The ever-popular cat tree

I have to thank my friend Laurel again for recommending the website http://www.armarkat.com/ for finding a cat tree.  The kittens love the one we picked and I am certain it is helping to save the rest of the furniture.  Not that we don't ever catch them scratching on the couch, but they are pretty good about using the cat tree.  They also love to race up and down it like maniacs, play with the toys on it and sleep in it.  Here are a few photos from this weekend.  You can really see how Whiskers is growing in the pic of them side by side.  Now that he will eat a normal amount of food mixed with yogurt, he's really starting to gain weight!  Finally!

Snowy on top, Whiskers in the tunnel

Whiskers is SO CUTE!!

Our growing boys. :)

The Key to Whiskers' Undoing

I found out the other day, very much by accident, that Whiskers' favorite food in the entire world is...Greek yogurt.  He darn near attacked me when I tried to have yogurt and granola for breakfast the other morning, climbing me and sniffing my mouth.  I put a little on my finger, thinking he would lick if off delicately like he does cream--and he BIT me!  Do not get between Whiskers and his yogurt!!  Ow!!  Since then, I have been smashing up his food and putting it in yogurt, but he still likes plain yogurt best.  It is just wild to see him actually excited about eating for a change!  He eats a little all day long, usually food soaked in cream, but he goes after the yogurt like he hasn't eaten in weeks.  Better yet, Snowy doesn't like yogurt and mostly leaves Whiskers alone when he eats it. (Incidentally, the probiotics in yogurt are supposed to help with tear stains, which Whiskers has in abundance, so I am supportive of his new obsession.)

But there is now a Part 2 to this story.  Once again, very much by accident, I found another food Whiskers LOVES.  I sat down early this morning to have coffee and leftover Hawaiian sweet bread I made yesterday--and Whiskers went insane!  He climbed my legs (owwwww!!) and cried and DEMANDED I share.  Better yet, when he was eating, he growled a warning to anyone (uh, Snowy) who might try to come steal his food.  It was very funny.  See videos below.  Now if I could just get him as enthusiastic about cat food as he is about yogurt and sweet bread!! :)

Both kittens after my sweet bread

Whiskers STILL begging for sweet bread!

Still so strange

Last night I looked over and Whiskers was sitting on the end table.  Nothing new, but my heart skipped--it reminded me of an old photo of Niles, on another table, by another lamp, which feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.  It made my heart hurt. 

I love these kittens SO MUCH (if that is not wildly evident already!) but I still miss Niles.  It is hard, because if he were still here, we wouldn't have Snowy and Whiskers.  I can't imagine life without them, but I wish Niles were still here.  I know I can't have both, and I know that we are so lucky we found two sweet, funny, cute new kittens.  But still, sometimes my heart hurts.

Niles and Whiskers, both just about 4 months old.

16 Weeks Old

The big guy, and the little guy, forming a heart.  Almost. ;)

In this corner, we have Whiskers, weighing in at 2.5 lbs. 
In that corner, we have Snowy, tipping the scales at 5 lbs.  He is actually double his brother!

Cat fishing.  Snowy is a good prairie dog cat.

Whiskers liked the string, too. :)

Whiskers got in the box all on his own.  Reminded me of something Niles would do,
always wanting to be a park of whatever we were doing.

The kittens' activity of choice...

Is sleeping.  They are cats, after all!  They play hard, and then they sleep hard.  See below.  Also, this is a pretty good record of their growth.  The (many!) photos go from the beginning of March to the end of March.  They have definitely gotten bigger!

Not a dogpile, but a cat pile!

Whiskers and Hayden

Snowy in the cat tree

They won't be able to do this together much longer!

Whiskers stretching out a bit more than usual!

Whiskers is a lovebug.

Snowy helping Jason work.

My little Ewok cat, Whiskers!

Another happy Friday night (I can tell because we wear our spirit wear every Friday!)

Snowy joined in on bedtime stories one night.

Snowy is the most relaxed cat!

My dog cat, sleeping on my lap.

Lazy Snowy again!

Mid-month here--see how they are growing?  The 3 boys were escaping the chaos of 15 friends over for lunch.

Bryce and Mr. Relaxation

A very good shot of the difference in size between these two!

My buddy, Snowy

Again, Snowy knows how to relax!

Whiskers relaxes too, but usually curled up.

Giant Snowy foot--he's the St. Bernard puppy of kittens!

My sweet dog cat on my lap again.

Sweet Whiskers!

Bryce joined Whiskers on the couch

Late in the month, Whiskers in my arms another Friday night.  See how he's getting longer?

My Dog Cat

I read that Scottish Folds are almost dog-like in their interactions with people, and that is Snowy to a T.  Wherever I am, he is.  Wherever I go, he goes.  When I am busy during the day, he follows me around and mews, telling me I need to hurry up and sit down so he can sleep on me, darn it!  And when we have a full house, as we did last weekend, all he wants in the world is to hide out with me in my room, sitting on my lap or sleeping at my feet.  He is my buddy.  He is big for his age (5 pounds now!) and has an even bigger motor.  He can be a real brat at times, I know his teeth and claws well!, but he is also the most loyal, adoring cat.  We love him!

My reading buddy.

My tv-watching buddy (and Whiskers by my feet!).

My couch buddy.

My napping buddy (photo by Bryce).

My little prairie dog cat trying to steal my muffin!

Snowy sticking close while I worked at my desk.

Escaping the houseful of people to my room and my lap.

So happy for me to just sit down with him finally!

Hiding out in my room again one last time before all the guests went home.