Kittens on the Kitchen Counter

I’ve mentioned before that the kittens are everywhere and getting into everything in our house. Unfortunately, their new favorite spot is the kitchen counter.

I had hoped that they might just not become interested in it.  Emma and even Clementine always left the kitchen counter alone.  But Anabel and especially Sally are VERY interested in the kitchen counter, the kitchen sink, and anything sitting on or in those places.

My favorite way to store fresh, store-bought herbs is in a vase of water on the counter.  Try it! It works really well for parsley especially. When it’s not too hot and you change the water regularly, stuff will last for a week.  And the bonus is that you get a happy splash of fresh greenery in your kitchen. So, the other day when I bought a bunch of parsley for shrimp risotto night, I just put it in a vase on the counter like I usually do.  I forgot that these are unusual times.

My darling Sally seems to really have something against fresh greenery. That, combined with his bourgeoning leaping prowess, meant that he was incessantly on the counter getting after the parsley. The fastest way to get him down was to pull a stem out and use it to lure him onto the floor where he would chase after and attack it until he got bored and went back for a fresh sprig.  Anabel really likes to play “attack the parsley” as well.  As far as cat toys go, it’s not too bad.  Mr. Man looked it up and parsley is not dangerous for cats (unlike pretty much most any houseplant and several types of cut flowers).  And, a bunch is under a dollar.  That is days’ and days’ worth of kitten entertainment on a budget.

I think that the parsley unfortunately turned them on to the fascinating world of the kitchen counter and now I can’t keep them off it!  They like to supervise when I’m doing dishes. And don’t think that Sally let’s me put his wet food in a dish and then put it on the floor.  He is right there the second that I crack the can. Even Anabel, who most days can’t even be bothered to get up when it’s meal time, has gotten into the eating on the counter act.

I tell you what, I know that I judge people who can’t control their dogs or children. And here I am with kittens running amok in my kitchen.  What’s the saying about casting stones?  Yes, that rock smarts when you have to throw one at yourself too.  Hopefully, if I remember to keep the parsley in the fridge, they will grow out of it/get bored with that part of the house…eventually.