Cats in the Cradle

We brought the cradle out of storage for our grand daughter to use last year and were just getting ready to pack it away when we found this little tableau. Eldest daughter always teases us that as each kid moved out, we brought in a cat as a replacement. If she sees this photo she will believe this is what has happened! We bought this cradle when eldest son showed up and it has been used for both of our boys. Now we have 2 of our furry boys enjoying this resting place.

Sebastian resting...or waiting to pounce?

Sebastian has an unusual habit of stretching out across one of the stairs wth his head and front paws hanging out into the hallway. He is always careful to choose one of the higher stairs so there is some distance between him and any person/cat who is downstairs. It looks like he is resting ...but his legs are always ready to help him dash away. Mama Bear thought she would be clever and sneak up the stairs to give Sebastian a quick pat on the head while Papa Bear was at the top of the stairs getting ready to head down. After all ... Sebastian had to choose going up or down so one of us would claim a furry prize. But not so. With a fluid motion, Sebastian slid through the railing opening and jumped right down into the hallway. He is extremely agile and often jumps up to one of the higher stairs, through the opening in the railing, right from the main floor. One time younger son had thrown Sebastian's toy lion up the stairs whike Sebastian was walking towards the kitchen and as soon as the toy hit the middle step, Sebastian had already jumped underneath the railing, almost right on his toy. Fortunately, when he is waiting to pounce - it is on a toy and not on an unsuspecting cat or human.

And on that note...do you remember the sweet innocent face in last week's photo (Spike)? By 2:30 AM he was no longer a sweet cat. We heard the sound of a cat squabble and found Spike chasing Sebastian. Not to worry - Sebastian can out race anything or anyone in the house. Then, less than half an hour later, we heard another round of squabbling, claws on wood, hissing..,,then there was a heavy thump on the bed as Angel jumped up, looking for refuge. Then...finally..peace for the rest of the night!

8 legs are better than 4

New cat toys come into the house on a regular basis. It is so tempting to pick up just one more when we see a new toy on the shelf. Unfortunately many of those toys are played with once or twice while they are still novel - and then they gather dust in an unreachable corner or are hidden under the couch. This toy seemed like it would provide hours of fun and exercise (or so the packaging said!) It has some catnip so this was a good start. It has soft microfiber "skin" and four crinkly legs. Each cat played with it one or two times and then left it alone. We popped it back in the cat toy box and didn't give it a thought until this week. Papa Bear heard the sound of the crinkly material being scrunched and turned around to see Spike chewing away at the catnip scented head while he tried to hold the legs down in place. Spike can't hear the sound of the crinkly material but must find some joy in trying to control the movement of legs, which seem to go every which way when the toy is moved.

Room for two..and more...

Now and then two of the three cats will sleep in relatively close proximity to each other. They are all very independent and do not see any reason to cuddle up to a non human but they will tolerate one of their "brothers" in the same area as long as individual personal space is not compromised. Usually Angel sleeps on this bed at night (he sleeps by Mama Bear's feet and occasionally is "helped" off the bed when Mama bear stretches out!) and he will take a cat nap during the day time. Sebastian will sneak in when no one is around and settle in by the head board. This was one of those rare times when both cats are on the bed and seem to be content with each other's company.