We Three Kings Together

We had set up the dining room window seats over a year ago in the hope that all 3 cats would enjoy the sights and each other's company. This is the first time we have ever seen them up here together - we typically see at most two, and usually only one at a time.

The open window on the right is the real draw - they can smell the fresh air and hear the birds clearly. Sebastian is sitting on the right side chair, with his eyes on the fat grey squirrel helping itself to the fallen sunflowere seeds. Sebastian takes to fresh air like a chocoholic in a candy factory - his little nose twitches and he stares intently at every movement outside. He is always on the wait by the front door when we return home and he is the first up to the kitchen window when we get up in the morning. Spike lays claim to the front window and will tolerate acat beside him. However when either Sebastian or Angel has already grabbed an open spot, they will run away immediately when they see Spike bearing down on them (after all, Spike's size and weight advantage does look really intimidating even though he means no harm).

Come here little birdie

The other day, we were at the Costco cash register, hauling up a large bag of bird seed onto the counter. The lady in front of us turned around and said we must be bird lovers. I answered: "cat lovers". She looked at me with a puzzled look but didn't bite.

We actually do like birds and have a wide variety stopping by for regular feedings. But the main reason we buy bird seed is to provide our cats with hours of endless entertainment at any of the 5 windows on our main floor that offer a view of the yard. Spike is at the front window and has just spied a bird outside. His paw is up to catch the bird's attention. I'm sure he is constantly puzzled why he can't just reach through the window and get his paw on any of the feather interlopers. He really gets excited when the birds come right up to the window - and I'm sure if he could, he would be very pleased to play with a new "toy".

Sebastian and his brush tail

Papa Bear has been waiting to get a photo of Sebastian and his brush tail for a few weeks now. Although Sebastian is a nervous cat at some times, he rarely gets upset enough that his tail fluffs out. The first time we saw this we were quite amazed at how thick his tail really is. Every once in a while a neighbour cat sneaks through our yard and in its journey it will stop to have a look at whichever cat is sitting by our window. Spike and Angel simply watch with interest - but do not show any signs of concern. Sebastian, on the other hand, clearly now sees our house and yard as his territory and is very annoyed when any other cat dares to invade. As soon as he sees the intruder cat he will run back and forth from window to window in a very agitated manner. His tails fluffs to full force at first sight and doesn't settle back down until the other cat has left our yard.

A quiet day...and a quiet cat

Sebastian snoozing by the dining room window basically sums up the week for the furry boys. This past weekend, younger son was taking care of the cats while we were off to see eldest daughter. When we returned, we expected to be greeted by furry little faces, showing joy at our return. Not so. Slowly each of them appeared by the door as we were bringing in the luggage - they looked, they yawned and they disappeared. Every time we looked around for a kitty, we would find them sleeping somewhere - on the couch, on the chair, under the table, on the bed.

Yesterday, we found Sebastian curled up fast asleep. Usually he is sitting on one of the chairs that flanks this bed, with his nose pressed against the window but still remaining vigilant for people coming up behind him. It was a surprise to see him in such a relaxed state, not even twitching an ear when his photo was taken. He is becoming more comfortable as time goes by and we hope he really feels this is his home now.

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.