Cat Tales

Perhaps one reason we are fascinated by cats is because such a small animal can contain so much independence, dignity, and freedom of spirit. Unlike the dog, the cat’s personality is never bet on a human’s. He demands acceptance on his own terms.
– Lloyd Alexander

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.
– Terry Pratchett

How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven.
– Robert A. Heinlein

One cat just leads to another.
– Ernest Hemingway

It’s been awhile since my last kitty post, so I figured it was time. :-)

I read somewhere that when kittens sleep their body releases a growth hormone, and I believe it. I swear that some days Dinsdale grows when he’s sleeping. A couple of times Khaos almost caught up to him, but he’s definitely the bigger of the two.

See for yourself. Dinsdale then (at 5 pounds):

And Dinsdale now (at 9 pounds):

Quite the difference, isn’t there? Nine whole pounds, and it’s not fat, he actually looks a little on the skinny side.

But let’s not forget Khaos. Here she is then (at 4.4 pounds):

And here she is now (at 7.8 pounds):

While he’s a little more lanky, she’s more compact, but despite the amount of food they put away, neither of them are the slightest bit overweight.

They have the full run of the house, and during crazy time they do exactly that – run. Up the stairs and down again, across the living room and up the cat tree, and then reversing direction. Don’t get in their way or they’ll run right over you. LOL

I’ve started putting peanuts and bird seed out on the deck and they love sitting in their cat tree to watch the birds and squirrels. They’ve also developed a bathroom fetish. If you use the bathroom at our house, made sure you have the door tightly closed, otherwise you’ll have a pair of furry little voyeurs watching you from the back of the toilet and the sink.

It will be interesting to see what they get into next.

And how big they’ll get before they stop growing.

Kittens and Trees

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.
― Christopher Hitchens

Throw a stick, and the servile dog wheezes and pants and stumbles to bring it to you. Do the same before a cat, and he will eye you with coolly polite and somewhat bored amusement.
― H.P. Lovecraft

Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.
― Pam Brown

I was going to try not to do a kitten post more than once a month, but on the weekend we finally put together the kittens’ Christmas present – the cat tree I ordered them from Amazon.

It actually arrived on the one day we weren’t home, but the daughter kindly stopped by our house to check and put it inside for us. When I saw the box, I was worried that parts would be missing or broken:

But everything appeared to be there, and intact:

The instructions, however, were a little sketchy:

The first task was to put together the cubby holes, and Khaos was happy to offer to check the first one out:

I guess they figured because the tree was for them, they had a vested interest in helping.

In spite of their help, it didn’t take long to get it together. To be honest, I was really surprised how easy it was to put together, especially considering you had to use an allen key on it. And of course, Khaos was the first one to try it out.

But it didn’t take long before Dinsdale joined her. And please note the addition of heavy plastic to the bookcase beside it. Khaos learned that she could easily jump over to the bookcase beside the cat tree to knock stuff over on the shelves.

Not to be out done, of course, a couple of days later, Dinsdale discovered he could reach the valance over the vertical blinds behind the tree from the top platform. I was surprised it would support his weight. I had to use the step ladder to get him down again.

They’ve been having a blast ever since, though. They can race up and down it, use the scratching posts, have a nap, wake up and go back to sleep on a different level, and even curl up together on one of the platforms.

Honestly? It was time and money well spent.