Stick Figure Cat!

A cat-sized cat

Max has gotten lots of compliments lately. After months of raiding his big brothers' food bowl, he's finally put on some weight. One of my neighbors said he's looking like a cat-sized cat.

Max thinks that's pretty cool.

One thing he hasn't outgrown is his trouble-making ways. It seems he's joined the Bread Liberation Army!

Romeo beware

Her name is Juliet and she is sooo pretty.

But watch out for those sharp little teeth!

This itty bitty girl (she's barely 3 months old) is surprisingly fierce. First she roared impatiently while I brushed Rico. When her turn came, she squirmed out of my grip and clawed her way up to my shoulder. I reached up to grab her and heard a terrifying hiss.

Finally she settled down on my lap and let out the sweetest little purr. Wow - she's a handful! See?

Hey, there's an idea!

Nikko's person gives her lint roll massages. I'll have to try that! The Spots love to be  groomed, but Max always tries to wrestle the brush out of my hand.

Since meeting Max, I've become a big fan of cats with pink noses. Doesn't Nikko have the prettiest face? She was once a street cat, but Debbie has turned her into a feline supermodel!

I think it's working

A few weeks ago, I realized the Spots are looking more and more like elephants. At their last check-up, Dr Marohn (from At Home Animal Care) said they're her biggest cat patients!

So we've been playing "chase the flying toy" twice a day. At first the gray beasts considered my feline fitness program a spectator sport. They sat around and watched while Max zoomed across the room.

But they're starting to want in on the action.

And yesterday I noticed that Spot is looking a little less round. They've still got a long way to go, though. Check out how thin they were when they were younger.

Make way for the... catnip banana!

Mr T. complained that when Oliver stretches out on the sofa, there's no room left for him and Mrs T to sit.

Spot doesn't hog the couch, but he insists this chair is his alone. He won't share it with me or his brothers, but his catnip banana gets VIP treatment.

I miss Sara

While walking past the seafood section at Whole Foods, I overheard the guy behind the counter tell a customer that the tuna steaks were sushi grade. Suddenly I missed Sara. If she were still here, I'd grill a big piece for us to share.

Sara was a fish connoisseur. She LOVED tuna but turned up her nose if it wasn't totally fresh. Once I brought home a little box of sashimi from a restaurant where I'd gone for sushi. She sniffed and gave me a disapproving look; apparently it wasn't up to her standards.

I hope there's fresh caught tuna in kitty heaven. And good catnip. And boxes of bank statements. I don't know why, but she was a huge fan of any kind of financial paperwork. I'll bet she gets reincarnated as an accountant!

Mr. Clean

I decided to clean out the fridge yesterday. As always, Max was super eager to help.

He does windows too!

And bathrooms.

And even his own litter box.

And I have to say, my apartment has become a neater place under his constant supervision. His curiosity makes house work much more entertaining - and his insistence on diving into food on the kitchen counter, dirty dishes in the sink, etc gives me no choice but to clean up quickly.

Spots

Here are the Spots as kittens.

And here's a kitten named Spots! Like Rico, he's a shelter cat too. I found him cowering at the back of his cage. I wasn't sure he'd like me pet him, but when I reached in, he purred big time! Apparently he's much braver than my big gray scaredy cats.

I love his pink nose. And his stripy orange tail. But his worried looking face made me sad. Hang in there, Spots! You'll be home soon!

He reminds me sooo much of Max

This is Max.

And this is Rico. I met him at the shelter on Thursday. His previous person moved to a nursing home and left him behind :(

He reached out of his cage just like Max did, and curled up on my lap the way Max likes to. They have the same meow, even. But Rico is a lot fluffier.

He's a really fun cat. Whoever takes him home will have such a great time with this guy! Rooting for him to get adopted soon...