. For many years I had 2 kittens (Clarence and Tabitha) that were litter mates and always such fun. Sounds like Ivy is, if not thrilled, at least adjusting .
Ivy’s adjusting more to them every day. I will keep an eye on those beads. Maybe I’ll see if I have other lamps to switch them out for now.
Cats don’t come when you call, they take a message and get back with you! They can find their way into the darndest places. I couldn’t find my Bella one night and after an hour when panic was setting in I happened to look up and she was on the top of one of the kitchen cabinets laughing at me. Silly girl.
So glad you are settled in with Mamie and Ivy is getting used to the kittens.
I just felt that with a bigger home, three cats would work. And I like the idea of giving homeless cats a loving home.
I’ve had more than one kitten at a time too.. and boy they can get into trouble! My female, who is very much with Ivy, LOVED to jump HIGH up onto things when she was a kitten… in face she still does at age 9! If there was a high shelf or a high hutch or anything like that, she would jump up and sit there and make it her own. She wouldn’t let her brothe jump up with her.. she hogged it! Most cats LOVE high places, and it sounds like the kittens do too. I made a special spot for mine on top of my blanket armor, piled up some quilts, and that was HER spot for many years. Now that I’ve moved, it’s no longer there, so I’ve made the top of my washing machine HER spot now. It’s right by a window so she loves being there and looking outside (even though she is an outdoor cat too!). Good luck! Oh also, they do love finding little hidey holes! Marilyn
I now have various areas of the house with stacks of quilts. And there’s always one of the three cats sleeping on them all the time!
Oh my gosh…what a great story…our cat is 2 now and her and the dogs still can get into mischief…she swatted at one of them …got her claw stuck in their ear hair and it was on…a 3 ring circus of animals running..the dog squealing…the cat hissing…me running after them…oh the joy lol…love them all💗
Oh, I got quite a laugh from this!
This made me laugh out loud too! I can just picture you 3!! LOL! 😂
I get the best chuckles from hearing about your kittens on “speed”. Brings back so many memories of kittens I’ve had throughout my life — they are so much fun to watch. Now we’re without any kitties in our life — our choice at this point after losing two in the last couple of years and my husband is not really a “cat” person — and I miss the purring and the “knit picking” but reading your posts reminds me of all those sweet times.
Daisy and Simon have loud purrs. Ivy has a very soft purr.
Your kittens are absolutely gorgeous! I love cats and have two of my own. I remember their kitten stage and I miss it so much. We may have to get a third at some point as my older one gets older. I’m so glad you were able to get your kitten out fairly easily from under the cupboard. It’s so scary when they do that. I had one hide in a couch for more then half a day. Literally inside. Thought I was going to have to tear it apart!
Oh, how funny! I’ve read that cats can survive up in trees for quite some time. I guess the same could be said of your couch.
I had the same experience when I was watching my great grandson. The toe kick was missing from the corner cabinet. I just saw the cat go into the hole. I, like you, was calling the cat’s name to try and get her to come out, but of course she didn’t. I called my granddaughter, in a panic. She assured me the cat was ok and would come back out eventually.
I sat there too stunned to know what to do next.
Have the toe kick screwed in. If you need to access the space underneath the cabinets, screws come out easily enough (compared to nails, which would have to be pulled out). The kitties won’t be able to knock the wood trim out of the way and crawl into the space underneath the cabinets.
Great idea, Jan!
I hope all your nice furniture and everything you spent a great deal on, is not ruined…Kittens can destroy furniture, curtains, lamps, knock over and damage a lot…My sister and my mom they were left with two recliners shredded with their claws, antique tables, used as scratching post. and to top it off, had 4 expensive cat post!!!…They loved their 2 kittens…now my sister is on a fixed income, she says she not chancing the money to put out and losing the little bit she has!
Simon hasn’t bothered clawing at anything but the scratching posts. I’ve caught Daisy doing it, and I ordered that spray to spray on the furniture. It just came yesterday. Ivy ruined one chair when she was a kitten.
Oh my they have certainly taken over the house and your ♥️. Love the pictures of their escapades.
Reading the comments here gave me even more laughs. Oh, the things they can get into.
Free entertainment! They sure are having fun.
I let them roam in every room except the south plant room. The plants are off-limits.
Oh Brenda, what a delicious read! Those kittens are adorable and you’ve written about them so entertainingly! Thank you for the joy you brought to me today. Good to hear that Ivy is adjusting. May you and Ivy have lots of patience as you live with these little busybodies. I do remember my experience with a kitten so long ago. They do settle down eventually as you know but enjoy the ride for now!
Despite all the mishaps, they are definitely entertaining! Who needs TV?