I had ambitions for this weekend. Not very grand ambitions, just little things, like going to the gym and running a few errands—typical weekend stuff. But after sleeping unusually late yesterday morning (I usually wake up quite early on Saturdays, then nap around 1 p.m.), I woke up with a mildly painful sore throat and achiness and general rotten-feeling-ness, and as a result, I’ve been useless all weekend. I can’t afford to be sick at work (or away from work) this week, so I’m cutting myself a tiny bit of slack for my slothfulness this weekend, because if I can keep this from turning into a real flu, it will have been worth it (though those errands are going to have to get done sometime…).
My one moderately productive activity this weekend was taking some photos of the cats, which I’ve been meaning to do for ages because I just don’t have very many pictures of them. I’ve never done this catblogging thing before, and I know it’s supposed to be done on Fridays, but I’m winding down and getting ready to go to bed early, and I wanted to post something this weekend (again, I had such plans), so here goes.
I was prompted to grab the camera when I saw Maisy, the queen, who is the smallest animal in the household and the boss of all of us, posing elegantly in the sun. Maisy is a lynxpoint Siamese mix, but since (like the other two) she’s a rescue cat, I don’t know how mixed she is. She’s dark for a Siamese, even a seal lynx, but Siamese cats’ points will darken up if they’re exposed to too much sunlight and heat early on, which is a distinct possibility for a street cat in Missouri. She’s got sort of a snub face that keeps her from being classically beautiful but does not prevent her from being the queen. Here she is in all her regal splendor.
Yes, I am the queen. You may admire me…for a moment.
Maisy is always ready for her closeup.
Inhibitions are for wimps.
Jasper, the big boy and the only cat who is allowed outside (because he’s mostly content to stay within ten feet of the deck, whereas the other two would wander), was enjoying the gorgeous Indian summer day while Maisy’s photo shoot was going on. He’s a little harder to photograph, because if you sit down with him, he immediately wants to be in your lap. And I do mean your lap, not just my lap. Jasper loves you. The fact that he probably hasn’t met you yet is irrelevant.
He’s the most even-tempered cat I’ve ever met, which is surprising given his rough past as a street cat (he has buckshot in his side from when some waste of sperm and egg used him as target practice) and less neurotic than most Siamese, though not entirely neurosis-free. He’s a blue-point, probably a mix given his large, sturdy frame, but again, who knows. And he has the biggest blue eyes in the world. He looks a little irritable in these photos, which is just because the sun was in his eyes, I think.
Is that an empty lap I see there?
Is there a reason you’re not petting me?
Liam, the fluffball kitty, was feeling a little camera-shy this weekend, so I wasn’t able to get any daylight shots of him. He’s actually the beauty of the family, though you can’t really tell here. He is most likely a Siamese-Himalayan mix; he has the splendiferous Himalayan coat but not the flat, smunched face that purebred Himmys have. He’s a lilac point, the most delicate of the four main types of Siamese coloration, with a few little lynx-y stripes on his head and sides. He’s also certifiably insane and has been since birth, as far as I know; when he was rescued from a high-kill shelter in southwestern Kansas, the rescue people named him Bounce, because he literally bounced off walls. And still does. But it’s a lovable kind of insanity.
Why are you pointing that thing at me? (Note the resplendent tail, which is nearly as big as the rest of Liam.)
Here you can sort of tell that Liam really is the beauty of the family.
And there you have it—my cats, the creatures who own my heart, who bring joy to my life every day, who are the best company in the world, and who, I hope, will be with me for a record-setting length of time.
PS: So no one wants to play my parallel-universe-career game? Hrmph. Fine. Be that way. I’ll get over it.
Beautiful kitties!
I wanted to play your parallel-universe-career game, but I couldn’t think of anything. How pitiful is that?
Love the kitty photos. The one with Maisy all stretched out made me laugh. Rosie does the same thing when she’s wants some attention. It’s so cute. Speaking of the little monsters, I must fill their food bowls now!
it’s a rainy, gloomy monday morning here. Fitting for halloween, I guess.
marie
Your kitties are adorable.
Like Jamie, I wanted to play the game, but in truth the only parallel universe I recognize is the one in which I wouldn’t do anything for a living. My parallel universe career is trust-fund dilettante.
Marcia, your parallel-universe career is my real-world career goal. Though I guess it’s probably pretty late for the trust-fund thing.
Still, maybe if you couldn’t come up with a parallel-universe career, it means you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.
It’s gray and chilly and rainy here too. Feels like a Monday. I’m having trouble getting going today, and it’s already noon.
They are adorable. I see Liam likes boxes, but I guess all kitties like boxes. Our Masha has a box that she uses as her “safety zone”.
Yup, Chris, all kitties like boxes, at least in my experience. There have actually been a few kitty disputes over this particular box, which originally contained a pair of boots and is therefore an excellent kitty size (although it’s a little snug for Jasper).
I missed a very rare photo op last night: Liam was curled up happily in the box, and Anja, the giant German shepherd (of whom Liam is theatrically terrified), was lying on the floor next to the box with one paw curved around it. She wasn’t actually touching the box, much less the cat, but they looked unusually companionable. But when I went to get the camera, Liam suddenly became aware of his surroundings and bolted. Damn.