One nice thing about cats is they are very, very set in their routines! If you don’t mind the 3 AM wake-up call, living with Andy and Dougy mostly is an easy thing. The only fault Andy has is a thing for clawing my new leather-covered very expensive computer chair. Dougy has his sofa and his ottoman that get the claw treatment.
Thanks to Andy, Louie the Ginger Cat as Captain Me-Ow is tilted in his frame! To live with cats is to accept a certain level of chaos and destruction!
Oh well! Suck it in, Doug! Kitties WILL be kitties!
So, because cats are very, very set in their routines, it came as no surprise that Dougy was on my bed meowing emphatically at slightly before 3 AM this New Year’s Day: “Get up! Get up! It’s ‘feed the kitty time’! NOW!”
Andy stretched out, sphinx-like and as inscrutable, in a dresser drawer I leave open (for the cats, of course). His intent, though, was not in doubt. He was there to back up Dougy if I didn’t get up. Meow!
So I did. “Feed the kitty time, boys,” I think I said out loud as we scrambled over each other to the kitchen. Of that there was no doubt!
Fed, the kitties and I went in the front room to watch the news. Well, I watch the news, and they take over their favorite perches, to sleep. By this time, I’m wide awake, so it’s good I’ve learned to go to bed at sundown so I get some sleep before “feed the kitty time”!
Here they are: Dougy on the ottoman, and Andy stretched out on the side table! The kitties must be fed. Yep. Now we sleep in front of the guy we woke up at 3 AM!
Thank you. Hadn’t seen that before. Andy looks like my cat when he plays, so cute. Love it when they jump.
Last suggestion: Pete the Parrot that speaks back to you everything you say?
I bought a hamster like that, so that when you laught, it laughs. Funny…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CATS-MEOW-MOVING-WAND-YELLOW-SKIRT-PET-CAT-EXERCISE-TOY/231126175451?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D11%26meid%3D3837063075615472475%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D251403360522%26
http://phainopepla95.com/2013/06/26/the-big-2/
The boys do have this toy, and it is a favorite is not brought out too often. They especially like it when I put it on top of the ottoman. I’m not sure why, but, if they play more with it then than when put on the floor, there I put it!
This one looks good, nice colour. Cats do sometimes go nuts to get things out from under.
Cheap too.
Might work, if you don’t already have one!
Absolutely and don’t family get frustrated with each other.
Well I bet cats don’t make us as frustrated as we make them!
Well you do like “My Cat From Hell” in which you will know according to what Jason says actually a more appropriate title would be “Humans from Hell”.
I’ve seen a few episodes, and I agree it’s not the cats. They are simple.
A bit like spoiled children, they want (need) attention, time to play with them and of course toys, cat trees and castles and tall places to perch (most not all) and then normally they behave themselves perfectly. Otherwise…. then you get the cat from hell!
I saw a vid where a cat was absolutely nuts with one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Petlinks-System-Twinkle-Chute-Tunnel/dp/B00520C3FI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_5
This one looks even better for two:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00427D3PQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2KPXRMQ13RVRT&coliid=I1CHZUESJVH1N1
I had one of those that the cats didn’t use, so I gave it to a neighbor. Her two cats love, love, love it! Go figure! As for perches, my place is very much set up for cat perching, especially the windows, which have trees or bushes nearby so the cats get to bird watch, something both really enjoy!
Ha! It’s a cat’s life! And you get to be a part of it! 🙂
This was a joy to read! Even tho’ they have their quirks (like we human-beans do), I love all the furry-friends who have adopted me in my life! 🙂
HUGS from me to all three of you!!!
🙂
Thanks! They do keep us entertained, if sometimes frustrated, with their behavior! In this sense they definitely are family. 🙂
Earlier this month, I lost the last of two cats that came into my life as 5-week-old kittens in 1996. I still have difficult moments, but I’m beginning to think of the fresh new kitties that will be ready for new homes next spring. One kitten or two? What color? What gender? Suddenly, I remembered the usually hilarious but also destructive nature of young cats. It’s been years since I had a cat that didn’t feel compelled to conquer the tallest armoire or entertainment cabinet– damn the torpedoes, straight to the top, scratching for traction all the way. I’m comforted by memories of their hijinks. Well, mostly comforted. There was the unfortunate day when Smokey learned the hard way that flat-screen TVs are not built for lounging atop. So, with bittersweet memories of Sparky and Smokey for company, I’ll be spending my winter rearranging the living room to accommodate kitten hijinks, shopping for two-by-fours and carpet remnants for homemade scratching posts and high perches. It’s something to look forward to as I look back. Best wishes for the new year for you and your boys, Weggieboy.
I’m glad I made videos of the boys when they were really new to the house and as they grew into the handsome little guys they are today. Lots of photos of the boys at various stages are saved, too.
I missed the kittenhood of their predecessor (Louie), a rescue cat the veterinarian estimated to be five when I got him, but am glad I made videos and photos of him, too, because he died way too young at approximately age seven from lymphoma. I was devastated. I thought there was some chance he might outlive me, and I worried about that since old cats aren’t as easy to place, no matter what.
Anyway, I definitely understand how you feel at the point. I hadn’t planned on finding a replacement for Louie so soon as it happened. You know, it felt kind of like a betrayal of our bond.
I met Andy (then age five or so weeks old and not ready to be adopted out to me) at the veterinarian’s when I picked up the sad container with Louie’s ashes. Once I made the commitment to take Andy (inevitable- he was adorable!), things happened smoothly and without any regrets with regards Louie’s memory. He’s still with me, after all, in the photo (above- as Captain Me-Ow, thanks to the addition of the super hero outfit by a New Zealand friend) I have of him hanging on the wall where I can see him each time I’m at my computer.
Dougy came along a little later, after I had Andy. I’ll spare you the story now since it seems I’ve posted it three or four times over the time I’ve had them. The story there is they played well together as kittens, and the person who gave me one knew I was thinking of getting a companion cat for Andy. Given their good play history, she felt Dougy’d be a great companion for my little buddy. That he is, too!
I hope you are prepared to share your new kitten or kittens in photos or videos once you get them! I am glad I got two brothers: Same age, same litter, same parents, similar pleasant dispositions (mostly!) and they get along well together, unlike their brother and sister now in South Dakota.
Based on Pickles and Hillary, two male sibling kittens are perfect.
I’ve read neutered toms make the best companions. I have no personal experience with anything but neutered tomcats, but I know that Dougy and Andy’s brother and sister (same person has them) hate each other, and do not get along under any circumstances.
Oh Lord I relate. Ali owns hubbys old computer chair and lets every one know it. She hands from it upside down swatting at whoever walks by, especially two year old great grandson.
Andy looks like he is thinking about a supervier job while Dougie rests up for the next round of kitty feeding.
Hope you and the boys had a good first day of 2014.
Andy and Dougy were bad boys tonight, and I had to shake my index finger at them and tell them so! We’ve since made up, but poor Dougy still feels bad that he was a bad boy. I’ve spent time with both cats to let them know they are mostly good boys, though, and all will be forgotten by tomorrow! Right now, they are playing “catch the antelope”, where they chase each other and take turns being the predator or prey. That’s a good sign!
Here’s an idea: