Here I sit, a snowy morning two days after Thanksgiving. The elections are over, there was no need to cancel Thanksgiving as some had suggested. The world, and hopefully most families survived. The holiday season has begun. As we look forward to Christmas, or other holidays that you may celebrate, I thought I would take a look at the past few months and the lives of our cats since my last post about them.

In the earlier post, I reflected on a day in the lives of Joe and Leo, our two cats. At that time they were just over one year old and had lived with us for about a year. Today, they are nearing their second birthday, but otherwise much is the same.

The added year of their lives is not readily apparent although they each continue to develop distinct personalities. As littermates one might expect them to be quite similar but instead each is unique. Leo is the explorer and very rambunctious. Seeming to have little fear, he is ready to jump to or from great heights. One of his favorite “games” is to run out of our bedroom any time I open the door, then lay on the floor, expecting me to rub his tummy, pick him up, and return him to our room. He will zoom about the room with his brother or alone if no one wants to run with him. Joe is the more cautious of the two. While he enjoys many of the same things as his brother, he contemplates them before joining in. He loves to watch television, especially shows with other cats or dogs. We often wonder if he actually sees the shows or is simply responding to the sounds or the changing light. Joe is also a bit skeptical, often shying away when one tries to pet or cuddle him. Joe is, however, the most curious. He wants to explore and, often, toss to the floor things on our nightstands.

Oddly, neither of the two is highly loveable. They will often share our bed, but that does not include petting in the evening. They pick their space and we must adapt to that, otherwise they will leave. Yet they will return later, hoping to be unbothered by their humans.

As they continue to grow it will be interesting to see how they will change or stay the same. According to some charts they are now in the equivalent of a human teenager. In many respects this can be seen in their personalities – loveable yet sometimes disobedient; daring but cautious; sleepy but always ready to get up and zoom. Such are days in the lives of our cats.