Box Monsters

Aaahhh! My house has been invaded by box monsters! At least they’re fluffy and cute.

This one could be called a Box Maunster!

Garrus gave me so much side-eye when I started taking photos.

Charlie, on the other hand, was more interested in playing around the box, rather than in it. The cats are quite intrigued when I’ve tossed toys into the box – a scavenger hunt is very exciting!

I managed to catch one of the box monsters in action!

Being scampery box monsters can be quite tiring, so obviously a snuggle is warranted.

Making Friends

Having three cats – all boys, with very different personalities – is a fun lesson in cat ownership. I’ve noticed that all three regularly play by themselves and with each other. It’s a common occurrence for a scamper session to start before we wake up in the morning and continue during breakfast. Another preferred time to bat toys around and tell everyone about it is right when we’re going to bed. Charlie in particular likes to warble when he plays – I’ve been working on getting video and audio of it so I can share it with you here on Purry Home Companion.

Hooray the boys are getting along! Apparently Charlie and Garrus are starting to see Mau as belonging to their social group.

Garrus and Mau chill on the ottoman.

“Hi Mom. I really want the blue blanket for myself but Charlie won’t move. Maybe we can snuggle instead.” ~Mau

They both fit!

Charlie and Mau shared the cat tree! Charlie got his spot back!

Do your cats get along? Are they friends with each other? Does your cat have a dog friend? Share your stories in the comments!

Garrus remains unconcerned.

Playing vs Fighting

Feline housemates, just like human housemates, may not always get along. Depending on the cats involved, they may actually fight or simply ignore one another. Other cats like to play and tussle with one another, and that can sometimes look like they’re fighting.

Photo courtesy of Petcha

How do you tell the difference between tussling and actual fighting? Here are a few things to look for:

Body language. When cats prepare to fight, they will adopt a defensive stance, curve their spine, bristle their fur, and flatten their ears. A big bottle-brush tail lashing back and forth is another indication of escalating aggression. By contrast, play cats will generally have calm, forward ears (sometimes they may flick back but are not flattened down) and won’t not have bristly fur or look like a classic Halloween scaredy cat.
Position. Playing cats generally have looser positions as they tumble. Sometimes they put a paw around the head or go after the belly area (playing may look rough), but note that they take turns. Fighting cats square off against each other, attempt to intimidate each other with posturing and loud vocalizations, and strike only when necessary.
Noise. Playing cats generally don’t make a lot of noise. They don’t yowl and scream, but if the play gets too rough, there may be a couple meows of protestation! When they do this, they teach each other manners and that biting too hard ends the game. Kittens learn this from an early age, ideally from their siblings and from occasionally disciplinary nips from their mom. Fighting cats hiss a lot, growl, scream, snarl, and generally make A LOT of ruckus.
Friendship. Cats that play together generally have a friendly relationship and see each other as belonging to the same social group. They may snuggle together, groom one another, and even share toys or food. When cats do not have this kind of cordiality, they avoid one another and may have totally separate territories.

Photo courtesy of PetMD. Note these two tense cats are squaring off and just look angry.

Photo courtesy of Free Cat Images. These two cats are tussling, not fighting.

Photo courtesy of Chewy. The tabby on the right prepares to playfully bop the one on the left.

If you want more information about determining whether your cats are playing or fighting, check out Vetstreet, AnimalWised, and PetHelpful.

Do your cats play or do they fight? Do they like each other? What kind of antics do they do during a tussle session? Please share in the comments!

Kitten Palooza Part One

Aaron and I visited the Pflugerville Animal Shelter for two hours this afternoon, originally intending to see Mau. We’re still waiting for him to be transferred to APA and receive more intensive treatment for his dental issues. In the meantime, we get to visit!

When I visited last week, there was a litter of seven kittens. Two of them–the black and the white and grey bicolor–were adopted last week. The grey will be adopted tomorrow. But now the adoption room has four more kittens–9 total! I can verify that they were indeed most precious.

These three were mellow and super-cuddly and freely demonstrated their excellent purring technique. (You can see the third’s rear end sticking up. He took kneading on the bed very seriously.)

This little girl was positively loquacious! Her brother had been adopted late last week so she did not like being by herself, and let everyone know how unfair it was.

“GIMME ATTENTION NOW!” The grey tabby (the only girl in the litter of seven, now five) was a little diva.

“Love me please?” These orange and grey furballs wanted all the smooches.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Playing Favorites

As I’ve mentioned before, Charlie has favorite toys. These are his three fuzzy mice and a fuzzy ball. A couple of times a day I replace these toys back on the top platform of the cat tower for him to find. He likes fishing one out with his paws, playing with it fiercely, and tossing it to the floor. Sometimes he will simply throw each toy to the floor before taking a nap on his favorite platform. I was able to get two short videos of him doing this so enjoy!

“Helpful” Cats

This afternoon I tried to practice gentle yoga for at least half an hour. All the cats were sleeping. I figured I should do yoga instead of succumbing to the cats’ charms and taking a nap with them. So I pulled out my yoga mat and started to meditate.

Then who shows up? Queen Boudicca. Talking a bit, she was very curious and slightly confused as to what exactly I was doing. She tried her best to nudge my hands into petting her and climb onto my lap.

“Excuse me, Mother, I have declared that it is time for you to adore me. Not meditate.”

I did a few poses and suppressed a giggle as Boudicca wound herself around my legs and persistently sought out my hands for pets. Do you realize how difficult it is to execute yoga when your cat is giving you a tail hug and giving you a running commentary at the same time?

Needless to say, my yoga practice was not very successful. Finally I gave in–my focus had been entirely interrupted and I could not resist Boudicca’s hopeful eyes‒and petted her. Then she presented her head for me to kiss, purring all the while. Queen B was victorious. She can only get away with this because she’s cute.

After she left I attempted to refocus and restart my yoga practice. However, the boys decided to wake up at that time and start their afternoon scamper session, which included venturing into my office, squeaking, playing, and wanting pets too. Sigh.

Do your cats try to “help” you do tasks, such as making the bed or laundry? Do they get in the way when you try to exercise or work? What do you do when they do this? Do your cats ultimately win?

Squeaky Mondays

It appears that Charlie woke up on the extra squeaky, and if it’s possible, even cuter side of the cat tower this morning. He’s been trotting around the house squeaking, chirping, cheeping, and trilling rather cheerfully as he visits everyone. And…he’s just found his toy mouse. I expect the zoomies and much vigorous play sessions, which include enthusiastic squeaks of their own, will soon follow.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Pictured above: Last evening Charlie was very curious about my phone’s camera. It’s hard to snap a non-blurry photo of him!

Just a December Evening Around Here

Egads! It’s actually snowing! The temperature is at freezing. The weather has been gloppy, cold, blustery, and grey before the snow started. The cats, Garrus in particular, have not been happy about the conspicuous absence of sunspots in which to bathe. On the bright side, they have been extra snuggly. On Wednesday night, Charlie came up onto the couch next to me (Boudicca was in my lap) and lazed on the pillow, receiving lots of rubs and purring away very happily. For her part, Boudicca had no idea he was there because she was upside down asleep.

What have my cats been doing to occupy themselves during this spate of wintry weather? Sleeping. Surprise! They are cats, after all. The boys, with Garrus coming to us first with those big mournful eyes of his, politely wait for us to lay out the crocheted blankets over the couch so they can snuggle up all cozy together. Boudicca has been happy snoozing in her pink beds, although occasionally she has stolen a spot on the couch when the boys head off for their own bed or the tower for a nap.

Curiously, all three cats have been intermittently poky, frisky, and attention-hungry this evening.

Boudicca turned into a moderate Meower Mouth and pestered me until I picked her up. She seemed both thoroughly confused and pleased as I held her in my lap/against my chest as I sat at my desk. (She normally gets lap time when I sit on the couch.) Much purring occurred.
Charlie breaks out in sporadic squeaks and came over for a few pit stop visits. He kept pestering Garrus and Boudicca to play with him and, of course, Boudicca was not having any of it!
Garrus has been unusually frisky, complete with scampers (without Charlie instigating scampering session) and poofy tail. And he’s decided to new game (Bug Boudicca) while trying to get her to play with him (tag from the looks of it). I think he’s won every round. Boudicca is decidedly unamused by this turn of events.

Boudicca: Mama! It’s cold outside! And the boys are bothering me! Make it stop! If I hide behind you, they won’t follow me, right?

Me: Queen B, I can’t change the weather. Boys, leave Boudicca alone.

Garrus: *looking directly at me, touches Boudicca’s tail with his tail then darts away*

Boudicca: Mama! He’s touching me!

Charlie: *looking innocent* Play?

Boudicca: No, I won’t, you plebeian! Go away!

Me: Children…