A Recycled Xmas Gift

Two years ago this December we received the wonderful gift of a new furry family member ("wrapped" in a laundry basket, delivered to our front door). Spike has decided to re-gift himself this year! We put up a small Christmas tree in our living room each year and this year we decided to decorate it with small straw ornaments. Spike is the one cat that plays happily with anything that even remotely resembles a toy so we kept a close eye on him when the ornaments were put on the tree. Fortunately he had no interest in anything on the tree, other than a quick sniff to see what was hanging beside his favorite blanket. He is definitely a "gift" that keeps giving and we are so grateful to be able to give him a home where he is truly a part of the family.

Sebastion relaxing on top of our bookcase

There are only a few inches between Sebastian's head and the ceiling in the family room - but this is one of his "safe" places. Although he is very comfortable in younger son's room, likely due to the "imprinting" when he spent his first week there under quarantine, he is typically wary about where to lie down when he is downstairs with the rest of the family. Usually, he will come to eat his meals when he hears the sound of cans being opened and then he will head back upstairs to the relative safety of the second floor. If we open the kitchen window, he is captivated by the allure of the outdoor scent and will gladly stay by the window until we get too cold with it being open (usually around -15 to -20 degrees at this time of the year so it doesn't stay open long!). Every once in awhile, he decides to honour us with more of his time and he jumps effortlessly up to the top of the bookcase, to rest for a short time. At the beginning, his eyes would quickly open whenever he heard anyone come by, but he has come to realize that no one is interested in hauling him down from his resting place. He will stretch out and then close his eyes, looking quite peaceful. He is getting more comfortable with us, even to the point of occasionally sitting in Papa Bear's computer chair - of course, when Papa Bear has just left it nice and warm!

Sleeping Beauty (in the eye of the beholder)

As you know from earlier posts, our fluff cat loves to sleep ...anywhere..anytime...and as you can see, in any position! Although he looks like he is awake in the first photo, he really is sleeping soundly. We have built a sleeping spot for him by the couch and covered it with a large soft blanket. It is high enough that he can look over most of the furniture in the room and it faces the front door so if he needs to just relax and watch what is going on, he is in a prime location. In the evening, when we are watching TV, we'll often hear a little soft snore to the back of us and will find Spike curled up in blissful sleep.