Cold In Chicago

It's -5° in Chicago today, and with a whipping wind, the windchill is well below -20°. So, let's all warm up in this pre-Christmas weekend by talking about sleeping cats.

Of course, cats sleep the majority of the day, and much of the night being crepuscular creatures. This is likely attributed to a cat saving most of their energy for dawn and dusk hours (prime hunting time, historically; prime 'run around the house and drive colin insane at 6 am' time currently).

With all that sleeping to do - some 16+ hrs a day - cats sure can find unique places to hunker down.

Typically, I've found that my cats sleeping places are on some kind of rotation. For a solid 3 weeks, Tux and Turtle could always be found sleeping on the rarely-used couch in the office. Most nights, Tux is at the foot of my bed while Turtle is on the couch in the living room (although last night they shared a spot on my bed). Often, if I leave a drawer open, Tux will settle amongst my clothes inside the drawer.

When I lived in LA, Turtle would meow and whine until the closet door was opened for her, where she spent 90% of the day sleeping. When I moved out, absolutely everything in the closet was coated in a thick layer of cat hair.

Now, I would like to share with you a link: Cat Sleeping Positions. Enjoy and stay warm.

Staying warm

On a snowy Chicago night...

Mittens For Kittens

As winter steamrolls its way into Chicago, we've had a lot of cold, sometimes snowy days here. I don't really keep my house THAT warm, because I'm a cheapskate, and frankly the last thing a bachelor living alone in a house with two cats needs is a warm house...let's face it, having a cold house is a good reminder of the pathetic nature of my life; all i need is all the lightbulbs to burn out as well and I'm certifiably wretched. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but whatever.

I've noticed lately, though, that Tux and Turtle have tended to wrap their tails around their bodies and on top of their front paws when sitting, kind of like a scarf or mittens for their paws. It's really cute. I'll update this post with a photo if I ever get out of bed.

updated: photo!

Winter Cats

great night last night in cat land at 2508 frank. Turtle and Tux decided that the warmest place to sleep would be on my head (tux) or in the blankets under 2 comforters sleeping next to me (turtle). I was so excited i could barely sleep.

Ode To Tux: A Repost

I will be dedicating some posts to my own two cats, Tux and Turtle. This one comes first, as it's a repost from another blog, and serves as a good introduction to Tux. post is below...

This entry is dedicated to my cat, Tux. I was thinking about him recently, as I often do, and was trying to come up with a list of things that I really like about him. This list kept going! Tux is a great cat with a great personality that I think most other cats should strive for.

For those who think cats are stand-offish, or just generally rude, you haven't met Tux. Tux breaks the mold of the normal cat by being just about as friendly as a cat can be. In fact, some of his behavior is suspiciously dog-like in nature.

This one's for you big fella.

For example, he likes to sit in the window overlooking our courtyard when we're not home and wait for us to return. If he's not there already, he'll run over whenever someone's opening the door downstairs to see who it is. When I get home from work, whether it's late or early, he's always right at the door waiting for me with his tail in the air. Well, almost always. sometimes he's just sleeping on the bed and gives me a "oh, you're home? i'm going back to sleep" look.

He also is a very dedicated shower guard. Nine times out of ten, when I am in the shower, he is in the bathroom with me, sitting on the sink. I'm not sure why he does this, but he does. He doesn't often sit on the sink at other times.

When we got our new cat, Turtle, he did not play the role of a jealous older sibling who would draw in marker all over his new baby brother's face. Actually, he was interested in her and wanted to play immediately. It didn't take long before they got along just great.

For a tough guy from the streets of Philadelphia, Tux really is a charmer. And, he's always dressed to kill in his medium-grey tuxedo, like 007. He absolutely loves guests, and when people sleep over, he tends to sleep on their bed or laps, perhaps to make them feel like they're part of the family. And when it's hot out, he has no shame in laying around on his back, spreadeagle.

While most cats can be described as shy, skittish, or even neurotic, I would nominate Tux for Cat of The Year if such an award existed.