Sleeping arrangements for my cats is ultimately wherever they feel like it. And they are happy to sleep just about anywhere. Although this time of year they're mostly sleeping with me as a human hot water bottle because the temperatures are falling and I haven't turned on my heat yet.

Jenny has been sleeping in kitty beds scattered around because they are insulated and keep her warm...

Another favorite spot while in the living room is the backs of the couches. I usually have a blanket folded up over one spot, which they started fighting over, so now I unfold it out across the entire length so they can both lay on it...

Something Jake likes to do is wait until Jenny has fallen asleep next to me... then wedge himself in-between us so he can use Jenny as a pillow. Sometimes she swats at him or runs away... but other times she seems okay with him being annoying...

Once the heat is turned on, they'll probably go back to sleeping near the vents. It's the most comfy place to be. Which reminds me... I need to reverse the direction of the ceiling fan in my bedroom.

I don’t trim my cats’ claws. And I would NEVER de-claw them.

They don’t scratch where they’re not supposed to, and take care of their own claws with teeth manicures like they would do in nature, so I don’t see the point in putting them through the trauma. BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE... a week ago Jake was pushing Jenny out of the way so he could eat her dinner when he still had food. So I gently moved Jake back to his bowl.

Which startled Jenny.

Which startled Jake.

WHO THEN RAN ACROSS MY FEET WITH CLAWS OUT... tearing them up...

The left foot only bleed for about 15 minutes. But that puncture wound on my right big toe? That bleed like for an hour. Funny thing is that the puncture wound doesn’t hurt at all. But the scratches are incredibly painful. Oh well. Cats, amirite?

Jake's still a good boy though. As the weather gets colder and colder, he's been sleeping up next to me like I'm a hot water bottle...

His favorite spot is right behind my knees, every night...

This morning I woke up at 4am, then went back to sleep. When I woke up a couple hours later, I couldn't move. Jake was on top of me...

And of course I just lay there until he decided to climb off of me. I'm pussy-whipped like that.

Yesterday was Orange Cat Appreciation Day.

Which is hilarious, because EVERY DAY IS ORANGE CAT APPRECIATION DAY! JENNY INSISTS ON IT!

I swear, she's the most entitled princess of a cat I've ever known. She demands to get her way, and does not give two shits how you feel about it. When she wants to be petted, you stop whatever you're doing and pet her. Then you don't stop until she's done with you.

Just look at the little scrubber squeezing beside me and pushing me over on the couch!

Then she meows until she get butt-scratches...

Eventually I graduated to neck scratches...

But the second I stop? She wakes right up and gives me this...

But what can I do. This is how she looks at me most of the time...

So happy Orange Cat Appreciation Day yesterday.

My cats having radically different personalities is a never-ending source of amusement. When you're petting Jenny and she wants you to move to a different location, she'll twist and contort to move the location to where you're petting her. Then get frustrated if you get it wrong. Jake, on the other hand, just lays there while you pet him and when he wants you to change location, he just squawks at you. And if you end guessing the wrong spot, he'll either squawk at you again... or just accept it and fall asleep. He's a wonder, that wonder cat...

And speaking of falling asleep...

Any time I'm working in bed, Jenny will insist on being petted before she falls asleep. Then the minute I turn the light off so I can go to sleep, she wakes up and immediately goes downstairs to sleep somewhere else. Jake, on the other hand, stays with me all night.

But Jake is usually late to the party when Jenny is still with me, and lately I've been noticing that he's plopping down to sleep closer and closer to the little princess...

Where he ends up smacking her with his tail...

I'd say it was random and unintentional, but he does this all the time...

And Jenny isn't the only victim. Jake will often lay parallel to me. But sometimes he stretches out horizontally on the bed... THEN KICK ME ASIDE BECAUSE HE WANTS MORE ROOM...

Life with cats expecting you to always put them first never gets old. Jenny has decided she wants a footrest while she sleeps... and will kick me until I comply...

Cats. What can you do?

I replaced my glass door with a fiberglass door so I could add a catio door to it. And they've been using it to go in and out for over six years.

Now all of a sudden Jenny is having problems with it. She can go out okay, but she can't manage to come back in. She's always struggled a little bit forcing the flap open so she can get through, but now it's like most of the time she can't do it. There's been times I've had to get out of bed and go downstairs to let her in because she's meowing... at which time she decides she doesn't want to come back in.

Then Jake started acting like he couldn't get through. And I just don't get it. I've inspected it, and it swings open just like it always has.

I finally ended up taking out some of the magnets that keep it closed in the hopes that it would be easier for them. Which it is. Except Jenny still doesn't want to use it to get back in for some reason, and Jake still squawks at it before coming back in. No idea what's going on in that furry little head, but if it doesn't resolve itself I may have to start closing up the catio at night so she doesn't get trapped out there.

August 8th was International Cat Day... which is kinda funny, because EVERY DAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAT DAY in my house. How can it not be when these are my cats...

If only they could remember how to use the cat door.

And now, this...

Cats are still great.

Jenny's behavior, which used to be changing from year to year is now evolving from week to week. As for Jake? He's just Jake.

Jenny's latest thing is meowing her head off when I do not respond instantly to her demands. She wanted to be petted while I was replying to a work email, I told her "Just a minute..." and then was treated to this long, extended howl that did not let up until I stopped typing and scratch her ass. Because HOW DARE I make her wait!

Truth is I can't even be mad, because it's just so funny.

She's graduating from a princess to a queen, and I guess it's my job to deal with it.

But how could I not? Just look at her...

The worst thing Jake did this past week was to get mad that I picked up one of his toys and took it back upstairs. He then brought it back downstairs and made sure I knew he was not happy.

Either that or he's trying to kill Carl the RoboVac again.

My cats are developing personalities that are diverging more every day.

The only time Jake acts even a little bit upset is if he feels that I'm taking too long dishing up his meal. Otherwise? He's ridiculously chill all the time.

Jenny is more of a princess than ever, complaining when she doesn't get her way and letting you know when she feels neglected (which is often).

This is Jake waiting for breakfast. He found a sunny spot on the floor, then dropped down for a nap.

This is Jenny waiting for breakfast. Staring at me and occasionally meowing because I am not acknowledging her presence.

I don't know how Jake could get any more chill. But I'm sure that Jenny will find all kinds of ways of being more of a little princess.

Earlier this week I was awakened by a massive clatter downstairs in the kitchen. When I came to my senses, I was like... is the water running? So I went downstairs and, sure enough, the water was running in the kitchen sink and the dishes that I couldn't fit in the dishwasher were scattered in the sink.

It became very obvious what had happened.

One of my cats (Jake) had jumped on the counter, then decided to investigate the dirty dishes to see if there was any food to be found, got too close to the sensor that turns the water on under the neck of the faucet, then got douched with water.

And, sure enough, when I went looking, Jake was under the bed in the guest room with a wet head.

Poor guy.

I think we both learned a lesson. I learned that I shouldn't leave dirty dishes in the sink. Jake learned that he should STAY OFF THE KITCHEN COUNTER AND NOT BE PLAYING IN THE SINK!

And speaking of Jake...

I was working in bed and Jake hopped next to me. As I went to pet him, I noticed that the sunset out my window was beautiful. Look at that amazing sunset, Jakey-Bear! Oh... sorry... you can't see colors very well, can you?

And this got me thinking about an article I read a while back about how cats see the world. Apparently they don't have the ability to see reds and warm colors... blues and greens are muted... their vision is a bit blurry, focusing more on motion... and they can see better than we do in low light. After looking at the images in the article, I adjusted the photo of the sunset to kinda-sorta approximate how I understand Jake sees it...

Yikes. Poor kitties.

Oh well... he got extra belly rubs out of sympathy...

For about fifteen seconds until he bit me. Something that has happened maybe two or three times since I've had him. I guess he really didn't want belly rubs after all.

"Who is it? Who is it? Is it a kitty? No! This isn't a kitty! This is a handsome bear! Yes it is! It's my handsome Boo-Bear! Hey Boo-Bear!" — I do this because Jake lets me. Jenny does not go for such shenanigans.

I'm not sure what's up with my little girl.

She still spends time with me... especially in the morning while I work in bed. But more and more she's avoiding me. Much like when she was little. She's afraid of me for morning treat time, which is really worrisome because that's how I trick them into the carrier to go to the vet!

And half the time when I'm working in the living room, she prefers to sit in her kitty bed and glare at the room...

Maybe she's decided to get even crankier in her old age?

That would certainly be something!

With Summer reaching temperatures of 90° or more here, the cats have started to abandon the catio around the lunch hour. The evenings are kinda random, but can go quite late depending on the temperature out there. The mornings have become a post-breakfast ritual, and you can count on them being out there from 7am to 9pm...

This can backfire on occasion. Jenny was out there one morning when I had workers over to investigate the leak from my upstairs bathroom. She's terrified of strangers, and ended up being essentially trapped for 20 minutes...

Reminds me of Jake thinking he could hide behind a speaker and not be seen when my living room was under construction...

Oh well. Jenny still feels like hanging with me a lot still...

Good kitty.