Angel's Chair

Early on, Angel adopted this chair for his own. He would jump up, turn around and then sit down facing out so he could see everybody. Then he found other "cat" places that were even more desirable and the chair sat empty for several years. A few months ago, we brought up a soft white blanket from the dryer and placed it on the chair, intending to take it upstairs and put it away in the linen closet. Angel made a beeline for the chair and quickly curled up on the blanket. Ever since, he sleeps on the chair every evening and usually through most of the night. Oddly enough, neither Spike nor Sebastian sit on this chair - although they are quick to share the other choice sleeping areas. We had planned on moving this chair into the dining room but Angel looks so content when he sleeps there that we don't have the heart to do so. Often he pushes his head into the blanket so that all we see is the top part of his head. Every once in a while he looks over with those penetrating green eyes of his - and then tucks himself back into a furry white ball... almost indistinguishable from the matching white blanket.

Yummy! Give me more.....

You would expect that all of our cats would enjoy any of the multitude of cat treats available. We have a cookie jar full of different foil packages of treats that we haul out on occasion for one or all of the three furry boys. However, we do have to remember the appropriate brand/flavour that each cat likes since each one has distinct preferences. Of the three cats, Angel is probably the least fussy - and we know it isn't from lack of regular cat food! In this photo, he has just finished a handful of treats and is intent on getting every last crumb back into his mouth. If only he had the same attitude with the crumbs that wind up on our floor....then Mama Bear wouldn't have to pull out the handvac after every treat session.

Fergie finishes playing and puts away her toy

Fergie has decided to call it a day and is putting away her toy balloon. Earlier in the day, she brought the balloon out from the bedroom and played with it for awhile. When she decided she was done, she grabbed the string with her teeth and started to head back to the bedroom. Fortunately, my friend was able to quickly grab her camera and get these great shots. Along with the emailed photos, she added: "Pretty cool that we have 'trained' the cat to clean up after itself. Now if I could just get the child and the husband on the same training program we would be set!!"

Somehow, I think there are several of us out there identifying with that last sentence!

Spike resting between naps

Spike has many sleeping areas in various parts of the house and spends much of his day tucked away in one of these spots. As he leaves one cosy little bed he will often walk through the living room and stretch out on the floor for a few minutes. He is the largest cat in the household and has enough fur to keep him warm on the coldest nights. One of his tufted paws alone could hold down one of the other cats if they dared come near his food dish!

Spike's "human" is definitely Papa Bear. He follows Papa Bear around during the day and will flop down on the floor wherever Papa Bear is working. On the other hand, he tolerates Mama Bear and gives an occasional purr just to let her know he appreciates the treats she sneaks him when Papa Bear isn't watching!

Rascal has a new home

Good news...Rascal has a new home! He is joining a family with a three year old boy and a dog so this will be quite a change for him. On his way to his new home, he meowed as if to ask what was going on...and the little boy told him: "Don't cry, Rascal. I have your toys in my pocket." A good start to Rascal's new life - his own special "human" to love him.

The Wearing of the Green

A walk down memory lane for Angel.....

When he first came to stay with us we would take him out to the garden for a few minutes - of course, with close supervision to ensure he didn't sneak off. He had two favorite spots - one was in the cat mint (which is now brought inside for the "boys") and the other was in the midst of the Bishop's Goutweed at the side of the house. This is Mama Bear's favorite photo of Angel and sits on the bookshelf by her bed. Angel's green eyes really stand out here against the green/white foliage.

These days Angel stays inside. He lost his outdoor privileges about two years ago when he slipped out the front door and decided he wasn't coming back inside. When Mama Bear bent down to pick him up, he hissed and growled. So younger son was sent out to bring in Angel. No luck here - as soon as younger son reached down, Angel showed him quickly that cat teeth can really hurt when they are sunk into a hand. That was also the end of any other willing volunteers to bring in Angel. Mama Bear had to go back into the house and get the oven mitts for protection before attempting to "recapture" Angel. Fortunately the mitts were heavy enough to withstand the onslaught of bites as Angel made it clear he wanted to stay outside. Once he was back safe inside, the bad attitude quickly disappeared - but so did Mama Bear's willingness to let him outside again.

Fergie wants out

Fergie is an inside cat - but that doesn't stop her from wanting to go outside and explore. She knows there is something exciting on the other side of the window (not just her reflection!) and she figures if she can just get her head throught the blinds, maybe there is an escape route handy.

However, if you look carefully, you will see there is still snow on the ground (even though Fergie lives in a warmer climate than our furry boys) - so I don't expect she would really want to stay out there for long!

Printing...cancelled!

Papa Bear was busy one morning, creating documents on the PC and printing copies. After a few hours of work, it was time to take a break and watch the news. On his return, he found Spike curled on the still warm printer, fast asleep with his nose resting on the red cancel button.