Cat-astrophes -- Part Deux

The snow is gone now, washed away in rainstorms that make one think of arcs and animal duos. The frosty goodness was lovely while it lasted, and I will hope for a beautiful White Christmas every year now. And after reflection, I think it's time for a few more observations in the continuing saga of (soap opera announcer voice here) Life with Kitties:

Christmas Tree De-Decoration: I figured this year I’d be smart. There’s no point in putting up tempting breakable ornaments, especially since I’ve been collecting for years and have—by actual count—13 large storage boxes of decorations. I decided to go with all non-breakables like brass or wood, or soft ornaments like felt, yarn, or fabric. The problem is, the kitties love plushies, and consider anything within reach their toy. So I heard "Jingle Bells" (or jingling bells, anyway) at all hours of the day and night, as Winston captured a plush santa and carried it down the hall, or as Franklin dragged a stuffed reindeer twice his size to the top of the stairway and then pushed it over the edge. My lovely Noble Fit—7 feet tall, hand cut at the tree farm—was a sight to see: Graceful, delicate... and decorated only from 3 feet and up. ;)

Super Shoppers: Let's put it this way, from 3 AM QFC bag exploration to afternoon purchase inspection, there's never been a shopping bag The Boyz didn't love.

Something is wrong.
I found no roast chicken in this bag!

Fish Food = Haute Cuisine: Apparently, fish are carnivores. Who knew? I figured they ate veggies, yet their flake food is nothing but the processed carcasses of their predecessors. Frankie and Win noticed that I had a small fish food sample on my desk. “Please, Mom, could we have that packet?” they politely inquired. Forty-two times I replied, “Get off the desk, let go of that packet, and leave the fishie food alone.” Sometime in the night, they crept onto my desk anyway and made off with the TetraMin. The package is now covered with tiny teeth marks and there’s a dime-sized hole in the center from which, I believe, someone has been licking taste samples!

I see you in there.

Both Win and Frankie have taken to looking longingly into the aquarium when I feed the fish. As you can imagine, a well-clawed and well-toothed mammal plastered to the side of the tank causes some concern amongst the inhabitants. In fact, a couple of the gourmis are now swimming exclusively in the rear area of the tank and I think the tetras have begun roving security patrols.