You’ll note that Fireball is cuddled up in the big pink puff and Mac is in an adjacent kitty bed. It doesn’t matter who is in one of the puffs when Mac wants to sleep there; she pushes her way in, often pressuring the other cat to leave. Hence, it puzzles the human that she is not in the puff. Regardless of who got to the puff first, it must be that Mac wanted to sleep in the other bed.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
Before the big pink puff, Mac and Fireball cuddled together in a rather crowded fashion in one of the “smaller” cat beds, which was still fairly large. (Yes, that black and white patch in front is the Pepster.)
Now with the BBPP, there is plenty of room and no one needs to feel crowded. If Mac would allow it, two more kitties could easily fit into the bed. <<<Follow my lips: not happening, human!>>>
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
See that adorable paw? It’s soaking wet. So is the foreleg to which it is attached. In fact, the leg is damp all the way to the shoulder. Same deal with the other foot…leg…shoulder.
Why is this significant? It means the Merkitty has been swimming in the downstairs water bowl again…or, if not swimming, then definitely wading in her splash pool.
See that smirk? It’s the look of supreme satisfaction when the human realizes you’ve been doing what you’ve been doing.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
The human walked by and glanced in the other bedroom. Her peripheral vision picked up a bit of color where there shouldn’t be any. A kitty was curled up on his/her side in the white dome-shaped kitty bed with his/her head at the edge of the “door.”
Fortunately, the human had her camera handy and started taking pictures as she walked closer to investigate. The kitty was instantly alerted because humans are noisy herd animals.
The kitty in the kitty bed was no other than the Pepster. He looks a bit large for that kitty bed, but apparently he fits quite nicely when curled up inside, as it’s become one of his favorites of late.
At first he looked a bit sleepy, with heavily lidded eyes, but then his eyes opened wide and he was fully alert, planning his escape should the human be carrying something evil like medication. (She was not.)
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
The Merkitty has been feeling very fine indeed of late. As a consequence, she’s had an unusually large number of zoomie sessions. One of the many crazy things she does is leap into the big pink puff and spin around chasing her own tail. (She’s 11 or 12 years old, so not exactly a kitten.) And lately, the Girly Girl has started digging underneath the big puff. She then slides under the puff, presumably imagining she’s hidden from sight. <<<Until the evil human lifts the edge and stares at me!>>>
During a recent session of digging and hiding, the human, who happened to have her camera in hand, lifted the bed, which spoiled all her fun. Mac then attempted to dive under the bed again, pushing it close to the edge of the big bed. Her side ended up sticking up in the air while the other side dipped down and rested on the kitty condo, which prevented it from sliding further. Since her side of the puff was higher than she initially anticipated, the Mer rose up on her hind legs and crested the side of the bed, then nose dived into the puff before the human intervened and pulled the puff (with crazy kitty in tow) back onto the safety of the big bed.
Owing to the human’s interference, a disgusted Mac left and the human resettled the kitty bed in its normal spot. The human made a mental note to look for some rug grip to prevent the puff from sliding across the fleece. <<<Spoil sport!>>>
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
The human had dried the bedding outside on the lines, which leaves them with a delightful “outdoor” smell. The 2-legged had subsequently stripped and remade the bed with the yummy-smelling sheets and duvet. The human thinks that Corky was running his nose along the edge of the fabric, much as he does to items that need a bit more drying inside and are draped over blankets on the upstairs bannister. Still, even for Corky, it was an odd sight.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
Although it’s round and flew through the air, this is not a UFO. The human immediately recognized what it was, so the object was not unidentified. The Merkitty is suspected. The human has seen her get the zoomies, race into the bedroom, leap onto the big bed, then leap into the big pink puff only to have it slide precariously close to the edge of the bed. This time, apparently it went off the side of the bed, presumably with her in it. She’s such a goofy girl.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
The only “found” object that might be more fun to play with than a cardboard box is a pile of crackly packing paper….or a box stuffed with crackly paper.
Pepe, Corky, and even Mac have been having so much fun jumping into the growing pile of crackly paper and exploring.
Other than having a sniff to see where it’s been, the human has no idea why Pepe likes to stick his face into the paper.
Pepe’s technique for playing with the paper differs a bit from his brother or sister. He spins around and jumps on the pile, throwing paper this way and that. Corky likes to jump onto a piece and slide across the floor. And Mac likes it when the human sprinkles catnip on a sheet. She’ll flop down and roll back and forth until her fur is coated with the wildwood weed.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
In this house, toys that are purchased seem to be far less interesting than toys that the cats imagine (or actually) steal from the human.
Case in point: an empty box that recently brought something into the house is far more interesting than a light-up ball or a toy fish that flops around on the floor.
In most cases, it’s a waste of money buying fancy enrichment toys, as the kitties prefer to find their own enrichment from things the human has lying around.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
<<<Can’t be anything good…>>>
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
Fireball had been sneaking into the big pink puff more and more often when Mac was occupying one of the smaller puffs in another room. <<<If only I could figure out how to sleep in all of them at the same time!>>>
Finally, he must have gotten caught by the Mer Monster, who thinks all the puffs are hers and hers alone. Although the human did see her chase the little Red Bee out once — and then, in a pure Brat Cat move, she walked away and laid down in a different cat bed — more and more often, the human has seen them occupying the big puff together.
Perhaps she’s learned at last that it’s nice to share.
The puff is so large that easily two more cats could fit in there, not that Brat Cat would approve.
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
<<<After the zoomies, what else is there to do on a cold dreary winter’s day?>>>
(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.
Living with Carnivores 