Cabin Fever (Winter, 2013)

It snowed a lot this winter! Which usually doesn't bother us because we like to skip and twirl and slide and play tag on ice-covered snow.

But this year's snow was different -- when we tried to walk on it, we sank down so deeply that it was a struggle to claw our way out. So Pat said we had to stay indoors -- and then she closed the window and the cat door leading to our pen!

So what have we been doing while we are house-bound?

Natasha has the easiest time of it because she has so much to do inside. She loves to help Henry as he works in his office:

And, Natasha has a favorite indoor sport that involves lots of vigorous rolling back and forth:

Can you guess where she is?

Summer also has an indoor hobby: he likes to listen to the television news. But judging by this picture, Dandy was seriously bored by news reports concerning the (American) State of the Union:

Office work, bath-tub gymnastics, listening to the news -- these are activities that take quite a bit of energy. In the next picture, Boris joins Natasha in demanding that dinner be served early:

Here is what happens when Pat tosses us a handful of treats:

 In fact, we spend quite a bit of time eating:

Did you notice anything odd in the preceding picture?  That's right! Farah and Summer are no longer bitter enemies -- they can now be right next to each other without growling and howling and boxing each other's ears. It is Summer who deserves the credit for this detente: Farah still growls when he comes too near, but he ignores the provocation.

In the next picture, Farah and Summer exchange meaningful glances:

Take a good look at the pink carpet in this picture. Because, just when we thought our cabin fever was at its peak -- just when we thought things couldn't get worse -- Pat announced that she has always hated that pink carpet and she was having it replaced! And for good measure, we were also getting new tiles in the upstairs bathrooms!

As our much-stained and therefore much-loved carpet was being taken away, Summer was allowed to go outside to the porch to say goodbye on behalf of us all:

Then men came into the house with noisy machines. They spent days putting down the new carpet and tiles.

Whenever the men left the house, we hurried out of our hiding places to inspect their tools and see what damage they had been doing:

We were SO upset that Pat tried to calm us down by promising that after the men left, she would buy us a new tower to match the carpet!

Here is Hershey on the new tower:

(By the way -- if you are wondering, the print on the wall is "End of the Day," by the well-known Alaskan artist Rie Munoz. It depicts scenes from Juneau, Alaska in the 1960s, when Pat went to high school there.)

Taffy on the tower:

We are glad the men are gone now and we can get down to work scratching and staining the new carpet. But even with this project to keep us busy, we remain a bit bored.

So we devote many hours to the most reliable pastimes of all:  perching, and sleeping.

Dandy continues to be a mama's boy who prefers the company of his mother Tessa:

Hershey and Summer are best buddies who like to curl up together on the sofa:

But when Summer decides to stretch out, there isn't much room left for Hershey:

When that happens, Hershey goes upstairs to join his sisters: in this next picture, he is with Cocoa:

And here are all four "Jets": from left to right, Cocoa, Tootsie (who is Hershey's favorite sister), Hershey, and Taffy:

Sometimes, though, it seems best just to rest alone quietly while we wait for better weather:

The Way We Live Now (November 2010)

November already. And those of us who are old enough to have lived through all four seasons, realize that one of the best things about autumn is, LEAVES!

Some of us blend in better than others:

Not all of us are allowed to go out into the yard. But even Dandy and Dolly are big enough now to enjoy the pen, at least during the day, and under the supervision of their mother, Tess (CLICK these pictures to enlarge them):

Inside we have lots of fun too.

Dandy and Dolly particularly enjoy relaxing on the towers in the family room:

Tootsie decides to join them:

Yes, Tess and the kittens are now full members of our Clowder. In fact, with the usual exception - Summer and Farah, who remain enemies even after living together for more than four years now - all of us are getting along well together:

 

 

We all enjoy playing on the stairs that lead up to Toy Corner and Bag Alley:

 

 

Taffy rides the rails!

 

Both downstairs and up, there are so many toys, and so little time:

 

 

 

 

In Toy Corner, Hershey calls for a brief Time Out:

But in Bag Alley, Dolly and Dandy play on, despite Farah's attempts to defend the bags from their predations:

 

 

Farah works SO hard at appearing to be SO ferocious, we call her our Cat-Bear!

But none of us take her seriously. In these next pictures, Taffy and Natasha enter Bag Alley, undeterred by Farah's yowling and growling:

 

Speaking of Natasha, she was diagnosed a few months ago as having food allergies. Since then, Pat has been making special food for her, based on recipes that Pat got at the vet clinic and online.

Nasha is not always happy with what she finds - or doesn't find - in her bowls:

But Pat makes a special mix of canned salmon + supplements + canned hypoallergenic cat food that is so good, we all enjoy it.

"Now That was Tasty!"

As a result of her new diet, Natasha is feeling much better, and her fur, as you can see, is super-shiny!

The rest of us are watching our diets more carefully, too. Dolly checks to make sure that Pat's coffee is decaffeinated:

Other news:

Dolly and Dandy are getting SO big, and Tess has enjoyed being their mom SO much, that she wants to do it all over again, by having another litter!

At least, that's what she has been telling us, very loudly, for the past few nights. And since she is such a beautiful girl, potential beaus have been lining up in the back yard, to the disgust of Summer, Hershey, and Boris, the resident males who are responsible for defending the property.

Fortunately, Tess has an appointment with the vet next week. Natasha, our only other resident Mom, has been assuring Tess that everything will work out well. Dolly will be going along to keep her Mom company, and Dandy will have his own appointment a few days later.

We are all determined to help them rest up!