♥ SweetFurr ♥

Baby Pancake First Encounter with Watermelon

2013-05-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

Looking through old video clips, we saw one of Pancake that was too precious not to share. Baby Pancake starts off confused and concerned about why he was placed high up on the dining table, crying in a broken tone until he noticed the watermelon treat that was meant for him. Pan Pan doesn't quite dig in like Cooper ( http://youtu.be/i3cHNObcEh8 ), but he was content nonetheless.

http://youtu.be/i3cHNObcEh8

How to Create Your Own See-Through Cat Tunnel

2013-03-31T22:24:00.002-07:00

http://youtu.be/8c-J0zKEnH4

March is a month of celebration. Besides rejoicing in Easter Sunday this year, March is always a time for celebrating the births of Mochi and her daughter Marshmallow; Marshy's on the 1st and Mochi's on the 29th. What better way to show you care than to devote time into creating something unique for your loved ones (though it is unlikely that the kitties would be able to tell the difference nor would they care, but that's besides the point).

Initially, we were looking to buy a tunnel for the furbabies but could not find a clear see-through design that was suitable, so we decided to build our own. The final products turned out better than we thought, and were approved with multiple paws up by our kitties as evident by their actions captured in this video as well as their frequent naps within the tunnels.

Materials used:

1. support frames - collapsible circular drying nets found at Daiso Japan store

2. shell/cover - we started with basket wrapping plastic for the first tunnel, but it was somewhat flimsy so we used a shower curtain instead for durability on the second tunnel

3. the "glue" - bulldog/spring clips to hold them together.

To create the circular support structure for the tunnel, we cut out the nets portion of the collapsible drying nets (meant for drying clothes). For the shell/cover, we then either cut the basket wrapping plastic to the desired dimensions, or bought a shower curtain with suitable dimensions; the length being the desired length of the tunnel, and the width measuring a couple inches longer than the circumference of the circular support frames.

Next, we took one support frame and wrapped one end of the shell/cover around it while using the bulldog/spring clips to keep the shell/cover in place.

Then, at approximately every 12-inch interval along the length of the shell/cover, we place a support frame and clip it in place one-at-a-time until the other end has a support frame. We found that a 10 to 12-inch interval provides the tunnel with good stability.

Marshy's Birthday Buffet Celebration

2013-03-07T00:25:00.002-08:00

On March 1st, Persian ELH kitty Marshmallow turned ONE. Affectionately known as Marshy, her life started a bit rocky, weighing in at only 66g or 2.3 oz (about 2/3rds the normal birthweight). Through supplemental bottlefeeding, heat pads, warm rice socks, plentiful interactions, love, and resilience, Marshy grew into a healthy and happy kitty. She now carries the title of heaviest female kitty in the household, picking up daddy Jumbo Pillow's short stocky body while maintaining a healthy weight and gorgeously soft, fluffy fur.

For her birthday, Marshmallow dined on a buffet-style arrangement of boiled chicken, steamed salmon, grilled tuna from Petite Cuisine, and freeze dried shrimp and ocean whitefish from PureBites. She makes food look so yummy with her nom nom nom.

For those fans who have been following Marshy since her "eye-opening" experience, here are some special treats for you. In celebration of her first birthday, we have chosen a few precious clips that have never been seen before. We hope you enjoy, and thank you for all your love and support of our Marshy.

http://youtu.be/gRkRjUAZHVc

LoL Moments with Marshmallow Kitten

2013-02-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

It is never a dull moment when you have a kitten like Marshy around. She can engage in the most random activities or react in the cutest ways. We were lucky to capture some of her silliness as she rhythmically scrubs/taps the floor and glass surfaces, performs lunge attacks against the wall while reaching for the sky, and reacts to unknown sounds in a curiously tall stance. Hope you enjoy these precious moments.

http://youtu.be/g0LRnEi3P7Y

Tiger Modeling Homemade Kitty Necklaces Crafted from Fuzzy Sticks

2013-02-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/IqlHDu82Zgo
Valentine's Day is a time to get crafty and look extra cute. Our beautiful kitty, Tiger, modeled some necklaces we created using fuzzy sticks (a.k.a. chenille wire sticks, pipe cleaners). It was a quick, simple, and fun project with Tiger.

Kitten Smiles in Her Sleep

2013-02-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/smaGflDSLxY
Kitten Tiger looks like she's smiling during her sleep. Tiger (breed: exotic shorthair) was newly adopted few months ago and has been a great companion for Marshy since they're only a month apart in age. She's named Tiger because her pattern makes her look like a baby Tiger. More photos and videos of Tiger to come!

Jumbo Kitty Impersonating an Angry Bird

2013-01-06T02:25:00.001-08:00

http://youtu.be/BU8tlT0edBA

Jumbo Pillow celebrated his 2nd holiday birthday (Dec 15, 2012) a couple weeks ago. Our very sweet mom prepared a cat-friendly turkey (no onion, no garlic) for the celebration. Jumbo got to enjoy some freshly baked, succulent turkey with sweet potato on the side. To look extra special and cute on his birthday, Jumbo wore a turkey costume that somewhat looks like an Angry Bird.

Happy Thanksgiving from big Marshmallow

2012-11-21T18:04:00.001-08:00

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving Day tomorrow filled with great food & good company!
We're especially thankful that Marshy has recovered fully from her spay surgery few weeks ago.

Marhsy is now 8-month-old and even weighs heavier than her mama Mochi by a few ounces xD

Here is a short video showing a funny moment between Marshy & mama Mochi. Marshy jumping up to Mochi's favorite napping area led to a "fight" between them.

http://youtu.be/lZFc_9_W5SA

Here's another short video showing Marshy playing at one of her favorite locations-- an empty water bottle container.

http://youtu.be/vqF1L2neeso

Below is one of our family's favorite clips of Marshy, she was only 6 weeks old in the video. Look how much she has grown!

http://youtu.be/0DyuR3WDPGU

A Special Thank You to Mary & Michita

2012-11-04T15:48:00.004-08:00

Thank you Mary of Michita the Cat for sending us a lovely dress earlier this year all the way from Venezuela, specially designed and tailored for Mochi. It's a gorgeous, floral dress in hot pink with two unique matching bows. The dress is easy to put on Mochi with its two velcro closures. Mochi looks like a fashionable Hello Kitty wearing the dress and bows. Even after becoming a mom, Mochi continues to look beautiful, with this dress making her even more adorable. We also want to thank Mary & Michita for their longstanding, endearing support, always leaving kind comments on our videos since the very beginning when we first started our blog & youtube channel.

Check out this video of Michita in different beautiful and stunning dresses designed and made by her talented & loving mom, Mary:

http://youtu.be/3gazY-04MhU

Please also check out Michita's Facebook page "Michita the Cat " for more of her beautiful designs.

Giant Panda Cooper Cat

2012-10-27T22:18:00.002-07:00

http://youtu.be/PWZFAFE0uRU In the spirit of one of his favorite holidays, Persian kitty Cooper took on the disguise of an adorable giant panda. Cooper even ventured into the forest to feast on "bamboo," which strangely resembled either asparagus or edamame. Cooper especially loved the edamame variety.

Can I Haz Water?

2012-09-17T03:37:00.004-07:00

http://youtu.be/ggX82ptxg8o

Mochi has always harbored a strange fascination for water. Before taking a sip from a bowl, she would ceremoniously tap the water with her paws as if she were testing its temperature or stirring it to her liking. The soft sound of flowing water from a bottle or faucet was always met with Mochi's enamored (fully-dilated) eyes and attentive presence.

It appears that kitten Marshmallow has picked up mama Mochi's penchant for water. Once they were able to jump onto the sink counter, Marshy and Mochi quickly made themselves comfortable; Mochi first curling up to sleep in the sink, after which Marshy came to find her mama. Once we turned on the faucet, it was quite a darling spectacle as they both figured out how to drink comfortably to their hearts' content.

If Cooper & Pancake were Superheroes

2012-07-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/wMr5RpHcS00

As feline fans of the cape crusaders, Cooper and Pancake have thought about becoming superhero symbols themselves last Halloween. Surely, they could use their superpower of utter cuteness to fight crime. It's just too bad that they couldn't find magical glasses or masks to conceal their true identities. So they decided to hang up their capes, sit back and enjoy the true Dark Knight rise along with the up and coming Man of Steel.

Marshy has her own take on reflections

2012-07-15T22:15:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/M8aweJh2KGo

Marshmallow is just as entranced by her own reflection as mama Mochi was when Mochi was a kitten (as seen here: http://youtu.be/iiwoNSy271U)

Over the past couple weeks, Marshy exhibited some strangely kawaii behavior before settling down to nap in one of the cat trees. She would head to the top of the tree, initially tap with one paw on the glass door, then go into a frenzy, rhythmically tapping on what appears to be her reflection. Is she trying to free her reflection from the shackles of glass? As she is still a kitten, is Marshmallow playing make-believe games with her reflections? Marshy also goes manic when she sees her reflection in other objects, such as the glossy, orange cube shown in the video. What you think Marshy is doing?

Marshmallow continues to grow well, having reached the 5-lb mark in 4 months as pictured on the scale. She will be as big, strong, and healthy as mama Mochi in no time.

Marshmallow meets daddy Jumbo (Week 12-14)

2012-06-13T13:34:00.007-07:00

http://youtu.be/UzyObWRHSrw

Happy Father's Day! ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ

This is the finale episode of Marshy's growth series. Marshy has received all of her necessary kitten vaccinations, and is now ready to meet daddy Jumbo Pillow for a play date.

Because a kitten's immune system is naive and still developing, we wanted to reduce the risk of potential infection to Marshy. For this reason, we have been separating Marshy and mama Mochi from dadda Jumbo and the rest of the kitties, so that Marshy is not expose to anybody else's litter box, which can be a major source of transmission of infection. We also gave Jumbo a bath to make him fresh & clean before his first visit with Marshy.

Since they first met, Marshy has been very cautious and unusually quiet around Jumbo. On the flip side, Jumbo remains very vocal as always and eager to talk to Marshy. After some warmup, Marshy loosens up to play the solar butterfly toy together with Jumbo. And now likes to follow Jumbo around when he visits.

Thank you for all your support and love of Marshmallow. Although born premature with only 60% of normal birthweight, Marshy has been thriving and has caught up with weight gain. Now she is almost 4 lbs at 3.5 months old.

On a daily basis, Marshy is very hyper and vocal, Ioves to hug our legs and talk to request playtime. A kitten surely keeps one active at home.

(We will be taking a break from uploads due to other obligations, and plan to be back around fall. In the meantime, we will try to post some photos on Facebook page. Thank you for your support of our kitty videos. ^-^)

Weeks 10-11: Marshy and New Cat Condo

2012-05-26T18:44:00.004-07:00

http://youtu.be/2v2fs8O4zDg

Persian (ELH) kitten Marshmallow continues to actively explore her surroundings and expand her limitations. Marshy has advanced from climbing short sisal posts to scaling her own full-length cat tree. She is still learning to distinguish what she can get away with when roughhousing with MaMa Mochi and what usually results in a swift can of ***-whooping.

Marshmallow appears to have inherited Jumbo’s vocal demeanor as she spiritedly greets us whenever she wakes from slumber. She also “barks” occasionally when she is excited, reminiscent of JP’s first encounter with Cooper. And when she’s in the mood for some TLC or interactive play, Marshy either hugs our legs or verbally lets us know.

Marshy has achieved the 3-lb mark during these past two weeks, growing at a healthy pace of ~one lb/month. She has received her second set of vaccinations, and is ready to meet her daddy very soon. Things will probably get very vocal.

Marshmallow Invites Mama Mochi to Play

2012-05-10T22:38:00.001-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks, Marshmallow has picked up the art of roughhousing with MaMa Mochi as her primary target. Just watching her interacting with Mochi is a spectacle in itself, as Mochi tries to match Marshy's adrenaline. With her baby around, Mochi has shown flashes of kittenhood again, with a renewed sense of play and curiosity. Through play, Marshy develops a stronger bond with not only mama, but also her humans. She especially loves to go after Mochi's tail as it teasingly swings back and forth. After what seems like a never-ending play session, Marshy retires into a long nap.

During weeks 8-9, Marshmallow's weight broke the 1-kg mark. She celebrated by downing more food in between helpings of kitten milk and play. She also received her first set of vaccinations.

http://youtu.be/MO5lBiVyGo8

Cooper Cat in the mood for some Chinese food

2012-05-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/FEf3MttXq1U

We have an appearance by our beloved Cooper, who usually loves to standby patiently as people eat in front of the tv. However, this time Cooper could hardly resist the tantalizing aroma of Chinese food, leading to an adorably comical scene.

(Kitten Marshmallow and Mama Mochi are both doing well, and are taking a break this week. They will resume their updates in a week or two.)

Marshmallow Playful Week 7

2012-04-26T16:55:00.001-07:00

It's play week here at SweetFurr, where kitten Marshmallow is sporting the ever-popular kitten mentality of play, play, play any time of the day. Marshy has learned to utilize her environment well, darting back and forth behind objects to reach a safe place during her playful engagements with MaMa Mochi and her humans. And her sweet meows and occasional "barking" are uniquely priceless. Marshmallow is growing into the playfully mischievous kitten stage that most of us are familiar with.

http://youtu.be/cwT0nURNAcw

Cat Mama Mochi Loves to Sit Like a Human

2012-04-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/-Dgsi6DrQoQ

Mochi has always loved to sit like humans since she was a wee-little kitten as seen in her previous video at 7 months old: "Kitty Mochi Loves to Sit like a Human" http://youtu.be/jzlfgpwYh_I

When Mochi became pregnant, she had difficulty assuming this position because of her growing belly, so she had stopped sitting like that for a while. Soon after giving birth, Mochi was happily resuming her favorite sitting position, often times even preferring baby Marshy to nurse in that position. A beautifully comical scene to witness.

Now an update on Marshmallow. At 6 weeks old, Marshy continues to provide countless hours of joy to us with her increasingly active and playful kitten behavior. She quickly picked up how to use the litterbox on her own, and has begun to wean onto solid kitten food. Marshmallow has grown to more than 10 times her birthweight during this week, and is such a sweetheart to MaMa Mochi and her humans.

Week 5 ends with high fives

2012-04-10T20:12:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/vVl91QHrY3M

After the first month, kitten Marshmallow has achieved many “firsts” during her 5^th week of life.

Her first set of teeth is growing out, causing her to practically chew everything in sight. Some of her favorite targets are human hands and anything plastic. To assuage her itch to chew, we bought her some toys just for that purpose, which she quickly took a liking to. With chewing came an increased interest in scratching and swiping her small paw at anything she could get her hands on, including iPads, and our socks and pants. We used this opportunity to introduce her to a sisal scratching post.

Marshy also first started to lick mama Mochi’s food and water bowls during this week, signaling that she’s ready for weaning. What charmingly messy times weaning can be. And with weaning came litter box training. Marshmallow sure let us know that she was ready to go on her own when she suddenly started crying and sniffing in one corner of the room, settling down with a semi-intensely focused gaze while she did her business. From then on, we would place her in a small litter box (with non-clumpable litter) after meals and active play. She quickly caught on from there, and now goes to #1 on her own :D

First taste of independence. Marshmallow has learned to climb over barriers, and run away from pursuers. She now prefers to roam in an open space, and would vocally complain if she were enclosed in a small area when she was in a mood to play. And play seems to be her mindset whenever she’s awake nowadays. She loves to playfully interact with mama Mochi as well as her humans. One especially cute move that she has is her “high 5’s.”

Marshmallow Development at 4 Weeks Old

2012-04-02T18:13:00.003-07:00

Marshmallow was born on March 1st with low birth weight (~60% of the normal expected weight at about 66g or 2.3 oz). A month later, Marshy is breaking one pound, about 7 times the birthweight. At this point, we're just thankful that she's made it through the first month. What a blessing she is.

Below are some notable changes in Marshy's behavior:

She refuses to stay in her nest box, rebelliously clawing and crying murder when she is placed there. Marshy is also able to regulate her body temperature better now to the point where she no longer needs a heating pad or “rice socks” to keep warm when mama Mochi is not around. We used to place a heating pad beneath the nest box to cover about ½ of the surface area, so Marshy could keep warm, but also move off the heated area if she felt hot.

With her head held high and steady, Marshmallow has become more photogenic as well, often times staring curiously straight into one’s eyes, a move that would melt any stone heart.

Marshmallow’s developing curiosity drives her to walk a whole lot more to explore the seemingly vast world in front of her. It’s amazing to witness her stumbling movements refine into a more stable gait as her hind legs and coordination strengthen and improve to match her front paws. To keep her safe when unsupervised, we have set up a couple of playpens so Marshy can walk “freely” without worries. Besides starting to walk about at a faster pace, she has also picked up scratching and chewing on objects.

Marshmallow loves to interact with her humans, claiming our laps with her naps, climbing up our shirts, playfully grasping our fingers, and sending sweet meows our way.

Maintaining a fluffy hairstyle is not easy. So to keep her coat clean and fluffy, Marshy has instinctively started self-grooming, licking her paws, body, and even wiping her face clean. Of course mama Mochi is around to put on the final touches of tongue baths.

http://youtu.be/Jeg3QM1Ysq8

Marshy is growing up so quickly

2012-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/7leg2fCQn3o

Marshmallow has just passed the 3-week-old mark. Compared to a life of around-the-clock suckling, sleeping, and worming around at age 2 weeks, newborn kitten Marshmallow has developed new moves. She first practiced holding her head steady, fixating her teardrop eyes on you. Marshy then became able to rest her tushy in a sit position. After that, she started standing on all fours, quickly building up the strength in her limbs to start walking. At the same time, Marshy began to learn from mama Mochi the art of self-grooming. On a couple of instances, it appears as though Marshy was sucking on her own "thumb" while sleeping. Super cute. Marshmallow is also becoming more and more comfortable spending time outside the nest box. As Marshy has grown and developed, mama Mochi has also developed stronger maternal instincts, becoming more responsive to her kitten's needs. One special treat that we've noticed is that when Marshy suckles with all her might, her ears tend to flap like wings. Just precious she is.

Marshy's Eye Opening Experience @ Day 14

2012-03-16T21:14:00.006-07:00

Both of Marshmallow's eyes have opened up beautifully at the 2-week mark, although it appears that Marshy prefers to keep them closed most of the time. Perhaps she is not ready to explore the world, and is reserving all of her energy to grow. Her weight has more than tripled from a birth weight of 66 grams to 208 grams. Despite a rough start with a low birthweight, Marshy is growing well to the point of looking like a little piglet. And this little "piggy" loves to be close to mama Mochi. They have developed such an adorable mother-newborn furbaby relationship.

http://youtu.be/s8QnVGcCJiw

Kitten Marshmallow - Day 12 - Peeking Eye

2012-03-13T19:51:00.003-07:00

On Day 12, newborn kitten Marshmallow's left eye is beginning to peek open. She is also kneading more consistently on mama Mochi's tummy to massage every droplet of milk into her sweet little mouth. At the same time, Mochi's maternal instincts are kicking into higher gear as she cleans Marshmallow from head to tail.

http://youtu.be/wD8y7XRiFOA

Newborn Marshmallow Kitten

2012-03-11T11:21:00.007-07:00

What do you get when you mix a Mochi with a Jumbo Pillow? A delicately soft and sweet Marshmallow. Let us welcome our newborn female furbaby, Marshmallow, to the world, and have a toast with milk while she wiggles her way to latch on to mama Mochi's teat.

http://youtu.be/2_ioFb63b6w

(Regarding questions about why only showing one kitten: It is not uncommon for first litter of persian/exotic shorthair cat to be small in number &/or have low survival rate. Also first time mom may not show maternal instinct and could act startled. We worked very hard around the clock to help this little girl survive with syringe feeding (mom's milk did not come in until 3-4 days later), she was born with low birth weight (2oz) and now more than double her birthweight :))