I have been busy and have not been taking very many pictures lately so I thought I would dig into the archives once again. This time I found a photo from eight years ago today that I did not even know I had. It is Chris in the bathroom helping my wife get ready.
The time stamp on the photo says 5:01 a.m. It surprises me that my wife was getting ready that early and that Chris was already on the job. It’s possible I forgot to “spring ahead” for Daylight Savings Time on my camera.
There is something about this photo that I really like but I am not sure exactly what makes it special. What do you think?
We usually sit on the bed for a little while before bedtime just relaxing and reading or we catch up on Facebook or play a game or whatever. The cats usually join us at that time. Lately Chris has often been trying to get under the sheets on our bed. The other day he had gotten under the sheet and blanket and fell asleep. I was worried he would suffocate so I tried to hold up one end a little so he would have some air.
Yesterday he started digging at the edge of the blanket so I pick it up for him and he crawled inside. I then pushed the blanket back so he was just under the sheet. This is what happened next.
Floki just can’t resist attacking anything that moves under the cover.
Today Chris turns twelve years old. In cat years, he is a senior, but he is also like a child and sometimes like a baby who needs to be held. Of course, this is just his estimated birthday. When we adopted him he was about six months old so I just subtracted six months from his Gotcha Day and came up with May 14, 2009.
He has been a part of our family for so long that I just don’t know what we would do without him. Sure, he can be incredibly annoying at times but he is also incredibly sweet and affectionate.
He loved people from the first day I saw him and had no trouble seeking attention from strangers, like my wife the first time she visited him at the shelter.
Chris meets Rose
The above photo was taken almost six weeks before we brought Chris home. Can you imagine a cat as special as Chris being overlooked for so long? I was told he was adopted once and brought back the next day because he was too annoying, but I don’t remember if it was before this photo was taken or after.
Of course, he gave us a lot of trouble too, but we persevered. How could we not? He was so funny to watch. The first thing he did was take over as head cat the day he arrived.
He also constantly threw himself on top of the other cats, much to their displeasure.
Abbey anoyed with Chris.
He still does that today.
Another thing he used to do was get on people shoulders, especially mine.
Other cats would see Chris on my shoulders and they would get on my shoulders too but Chris was a natural at shoulder riding. The other cats always seemed nervous and unstable.
Chris didn’t get his “Bat Cat” moniker for nothing. He gave us plenty of trouble too. It was a constant battle to get him to stop doing things we didn’t want him to do, like get on the counters. All of our cats get on the counters today simply because Chris won the counter wars and we surrendered.
He also started pooping in the tub, at first, and then moved on to pooping outside the boxes. He didn’t always do it but it was enough to where I worried that my wife was going to make me choose her or the cat. I think that went on for four years or more. The solution came on accident when we moved to a smaller home and consolidated our litter boxes in one room, instead of having them spread around the house. It seems if one box was not perfect, he wanted another box right there. He certainly wasn’t going to make the effort to go to another room.
Chris was also good at getting into closets, and still is but he doesn’t care about it as much these days.
This last one was considered for a documentary about cats but didn’t make the final cut, probably because the resolution was not high enough.
Chris was also a champion of getting on top of things that our other cats would not attempt.
I don’t know how he does thisView from below
Many of those behaviors are in the past, partly because of Chris’s age but I think mostly because of his weight. He is what we affectionately call a “carb addict.” He loves his kibble. I try to not give him too much but he wears me down. He annoys the crap out of me when I am working so I give him a little kibble in order to get some work done. I usually do something else first so he won’t associate annoying me with getting what he wants but he is a smart cat and I doubt I am fooling him.
All in all, we have been very fortunate to have a cat that has really touched our hearts the way Chris has. I sometimes think about those people who returned Chris. They just have no idea what they gave up just so they could get a good night’s sleep.
I decided to dig into the archives and post an early photo that I have not posted before. This is Chris with Tigger on November 23, 2009, nine days after we adopted him. You can see how happy Tigger looks after getting a new little brother.
Chris is now bigger and darker than he was then so he is more like Tigger in this photo.
I am not sure how Floki’s bed ended up next to Chris’s, it was probably moved while cleaning, but I thought it was cute seeing the two of them close together but still in their own space.
Chris has always been good at annoying people and cats alike but this past year his annoyance level seems well above what it has been in the past. Knowing that, I couldn’t help but laugh at seeing Chris on the receiving end for a change. I think I spent a good two or three minutes laughing before I thought to record what was happening. I managed to capture the last thirty seconds of Floki annoying Chris. Enjoy.
This picture looks like Frankie is recovering from a bad day at work. Of course, most people don’t come home after a bad day and air out their private parts. Most people.
Chris loves napping in his bed by the window but Wednesday Floki was sleeping in it. I heard growling and hissing and looked to see Chris standing over Floki. I didn’t see what Chris did to him but I did see Floki leave the cat bed and then Chris lie down and take a nap. A little later I saw this.
Bad Cat Chris 