Photo Weekend: Oscar Plays Wii U

We recently got a Wii U, and Oscar decided to join us.   Sort of.

Oscar Snuggling During Wii U Time

Okay, what he really was doing looking for a rub (and rubbing back, hence the blurry head) while Katherine had her hands full.  But he's still a snuggly kitten.

Photo Friday: Littermates 9 Years On

Whitey and Billy don't often nap together, mostly because they each have their own preferred spots around the Kitten Farm West.   But that doesn't mean our Catzilla brothers aren't a handsome pair together.

Photo Weekend Extra: Show Me The Way

As noted, Whitey recently was the first cat in five years to leap to the top of hutch; I dragged the cat tower over to let him down the easy way.

What I didn't mention was that Billy and Penwiper both took the opportunity given by the tower to visit the hutch; this wasn't noteworthy, because a cat tower on the move always draws a crowd.   What is noteworthy is that Penwiper must have learned from the experience -- last night he blasted off to the top of the hutch without help.

Penwiper Does the Hutch on his Own

This was somewhat unexpected but not a complete shock.    Also unexpected was that he didn't wait for a ride down, but instead leaped down to the side table we keep in front of the window for feline bird watching hunting.

Note that dropping 10 pounds 5 feet onto a wooden surface is not a quiet event, even if the 10 pounds knows how to land properly.   I suspect it's enough effort in both directions that Penwiper, like Whitey,  won't do it again soon, although they will each keep the option open.

Update:  I'm wrong, as usual.   Penwiper did it again the following day.

Photo Extra: The Return of Spider-cat (2012 edition)

In the summer of 2004, when we had only been valets to the kitten Catzilla Brothers for a couple of months, we had already determined that Whitey was the Spider-cat. This title has been challenged by others, especially his brother, but never truly equaled.

Whitey doesn't do major jumps much these days. But just as back in 2009 when a bedroom shelf called, sometimes he gets that look in his eye ... he chooses his destination ... he extends his spider-cat ki ... and he goes. Up.

This past Saturday he got the look in his eye, when the top of the dining room hutch called to him. In our five and a half years here, no cat had ever gotten up there before. He gave on a clinic on how it's done. Simply. Up.

Note that he didn't jump from the hutch shelf, he started on the window sill, which was a better angle but a full five feet of vertical. I have no idea how he made the last scramble up, although the smooth upper side of the hutch has a cluster of pin prick holes which could be the tracks from all claw drive in piton mode.

Whitey After Leaping From the Window Sill (right)

He got an easy ride down. I dragged over a six foot cat tower for the him to hop down into.

The Spider-cat has still got it.

Photo Holiday Extra: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Catmas

Around Thanksgiving, +Katherine Derbyshire and I had the usual conversation about whether or not to put up a tree for the holidays.   There are of course only two of us to do the work, we have to make it safe for the feline overlords, and the last time we put one up, we didn't exactly get it down in a timely fashion ...

The question for this year was solved the week after Thanksgiving, when we decided Katherine needed to attend an Aikido seminar in Tampa over the holiday break.   But the boys still got a wonderful Catmas morning, because Katherine packed, and they all helped

Cat-mas Morning Packing

Katherine has now been shipped off, with me as head-valet-in-residence for the next week.   Now if I can just find the proper spot on Oscar's chin to scratch ...

Photo Extra: Stoner Kitty is Stoned

The packaging for this toy said things like "long lasting" and "durable," but also bragged about the high quality catnip inside.

That was less than 24 hours ago.

Apparently their test lab never met anyone like the Catzilla Brothers.

Good thing we live in Washington state.

Phone Extra: Quiet Hunter vs. The Rainbow Ribbon

While Billy and Penwiper are the most enthusiastic hunters among the crew, Whitey does have his moments. Here, he gives Mom an excuse to play with her new camera while ridding the world of evil rainbow ribbons. 

(Note that the image metadata from said camera is wrong. Still working on that part.)