Happy Purr-thday, Leo Cat!

It's October 7th, and you know what that means!

What? You don't know what that means?

Well, it means it's LEO'S BIRTHDAY, of course, silly!

His 2nd Birthday, to be exact. And so I must exclaim:

HAPPY PURR-THDAY, DUDER!

For birthday numero dos, Leo got a cool mousey toy, which is more of a jingle ball with a mouse face, but he thinks it's pretty neat-o. However, the best present this year was his new bed! 

Isn't that pretty fancy-pants???

I brought it home, removed the tags and plopped it on the floor next to my desk. He immediately went to it, sniffed briefly and then curled up and snoozed—as shown above. Score for the Human!

This evening he has been extra silly, so I think he knows it's a special day. Although, at the moment, he is a calm sentry lying in the doorway threshold. 

Happy Birthday Number Two, Little Boy. You go ahead and enjoy a relaxing evening on your special day. You sure continue to bring this Human so much joy, and I love you to pieces!

— E & L

Boredom Killed the Cat

The Dude in his favorite snoozing chair.

My poor Duder.

I can't help but feel like he is bored out of his wits during the day. I mean, no one is home until after five o'clock, and you can only stare out the window or bat around your mousey toy so many times.

Of course, this may just be me worrying too much. He is probably purrfectly content to snooze in the afternoon sun.

I do know that he seems to be extra needy lately as far as affection and food goes. Leo is supposed to be on a diet, and now he cries for food and treats. He also follows me around, rubs on my leg and mews at me.

"Hey, Human! Down here! Remember how soft and sweet I am? Pet me, pet me!"

Although, I have to say, it is awfully sweet to be loved by the fluffy guy so much. And I love when he greets me at the door when I get home from work. Sometimes he's just there, other times I open the door, shout, "Duder, I'm home!" and here comes the jingle, jingle, jingle of his collar as he runs to see me. Unless he is snoozing in his new favorite green chair, then he simply lifts his head up and looks at me in acknowledgment.

"Oh, good, you're home," he'll say lazily.

::strrreeeetch::

Then the constant mewing begins and does not end until he gets his dinner.

Spoiled rotten little thing.

I hope he will get used to the schedule and being in a new place, then he won't be quite so needy.

Or, I'll just need to get another kitty or dog to keep him company...

Yeah, I'm not so sure he'd go for that. Maybe if I mention it he'll quite his silly mewing and moping in the hopes that I'll change my mind.

Hmmm...

— E & L

Leo: The Next Tight Rope Walker, or the Next Right Fielder? You Decide...

Beds are the best!

Leo Kitty is a curious and smart little thing. His ancestors were probably the ones that inspired the old adage, "curiosity killed the cat."

But, like I said, he is also incredibly intelligent. I mean, he has figured out how to open the door!

At night I put him in his "bedroom" where his food, water, bed, litter box and some toys are, and shut the door. Just because I want to keep him out of trouble while I try to get some sleep. Anyway, when he was still smaller, he quickly figured out that all he had to do was jump up, grab the handle and that door would open.

I still remember the first time he did it. There was a loud noise, and then all of a sudden I hear this little kitty squeak.

"Mew," he said as he sauntered into the bedroom.

"Leo! Did you let yourself out???" I was aghast. Surely not...

I put him back in there. A few minutes later, here he comes.

"Mew."

That is some serious cognitive thinking!

So, lately Little Leo has been a fan of the bed. He loves to snooze on there during the day, and he also thinks it is a prime playing spot.

The headboard and footboard have this open, metalwork design. Recently, Leo has been putting one little, kitty paw on the railing. Then the other. Then he puts one of his back feet on there, then attempts the last one. But, he quickly realizes that is pretty unstable, so he sticks to the two feet. I'm still convinced he'll figure it out one of these days. He's like a circus kitty or something! I tell him he can be whatever he wants when he grows up, but he always responds the same way:

"I'm going to be a pawsitively ferocious Tiger Cat when I grow up!"

Sure you are, buddy.

Anyway, we even have a new game that involves the bed and the railing:

I grab one of his toys, usually a mousey toy or his "Cute Kitty" heart from his Auntie Jean. And Leo crouches behind the rail. I toss the toy into the air toward the bed, and Leo leaps up to catch it! He will then rastle with it for a few moments, then walk away so I can pick it up and start the game all over again.

We will also play through the railing. I will toss the toy up to him while he has an arm through a hole in the railing, and he'll snatch the toy!

It's actually a lot of fun for both of us. He is a really good catcher! He has quick reflexes and jumps up, nice and tall, and catches the toy right out of the air. He could be an outfielder! Catching that ball, getting the out and winning the game!

::fake crowd cheers::

He'll never go for that.

He'd rather be playing "tiger in the grass."

::purrRawr!::

— E & L

Cute as a Button

As a first-time cat owner, not to mention a self-declared "dog person," I have been surprised by how attached I have become to this little, orange mass of fur.

It's not just how playful he is, or his many sleeping positions, nor is it even his fetishes. These things all endear him to me, and make up his unique personality. But, it is also the little things that I find myself stopping and smiling about.

One thing that I found oh-so-cute from the get-go was listening to him drink water. Um, what? No, really. There is something about that little "lap, lap, lap, lap, lap" that I find so delicate and soothing. Almost like listening to the rain drizzle outside. Plus, at the time I first noticed it, it seemed like such a contrast to his crazy kitten behavior. I still find myself pausing to listen to it.

Then there are those adorable kitty whiskers. I just love those long, white strands. The way they contrast against his orange fur is so cute to me. The fact that they remind me of a walrus or overgrown nose hairs are just pluses.

Lastly, I give you the foot-tuck. As I mentioned, Leo really likes to sleep all spread out. But, when he is just sitting around, he will often tuck his front feet under his body. This is sometimes accompanied by the tail-wrap where he wraps his tail around his body. He becomes a perfect oval. This pose exudes feline satisfaction. I feel that when he sits this way he is telling me he is content with life.

It must be true love when even the simplest of things bring me joy and smiles.

Sorry pups, but perhaps I need to get myself a subscription to Cat Fancy...

— E & L

These are a Few of My [Leo's] Favorite Things

Leo is a very playful guy. When we first brought him to his fur-ever home he was a sick dude, but even then he was ready to have fun.

When we brought him home, we brought with us a small arsenal of kitty necessities as well. Among the list was, of course, toys.

Balls —

One of the simplest was the jingle  ball. Simple, yet very useful when developing your stalking technique. Which means, in a kitty's mind, jingle ball=fun!
Leo and I developed this game early on:

I would get behind the ball, he would run over to a spot of his choosing and crouch down in pounce position. I would then kick the ball to him. He would pounce and leap on the thing, then quickly run and take cover in his next spot. I would kick the ball to him again, and etc., etc. Lots of fun for us both. In fact, we still play this game, though not always with balls. We will use other things that are handy, like a mousey toy, or pecans. Wait, what?