Tag Archives: cute

The Outside Adventures of Chris and Frankie

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When we moved to our new home the cats gained some indoor space but lost their outside catio. Before we built the catio I would take Frankie for a walk on the harness once or twice a week then let Chris out for 10 or 15 minutes while I watched him.  Since moving, and before last week, Frankie has only been outside a couple of times and only because he escaped.

Frankie hangs out under vehicles when I am close so I can’t catch him.

Chris escaped a couple of times too and I let him out once or twice because he has been much more demanding (and annoying) about going outside.

I hesitated to let Frankie out because he didn’t make a big fuss at the door like Chris and I wanted to keep it that way but I also wanted him to have some outside time. In addition, I wanted him to get used to where our house is in case he escapes again and loses his way. This will be important because we will be on vacation next week and I don’t want the cat-sitter to have problems.

I let him outside for the first time on October 1 and he was so happy.

Of course, he has to stop and smell the bushes.

Getting him home was a nightmare. He tends to walk in one direction so I have to pick him up to get him home but he has learned to be more aggressive and he hisses, growls and struggles to get out of my grasp. I couldn’t hold on to him for more than ten seconds at a time. I just tried to get him to walk in the right direction. When He changed course I would pick him up again until he broke free.

As usual, when Frankie returned, Chris went outside. 

And also, as usual, he did his happy roll where everyone could see him.

That scene repeated the following week but I haven’t downloaded the photos from my phone yet and I am a bit too rushed to do it now but I’m sure you get the idea. Frankie has now become like Chris and both have become extremely annoying about going outside.

Photo Friday: Synchronized Napping

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I saw Chris napping with his arm around Floki yesterday and thought it would be the perfect photo so I grabbed my camera and quietly walked toward them but not quiet enough because Chris pulled back his paw as he looked up to see who was making all the racket. He then went back to sleep leaving me still a very good photo but not the one I wanted.

cute cats sleeping

Binx the Kitten

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My son recently moved into an apartment with a female roommate that is not his girlfriend (further Stymieing my desire to have a grandchild). His roommate recently got a black kitten that she named Binx after the cat from the movie Hocus Pocus. When he told me about the kitten I asked where he was but he didn’t know. “He’s around somewhere,” I was told.

We talked for a few minutes and then the kitten showed up. I was amazed at how small the kitten was and I asked if he was old enough for adoption. “He is almost eight weeks old,” Chris told me (My son, coincidentally, is also named Chris). He said his littermates were twice as big as him.

black kitten Binx

I suppose he is right about his age because he gets around very well. He uses the litter box and goes up and down the stairs with no problem. I will be interested to see how big this little fellow gets.

Photo Friday: New Best Friends

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Chris is the most affectionate cat I have ever seen and that affection is not limited to humans. He is equally affectionate with the other cats in the house and he always has been that way. Because of that, all of our cats, past and present, have thought of Chris as the annoying one. Rose and I would sometimes call him Baby Huey. The other cats would tolerate Chris but none of them would seek him out for attention.

Recently things have changed. A couple of months ago we saw Floki go to Chris and push his head into Chris’s face. Chris then washed him and the scene repeated many times after that. Now it is common to see Floki join Chris for a nap and not the other way around.

Does anyone else have a cat that seeks out attention to the point of annoyance?

Daddy Cat

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Forget Cat Daddy. Chris is Daddy Cat. I don’t have any experience with real daddy cats but Chris is like a humanized version of what a good cat father would be. Someone who loves his kids and shows it often while also disciplining them when they break the rules. His rules.

Of course, Chris has never had kittens of his own but when we adopted Puck he seemed to take over the role of father figure. He loved Puck and Puck followed his rules like a good son and was often rewarded with love, affection, and a good tongue bath. I think Puck’s death really hurt Chris. For several days he seemed to wander aimlessly like he was looking for Puck and didn’t know what to do with himself.

Fortunately, Floki was here to fill the gap. We adopted Floki as a kitten, just like Puck, and Chris was right there to teach him the rules. His rules. Unfortunately for Chris, Floki was a bit of a problem Child and didn’t always follow the rules. Nevertheless, Chris still treated Floki like his son and a surprising thing happened recently. Floki started going to Chris for attention. This was an amazing development because Chris was always the one who sought out the other cats. It is a pleasure to see the bond that has developed between the two, especially when Floki comes to Chris and puts his head down so Chris can wash it.

Chris can also control Floki. This is something that Rose and I can’t do together. We have to bring him to the vet for nail trimmings because trying to hold him down for the task only leads to scratched arms and a cat under the bed. Chris, however, has no trouble holding Floki down. If only I could train Chris to do it at nail trimming time.

I sometimes think it was too bad that Chris was fixed when he was because he may have had some over-the-top kittens. especially if he could have hooked up with my sister-in-law’s cat, Holly.

Update: I forgot to mention Chris was washing Floki early this morning when Floki got up and bit Chris in the ear. Chris responded by putting his right paw on Floki’s head and pushing him down. He then resumed washing him while he held his head down.