Noodles

Since beginning my foster journey, I have had foster kittens in my house nearly constantly- once picking up new kittens after dropping a litter off at Petsmart... sometimes overlapping litters.  I did have to take a break when we moved from East Roseville to West Roseville, and I couldn't wait to get unpacked and organized enough to start again (4 long foster-kitten-less months of endless work).  The Fire Pit kittens were all adopted mid-September, but with my life so chaotic dealing with my mom's death I knew I shouldn't take a new litter until after my planned vacation to the Oogie Boogie Bash mid October. I was VERY ready to bring the Noodles home.   

The noodles have been amazing for my mental health.  They gave me a valid reason to just sit down and NOT manage all of the legal and financial complications I faced since my mom passed without a will or trust.  The Noodles started giving me a balance back to my life.  

They were completely comfortable being picked up and held. They showed no fear of me at all. They settled into their new room with confidence, discovering the food and potty box without difficulty and enjoyed a vigorous play session.

The first few days, though the weren't scared of me, they didn't really seem to notice me much at all.  They ran past me as if I was just another piece of furniture in the room. When they got tired, they'd curl up in their pet beds in a kitten pile.  They didn't resist if I picked them up to hold them but they didn't seek me out much at all.  

That changed one day when Udon discovered my hair.  He became rather obsessed playing and cuddling in it.  His joy intrigued his siblings, who began to join him.  Gradually, they transitioned into shoulder kittens that wanted to nap or wrestle on my shoulder, neck, or back whenever I spent time with them.  For 2 weeks this was mostly when I was laying on the floor mattress in the kitten room. When they came out of quarantine, they wanted to follow me everywhere.  They learned to climb me so they could perch on my shoulders while I did chores like dishes or dusting.  When I'm doing computer work, they usually wanted to be in my lap or on my shoulders.  In this moment I'm writing this blog, Soba and Udon and using my lap, chest, shoulders and head as a jungle gym- wrestling and playing all over me.    

All of the noodles are pretty relaxed when meeting new people, even if those visitors discover my kitten costume closet and decide that the kittens need to "practice" for Halloween.  

Even during their quarantine, I sometimes packed them up and hauled them downstairs folded in their kitten bed like a furry kitten taco, so they could meet my dad.  Daddy doesn't know how to interact with any living thing without trying to feed it, so the kittens were delighted to meet him.  It was a little tricky to try to keep my other pets away from the Noodles, and we were all glad when quarantine was over and the kittens still seemed perfectly healthy.  

For the most part, they ignored my dog, Miyuki, though Soba would often get startled if she didn't know Miyuki was nearby and noticed her very suddenly.  They sometimes ran over Miyuki if she was in their way.  I think they'd be fine with a friendly dog.  Sadly, tragedy was not finished with us.  Miyuki had a seizure one night.  Though we were able to get her into the vet quickly and started her on anti-seizure medications, she deteriorated quickly.  Within a week we had to make that difficult decision to say goodbye.  We spoiled her with special food and lots of pets in her last hours at home.  Ramen seemed in tune with the moment or with me.  He came up to Miyuki and let her groom him a bit before he walked through her fluffy fur- not running over her as if she was an obstacle, but checking her out.  I was too overcome to get the pictures, but it was a very precious moment.  After checking out Miyuki, Ramen put his little paw on my knee before wandering off to leave me with Miyuki.  

The Noodles have become a pretty noisy bunch.  Udon, in particular, likes to follow us around the house, reminding us that he is RIGHT THERE and READY FOR LOVE.  He will wander around our feet, yelling until we pick him up.  When not in zoomies mode, all 3 seem happiest when cuddling- either with each other or with a human.  They also like to be inside cozy/fluffy beds.  All 3 nurse on sherpa blankets, though Soba is the most enthusiastic about that. 

We host dungeons and dragons games at our home every few weeks, and Soba had a bonus on charisma.  

The noodles came in over 1lb and Ramen surprised us by surpassing Udon in weight- he's already over 2lbs.  I don't think I'll have them for a long time, but they've been such a comfort to my grieving heart.  It's been so rewarding to help them transition from confident but aloof kittens to purring piles of pet-addicted poofs.  Udon and Soba have now settled down in my lap, though Udon is really hogging the space and poor Soba keeps teetering on the edge.  I've had to compensate by shifting into a really unnatural and uncomfortable position to keep her from toppling over, but she's purring and mewls softly at me whenever I stop to pet her, so it's worth it.  I think I'll end this for now and pet them with 2 hands, because it is thanksgiving, and I'm thankful that I can be part of their journey.