Sedona is a paradise for kittens, at least my mom's well landscaped house is. Other than the chilly night time temperatures, I'm happy to report that the kids are doing great here. They can't however, come inside the house, which is a constant source of trouble, especially with Mak, who always wants to be where the action is. Plus, he's so handy around the kitchen. He just wants to help out. he really does.

While I was away in New York and DC, my mom and her handy friend Ray built a huge cage in the garage. When I say huge, I mean fucking huge. You can walk into the thing. It's more of a habitat or an enclosure than a cage. It's got tables and a scratching post and a covered litter box and toys and lots of stuff to play with. This is where the kittens were hanging out during an adjustment period, both for them and for my mom, who hasn't had a pet in over ten years.

During the day, they run around, chasing leaves and butterflies and each other without any of those pesky dogs to interrupt their fun. Fil is climber and often has to be coaxed down out of trees. I've only had to rescue her from the roof a few times in the last 4 or days. Mak is too protective of his own skin (he's a coward) so I don't have to worry about him much.

At night Fil and Mak now have the whole run of the garage, which is like a great obstacle course/irrestible challenge for cats. Threre are beams and shelves and it's full of stuff tucked away into corners which the little ones explore with abandon. They mostly stay out of trouble, because they're good cats. Mostly.

We've rigged up some heating pads and a light in their enclosure with a timer that comes on about 30 minutes before the sun sets and it starts to get really cold. We could leave them out. I don't really have a problem with it, but my mom is worried about the coyotes. Personally I think the kittens are so self-protective after dealing with Samoan dogs that coyotes will be nothing to them. In the meantime, you can find the kids, the most coddled pair of kittens in the Southwest, huddled together on their heating pads at night, with a perfect view of their 22.5 bag of Meow Mix.