All three kitties

It's a rare occasion to have all three kitties in the same space. Gunnar and Ozzy routinely nap together but Katie almost never hangs out with the other kids, but here they are all napping in a row.  (Possibly Katie is using the blanket as a barrier.

Love these guys.

Fort Kit-A

This pink hamper used to be my laundry hamper. It has since been claimed as Fort Gunnar. Then Fort Ozzy. Then Fort Gunnar again.

The hamper is light and collapsible and every time I've left it out over the years Gunnar has claimed it. He likes to jump on it and watch it collapse. Or bat it around. I've even seen him drag it down the hallway. But Fort Hamper-Kit-A is a favorite spot to lurk and swat at anyone who happens by: human ankles or kitty foes.

 None shall pass.

Toes are delicious.

I left it out a week or so ago doing laundry. And the kitties had so much fun with it, I didn't put it up and just let them play with it. So, for days, I feared for my ankles every time I'd skirt by that hamper.

It moved from place to the place. By the wall, closer to the bedroom, and to the top of the stairs. That made me nervous. I was worried about them rolling the hamper down the stairs. Each time it got too close, I'd move it against a far wall. But they'd tussle and move it around again.

One Sunday, there was a huge commotion and the hamper ended up at the bottom of the stairs. I promptly put the hamper up. No kitties were injured but I'm not risking it.

Changing the sheets

The cats always like to help me change the sheets.

1. They never really want to get off the bed. And one of them is always on the bed.

Here Ozzy gets rolled up in the sheets as I try to change them. He didn't want to budge.

2. If I ever get the sheets off the bed, they are on the mattress cover, on the new sheets, just completely in the way. Here's Ozzy clawing at the new sheet as I try to smooth it down.

And Gunnar comes to join in the fun. Let's sit on the new sheets. We don't need no stinkin' blankets.

And that's how we change sheets at this house. Slowly. With much protest. 

Brotherly love

Gunnar and Ozzy are best good buddies. Truly, I didn't know how much Gunnar wanted a brother, but he really did. And since we got Ozzy, they've been inseparable.

And they have this cute routine, where every night one of them, Gunnar likely, will be sleeping on the bed. The other one will hop up on the bed and start grooming the other. The licking turns into a friendly-ish wrestling match until one of them tumbles off the bed, King of the Mountain style. These tumbles will usually happen several times. And eventually they'll just get tired of wrestling and just nap cuddled up together, but with a paw on the other cat—claiming them, holding them down? I'm not sure. It looks like a hug, but I feel like there's a dash of kitty domination thrown in there somewhere.

So that's our boys.

All three kitties

All of the kitties love to play with shoelace. Sometimes they'll even all try to play together.

Cat Chaise

This is a scratchy chaise I bought for the cats. (Matt got one for Ozzy and all the cats loved it so we bought and second one for downstairs.) All the cats think it's just perfect for lounging or scratching. Ozzie says it was $12 well spent. Here he is working on his pinup poses. Can you tell how much he's been eating?

Little brother

Hanging out.

So far, Ozzy's been a pretty good little brother to Gunnar. It's funny to watch him emulate Gunnar and his behaviors.

• He likes the same spots: Hiding under the chairs at the dining table, flopping on the dining room table, sleeping on the foot of the bed.
• He has a similar flop style.
• He likes to wait for Mojo at the front door. So when Mojo comes back from walks, there are two kitties peering out the front door at him.
• Ozzy and Gunnar wrestle. (No claws out.) They'll roll around a little until one of them runs off. 
• They both have a similar obsession with the litter box in the morning. Gunnar used to like to use it as soon as I scooped it, and then use multiple litter boxes. Ozzy's up to the same tricks, using multiple litter boxes within minutes of each other.
• And of course, the morning ritual for all the kitties is to swam outside the bathroom door while I brush my teeth. With three, it's definitely more of a swarm now. And they both follow me around while I'm feeding the cats and Mojo. They are not above begging for treats.

Revenge is Best Served...Cold Turkey

Yet another portrait with evil cat in the background

Gunnar likes to cry for turkey every morning when I make breakfast. If I put some sandwich meat in Mojo's bowl, Gunnar MEOWS to remind me that he would also like some meats. He was particularly vocal one morning and I put a dollop of turkey down next to his bowl. And before he could blink Katie flies into the room and gulps down his turkey.

He just stared at her in utter disbelief. She finished the turkey and slunk off before poor evil Gunnar could process what happened.

I laughed.  Gunnar is a total bully and tries to bully Katie out of turkey all of the time, and then half the time I give Katie turkey she doesn't eat it.  So in no way were either of us expecting it.

But score one for Katie.

Cats and carpet

When we first moved into this house, we spent a fortune replacing the carpet. And so every time I see the cats sharpening their nails on the carpet (not one of their multiple scratching posts) I cringe. Gunnar's gotten so bad that he can actually pull carpet up.

This is what he's done outside the bathroom. RUINED the carpet.

And this was my solution for a new spot he started clawing at: colored duct tape

Almost Cuddling

Gunnar and Katie

It took these two FURREVER to warm up to each other. Oy! When we first got Gunnar, Katie varied between depressed kitty and acting out (in a really gross and stinky way). But after about a year, she seemed to be doing better and was a happier kitty. Maybe she realized he was staying.

But Katie's a happy kitty now. She plays a lot more than she used to. She plays by herself and with Gunnar and with Mojo.

In this picture they're practically cuddling. This is really as close as they come. But they do play all the time. Mostly play fighting and trying to sneak up on each other, but I have seen them playing tag and chase. And they even leave treats for each other. That was pretty shocking. 

So here are my sleepy kitties—at peace with each other.  Whether or not they're secretly warring over comfiest bed spot, I don't want to know. 

Friends?

Queen Katie sleeping on the pillow. Gunnar sleeping on his back.

The kitties have almost been acting like friends lately.

They can sleep in the same vicinity without too much fighting. They still hiss and fight, but maybe at least some of it is playing.

Yesterday, they shared a plate of tuna. !?!?! They were civil and polite. There was no hissing, slapping, posturing etc. I have never seen them share food before. This is huge progress.

It only took two years.

Cats and books

Some of my favorite things are cats and books. Both cheer me up, help me relax, occupy a lot of my time. And really, they seems like they'd go together.

Gunnar playing in my books, including (from left) my dystopian pile (+ a few misplaced books), my pile form the local press and my to read pile.

See, Gunnar's being cute and playing in the little book fort I built him my books. He even seems to approve of a book I picked up for $3 at a local book festival. Cats + books = awesome!

Or.........

Gunnar doesn't really like the books from the local press. In truth, I've had them for years and not read them.

Cats + books = destrution. 

Gunnar took out a whole pile of books.  He does really love to destroy things, and I caught him in the act.


PS) He's knocking over a book with cat in the title. How funny!

Green-eyed monster

Gunnar is my little green-eyed monster. Don't get me wrong, he's utterly adorable, but he's also so jealous. If Katie finds a soft spot to lie down in, he wants to run her off. If she's playing, he has to play bigger. If she's getting attention, he wants more. This picture is after he claimed the spot she'd been napping in for awhile.

Happy Father's Day

The kids would like to wish a Happy Father's Day to Matt. They sure think he's the best dad ever. He takes Mojo on walks and to the park. He's an excellent pillow for the cats and Mojo thinks his lap is the best spot in the house.

In loving memory...

Getting whacked by Baby and tiny lil Gunnar.

This morning a pit bull killed my sister's cat, Baby.

Baby was only two-years-old. He was a fluffy, stub-tailed Manx mix. He's Gunnar's brother. They were both born in the same doghouse at my sister's house. It's really sad that a cat died. 

And it's even for devastating that it was by a dog. Gunnar and Mojo are best friends. They play together, wrestle—would never purposely hurt each other. Yet at my sister's house this 100-pound pit bull somehow got into their yard (there are no holes in or under their six-foot fence) and killed this cat. And because of this, this dog will likely be put down. He's obviously a danger to other animals and there are a lot of children in their neighborhood. So two animals will lose their life in the end.

But Baby was a sweet cat. When I'd go over to my sister's house, he and his brother, Bear, were inseparable. They were always racing, wrestling, getting into trouble together. 

He was also my sister's cat. He LOVED my niece. If she was crying, he'd go and lie down next to her. She could flop down on him, tug his fur, practically strangle him and he'd take it. He'd snuggle with the family at night. All in all, he was a wonderful cat who will sorely be missed.

These are all the kitten's in Gunnar and Baby's litter.

Itty bitty Gunnar and Baby sleep in my sister's lap.

Kitten Kisses. I'm not sure if this is Baby or Bear.

Lexi snuggling with her favorite cat.

Water bowls

The pets like to surprise me by putting funny things in their water bowls.

It started out with hair elastics. Katie liked to steal my hair elastics. She thought they were the best thing ever. I read up on this online and apparently cats do this to their treasured possessions, things they want to keep safe.

Next up was shoelace—both of the cat's favorite thing to play with. Shoelace gets dunked a lot.

This morning what I found in the water bowl was downright funny: A frog! Ok, so it's a green ball shaped like a frog. Technically it's Mojo's but I'm sure it was one of the cat's that did it. It's just funny because frogs belong in water.