Alpaca - My Favorite

Knitting continues to be a challenge with the kittens. They - well, honestly mostly JoJo - love animal fibers. Cashmere, angora, wool, alpaca - all delightful. I was redoing a hat for Chris to make it fit better. I started the new one with fresh wool and then unraveled the one that didn't fit well to finish it. I only unraveled the yarn as I needed it, starting at the crown,  so I ended up with a ribbed band and a little of the knitted cap. I stitched the edges together to make a knitted ring and gave it to the cats. They wrestle lovingly with it.

King of the Hill

Or at least of the family room. JoJo perched on the back of my chair and watched us eat our dinner. Thought he might pounce. He is very interested in people food, particularly anything that swam while alive. Maggie Mae is a little more discreet - or perhaps just less ravenous.

Hide and Seek

A new game! Maggie and JoJo took turns hiding under this throw rug. 

Lap Cat Wanted

I've never had a lap cat. Basil and Klar pretty much stuck to each other and left me alone. Maybe because I was working at least full time out of the house and wasn't around with them as much. Jasper loved to me with me but always about a short distance away at my feet. I thought that was where I was heading with these guys. Maggie Mae loves being on the ottoman often draping herself on my legs or otherwise seeking adoration. JoJo often is on the floor between my chair and the ottoman. Lately though he likes to climb onto my lap and rub faces. And try to type on my laptop. And snuggle next to me - finally a lap cat?

Scratch? Who me?

I noticed that the cats aren't liking the cardboard scratchers as much as before. JoJo prefers the carpet. Maggie is a furniture gal. I bought this small carpet post to see if JoJo would like it. Like it? He LOVES it! Wraps himself around it. Climbs up it. Probably needs a bigger one. Maggie, on the other hand, apparently thinks the concept is ridiculous.

Wonder where the rest of that bird went?

Maggie Mae and JoJo discovered the feather duster today. They enjoyed stalking it and dragging it around. Maybe I could train them to dust?

X marks the spot

Having a black and a white cat makes for some amusing photo ops. JoJo was snoozing on the ottoman and Maggie plopped herself down crosswise over the top of him. Cute!

Yum - tuna!

I needed a very quick dinner before I went out so I decided to make my speedy pasta with tuna sauce - olive oil, an anchovy or 2 sauteed for a minute, a can of tuna in olive oil, some capers, a little grated lemon peel and lemon juice, parmesan reggiano, parsley - tossed with a nice wheat germ pasta. I had JoJo at the anchovies. I ignored him. Then I opened the can of tuna. I was VERY popular with the cats. I gave them a little bit of tuna and it was practically inhaled.

I ate my dinner - with a feline audience. After I removed my plate, IK caught JoJo pretty much rolling around my place at the table - I guess I had dropped a drip or two. I left Ward's dinner in the pan on the stove. 

When I got home, I asked Ward how his dinner was. He said it would have been better if Dark Trouble hadn't eaten part of it. Apparently he set his plate on the table and turned away for a minute. When he looked back, JoJo was eating the pasta. My response? "Did you take a picture?" Of course he hadn't so I had to stage one  so I could tell the story.

Separation Anxiety

I'm headed off for a beach weekend with friends. JoJo draped himself over my suitcase when I tried to pack. Perhaps he sensed something?

I left Ward a list and emphasized the litterbox scooping and plentiful water. Things seemed to go okay while I was gone but boy were JoJo and Maggie Mae glad to see me! Ward probably was too but the cats were more obvious - definitely wanted some attention.

Bath time

Loved this posture Maggie struck for her evening bath!

Dark Trouble and Light Trouble

Maggie Mae and JoJo have new nicknames. We've taken to calling them Dark Trouble and Light Trouble because trouble is usually what they are up to!

Tonight they discovered a new game. They pawed a small area rug until the edge lifted up. Then Maggie (Light Trouble) scooted under and sat there until JoJo (Dark Trouble) sat on top and waited to attack. Eventually JoJo took his turn under the rug.

Where's our tree going?

The Maggie and JoJo were enjoying our tree even more once the ornaments were gone. I could almost hear them thinking, "It's so much easier to climb now!"

Tonight we took the tree down. Put it in its bag and left it in the hall while we had dinner. The cats decided to show it a little love even though it was no longer recognizable as a tree.

Hey that Ward guy is cool after all!

Ward made this swimming screen saver with the AboutUs logo. He set the computer down on the ground and left it open. As the logo started to swim it attracted the kitties attention. Glad they didn't attack it!

Guarding the tissue paper

I might have to take out sheets of tissue paper all year long since these guys love it so much. Tonight I saw Maggie carrying some in her mouth like an animal she caught. JoJo ended up lying on some on his back, wallowing in the pleasure of it.

Little Miss Innocent - NOT!

We always think that JoJo is the wild one. He seems to get into the obvious trouble more often. And yet I know that Maggie loves playing with toys more than him so ... Today I caught her in the act, climbing quite high in the Christmas tree that I'm working on undecorating. She managed to unlpug the top strands of lights making the job more difficult.

A quiet house

The Christmas Eve Slovak dinner party - 27 diners! - is done. Christmas morning gifts and stockings are done. Our open house - dozens of people many of whom wanted to find and meet the kitties - is done. The boys and Sevanah left today for Eugene. I think all 4 os us - Ward, me, Maggie Mae and JoJo - are feeling a little let down. And a little exhausted!

Of course there is another reason for this exhaustion today! We got a new king size bed a few weeks ago. More room for the kitties to curl up next to me and sleep. Most nights. Some nights it is just more room for the hunting game. Last night. when I finally got to bed, several hours after the new year began, both cats decided they wanted to play. JoJo jumped onto the bed carrying a toy mouse in his mouth and proceeded to drop it and pounce on it - over and over. Maggie did the same with her favorite tinsel ball. A few times they dropped their toy near my pillow. In an attempt to get them to play somewhere else, I tossed the toys across the room. What did they do? Played fetch like puppies and brought the toys back to me. I eventually went to sleep on the couch in the kitty/craft room figuring it would offer less room for their antics.