Yesterday’s Post was about cats and boxes. It seems, not unexpectedly, that everyone who has a cat has a lover of boxes. I am sure all the cat bloggers out there reading this have at least one blog post with one or more cats enjoying a new box. I would like to ask that you share your best “box” post by commenting and adding a link (don’t forget “http”) so everyone can enjoy a bit of cuteness today.
Everyone who is owned by a cat knows what happens when you bring a new box into the house. It is like Kitty Christmas. The first thing they have to do is get inside like a child with a new playhouse. But why are cats so fascinated by a simple empty box? I suppose there are a number of things at “play” here.
I think the main reason is that cats love to play. The reason that they have an instinct for play is probably because it helps them practice for survival. Attacking their housemates, assuming it is not for reasons of dominance or territory, is practice for the hunt. Playing in a box is just an extension of that.
A box offers something a wild cat is looking for: stealth. Nevermind that they are not wild cats, they don’t know that. From inside a box a cat can see but not be seen. It is a great place to lie in wait until their prey is close and then pounce. It also offers a bit of protection from other “wild” household pets that might want to attack them.
Finally, cats are great nappers. Curling up inside a box could feel very cozy for that afternoon nap and offer protection as well.
This is great. A box all to myself.
Okay Puck, We’ve waited long enough.
Ha, now I have the box.
Stretch…
Don’t even think about it, Frankie.
This is just my size.
I wonder if there is a trap door in this thing.
That’s weird that Chris just disappeared. Oh well, it’s my box now.
If anyone can shed more light on why cats love boxes, or if you just want to comment, I’d love to hear from you.
This is Frankie, in his throne, posing with Chris, who thinks he is the king.
This is a picture of Puck as a kitten in his foster home looking out the door with his big foster brother. We felt bad taking him away from his foster family but he couldn’t stay there forever and I think he is pretty lucky to have us now.
Puck as a kitten.
We have unusual cats, especially Chris. There is just no better way to say that.
Yesterday we had a lot of company at our house and, as usual, Chris was up in everybody’s business. There is nothing surprising about that. Chris is a very social cat. What is a little surprising is what happened later.
We had planned on walking around the corner where we could watch the city fireworks display but a thunderstorm rolled in just before the fireworks were supposed to start. We sat on our patio as the wind pushed the rain through the screens. We were hoping it would be like a typical summer shower and be over quickly but it lasted long enough for us to give up on watching the fireworks.
Then the rain ended as suddenly as it began and several locals began setting off their own fireworks that we could see from our patio. It quickly became very loud and Chris jumped up on the cat perch to get a better view.
He never ceases to amaze me. I know Chris and I knew that he would not be afraid of the fireworks but he was actually fascinated by them. He watched them with the same interest that he would watch a squirrel running up the screen.
Frankie was also not afraid of the fireworks and spent much of the evening on the patio as well but he took a more passive interest in the fireworks. Puck, as expected, was nowhere in sight but even he surprised me. Instead of being under the bed, he was actually napping on top of our bed and seemed not to notice the noise.
After a half hour or so the fireworks started getting better. It seemed that several neighbors on the other side of the marina spent a lot of money on fireworks, one in particular. Rose and I went outside and sat near the dock to watch the display. There was a ten minute stretch were it seemed to be more spectacular than most “official” fireworks displays.
While we were out there I kept thinking I should have brought my video camera with me but I was afraid it would be over by the time I got it. Eventually, I did get it and captured some good moments but not as good as what I missed. Someone even had a remote control helicopter that was probably filming everything from the air. Some people just have all the toys. I was told this morning that one homeowner spent $25,000 on fireworks for our enjoyment. Did I ever mention that I love where we live?
Our patio gets flooded with sunlight every morning, making it a great place to hang out. Here, Chris and Puck are soaking in the sun.
When you have a bad cat in the house you learn to expect the unexpected.
When we adopted Frankie, Chris behaved very uncharacteristically toward him. He did whatever he could to show Frankie he was not a welcome cat (See here). Eventually Chris accepted Frankie’s presence and took steps toward making peace with him but unfortunately Chris burned those bridges. Frankie turned the tables on him and became the aggressor and started attacking Chris on a regular basis.
Lately things have settled down a bit and I see Chris’s efforts are starting to pay off. Yes, there are still fights. Some of those fights are even started by Chris, but more and more I see the two of them hanging out relatively close without one trying to whack the other. Perhaps there is hope for the future.
We weren’t fighting. We were just meowing. Honest.
I’d like to be your friend, Frankie, but first I must smell your butt.
Recently I found a cat toy at a thrift store. I am not sure who makes it. The closest I could find was a toy called SmartCat 3836 Tick Tock Teaser perhaps this is a predecessor. They really loved it for the first ten minutes but now they barely notice it.
Bad Cat Chris 