Ben Ben and Pom Pom's vacation

When Lili had to go to summer school across the country, we had to move the cats from her place to mine. Moving our cats can be quite hazardous (see first blog entry), so we approached cautiously. Fortunately, when we first tried to grab Ben Ben she immediately ran into the box on the cat tree. From there getting her into the carrier was a piece of cake. Pom Pom went right into the carrier as always, but while we were securing Ben Ben in her carrier, we saw Pom Pom walk right out of her carrier and calmly watch us. We got Pom Pom back into the carrier, but she never managed another Houdini trick (although she kept pawing at the latch). We thought that would be the most difficult part, but it turns out that the most difficult part was taking the tree apart and loading it into the car. I had completely forgotten that the babies had so much stuff! The trunk of our Taurus was filled completely and we had to put more stuff in the back seat with the carriers.
The drive was even louder than our first drive with the babies. Between Pom Pom's constant meowing, and Ben Ben's high-pitched meowing, they were giving us quite the duet.
When we let them out of the carriers in my place, I was happy to see that they both came right out, apparently anxious to come out and stretch.

Pom Pom's night out

So our babies have become very curious about their new home and set out to explore every square inch. A few times they managed to sneak out into the rest of the house at night, but we found them and brought them back. Naturally the more we spent time with them, the more we learned about them. They loved to climb up to tall places, like the top of our cabinet, so we bought them a cat tree and they absolutely loved it. Pom Pom also loves to chase string or anything small that moves for that matter; while Ben Ben prefers to grab small toys, throw them, then chase them herself.
The greatest difference between them lies in their CATenality. Pom Pom is curious about everything, while Ben Ben is afraid of everything. When we first brought them home we were disappointed about how timid was Ben Ben and how playful was Pom Pom. Well, curiosity doesn't always go well with cats.
During the summer the kitchen area where we allow the cats to roam can become really hot so there are a few windows open. What we didn't realize was that one of the windows doesn't have a screen and a sink is perfectly placed for a cat to hop on and out the window. After some time had passed we realized that Pom Pom was nowhere to be seen. The doors were closed so there was no way she could have gone downstairs. Then we saw the open window.
Immediately we go outside and check around the house, calling for Pom Pom. Our cats aren't declawed, so they can climb, but they've never been outdoor cats and it was pitch black outside, so we were terribly worried. As I approached the backyard I suddenly heard a sad meow from above me. I looked up and Pom Pom was crouched on the ceiling looking down at me. We tried to lure her back to the window, but she refused to go back the way she came. So borrowed a ladder from the family and called her to the back porch. Pom Pom approached nervously, still meowing for help, but there was no way we were going up there. Fortunately, we knew Pom Pom's weakness for lasers. After shining the pointer close to the ladder, Pom Pom got close enough for me to pick her up. Of course she became terrified once I picked her up; it was an unfortunate time to drop the flashlight I was holding. The sound startled her into a clawing frenzy and I could only get her through the door before she literally tore out of my grasp and ran back up to our room. I needed some antiseptic ointment and some bandages, but other than that, we were all fine.
Pom Pom stayed under the bed for almost an hour, but as soon as she came out she went right back for the window. We were wise enough to close it.

Ben Pom see their new home

After a lengthy trip punctuated with lots of sad meows, we finally arrived at our babies' new home. We quickly took the cats in their carriers to our room to open them. Since we rent a room in the house, the babies would only have access to our room and the shared kitchen area; the rest of the house would be off limits for the sake of the pet bird and pet mouse which also live in the house.
Pom Pom immediately jumped out of the carrier once it was opened and proceeded to explore her new surroundings. Ben Ben, despite being so reluctant to get in the carrier, stayed in the carrier while we arranged all their things in the room. It wasn't until we left the room to have dinner that she came out. We found her hiding under the bed later.
For the next few days, all we saw of Ben Ben were the glow of her eyes under the bed and sometimes her bushy tail hanging out in plain view. Pom Pom was into everything, she went everywhere and loved to get attention and play. We got them a bunch of toys including rolling balls, tiny stuffed mice, even a little laser pointer. Pom Pom would chase anything, laser pointer or string, and did so with gusto. It was difficult using them to entice Ben Ben to come out since Pom Pom would immediately pounce on anything we used. She got over her initial shyness, of course, and we finally got to see her cute side.

The kids move in

The previous owner of our two lovely new cats was kind enough provide us with the amenities: litterboxes, food bowls, water bowls, a temperary supply of food and litter, as well as two pet carriers.
Getting Pom Pom into a carrier was as simple as picking her up and putting her in. Ben Ben, however, was not getting in without a fight. A serious one at that. She was still very shy around us, natural since we had only known each other for 20 minutes, but as soon as she saw Pom Pom in a carrier, she knew what was in store for her and made herself disappear. We found her under a mattress, but when we moved it she immediately ran away with breathtaking speed. After a lot of chasing and playing Hide and Go Seek, the previous owner managed to grab ahold of her and force her into the carrier; but not without suffering some serious bites and scratches on his hands.
After seeing the blood, we were suddenly very nervous about our decision. What had we gotten ourselves into?
Determined to go through with it, we loaded all their things into the trunk and put both kids in the back seat facing each other for comfort. Even though Pom Pom was easy to put in the carrier, as soon as she got in there she started meowing mournfully, and didn't stop the entire four hour ride home.
Next:
Ben Ben and Pom Pom's new home.

We start a family

Once Lili and I decided to become pet owners it didn't take long to find our two new babies: Banks and Aspen; or as we would come to call them: Pom Pom and Ben Ben. Since we both work long hours away from home we wanted to get two cats so that they could keep each other company.
We found them after a whole week of searching Craigslist and they seemed perfect for us. They had already lived together with their previous owner, so they would get along well, they were adorable in their photos (as you can tell), and, best of all, they were free. The last point was very important since we're both students so low on cash.
So after contacting the previous owner we make a long drive out to see these adorable cats in person and we were immediately charmed by Pom Pom (left). She came right to us to get petted and stroked. Ben Ben (right) was very shy, but she seemed to follow Pom Pom's lead after just a few minutes and we saw enough of her to see that she had beautful bushy fur and huge adorable eyes. Needless to say, we fell in love with them immediately.