The Dresser

Scarlett was snoozing on the dresser when Melly hopped up to join her.

Something outside distracted Melly.

After thoroughly investigating whatever it was, Melly returned.

Melly allowed Scarlett to sniff her, but when she attempted to do the same, Scarlett growled grumpily and stormed off.

Which left Melly alone on the dresser.

Since Melly had only gotten up on the dresser to be near Scarlett, she only stayed for a moment before jumping down to search for her furry roomie.

Oh, Ashley

Scarlett was in the front window when she spotted Ashley strolling by. She bolted from window to window, following his progress, and finally ended up in the bedroom, where Melly joined her.

Ashley was gone by the time Melly got there, but there were plenty of other things to see in the great outdoors.

The Sweater

I have a thing for argyle. Sweaters, knee socks, sweater vests, you name it. If it's argyle, I love it.

A few years ago, I found a little dog sweater at the pet store on clearance for $4. It was argyle. I couldn't resist.

The result was this (you've seen it before):

Scarlett was a bit miffed at being caught unawares and stuffed into a turtleneck sweater, and she made known her displeasure by leaving a huge purple scar on my forearm.

It was totally worth it.

Well, it occurred to me the other day that Melly used to wear a harness without objecting too much, so she might not mind wearing something a little more substantial.

By the end of the evening, Melly actually seemed to like the sweater. Teehee.

And also, thank you for your comments on yesterdays post! We're pretty psyched.

Beautiful

Look who went and grew up into a lovely ladycat. Seems like just yesterday she was a teeny prisoner in the bathroom.

Metzdarling and Andrea have said they would like to participate in Paw it Forward, and Trinity Creed expressed some interest. The idea with Paw it Forward is that one blogger sends packages of cat treats, toys, etc. to three more bloggers, then they each send packages to three more bloggers, and so forth. So if you three are still interested, please send me an email (link is on the sidebar) with your shipping address and kitties' names. If anyone else would like to play, feel free to let me know in the comments, just in case.

And one more thing: as very astute reader Anna pointed out in a comment yesterday, Geoff is now referred to in the sidebar as my fiancé. That's right, folks, we're engaged!

Paw it Forward

The package from Cat of Cat's Cats arrived yesterday! It contained a myriad of toys and treats - the kitties love everything and are having so much fun playing with it all. Cat also thoughtfully included some Halloween decorations that look great in my previously decorationless abode. Thank you, Cat, for sending us such great goodies!

I took a bunch of video of the cats enjoying their new toys - they were being too active for still photos - and have edited it down to a (hopefully) viewable length.

Now it is my turn to paw it forward to you! Let me know in the comments if you're interested in participating (international kitties are welcome to play too) and I'll post the next three participants in a day or two. Many of my fellow bloggers have already done this, so if needed I will open it up to non-bloggers also.

Remember the Paper Bag?

It was first mentioned in this post. And it's still here.

Beautiful in Black and White

I love how Scarlett's stripes look in black and white. She looks fierce (-er than usual).*

*Like a jungle cat. Not like Tyra Banks.

A Familiar Scenario

More Sleepy Mellybean

Because she's just so dang cute, here are some more pictures of the sleepy little ball of fluff.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but Melly has some seriously impressive whisker action going on. They're very long, and they squiggle out in all different directions. She always has such a serious expression on her little round face, but with that halo of whiskery craziness, it's impossible not to giggle at her. (After she's left the room, of course, so as not to damage her self esteem.)

Keeping an Eye on Melly

Shortly after Melly's arrival, Scarlett assigned herself the duty of monitoring the mischievous little creature. I suspect Scarlett thought that I was not doing a good enough job of this and found it necessary to pick up the slack. As Melly's shenanigans have not let up, Scarlett continues to keep an eye on the little fuzzball.

Also, I am trying out a new blog header. I wanted a header that showed a more grown-up Mellybean, and I love that picture of her. I'm not sure yet if the new design will stay - I am working on another potential design - but I like it for now.

Sleepy Mellybean

I love how she has her little arms crossed. And how she looks at me like I should be privileged to be in the presence of such cuteness.

A Visit from Ashley

Ashley has been coming around quite a bit lately. I'm starting to think he's just flaunting his outdoorsiness in front of my apartment-bound kitties.

The part of the video around :37 cracks me up.

Napping Kitties

I love when the kitties nap near each other. It seems to be happening slightly more frequently now that the weather is colder, but I think Scarlett is just getting used to Melly. She bathes Melly's head at least every couple of days now, but always with an air of pronounced resignation. I imagine Scarlett thinking, "If you can't clean yourself properly, I'll do it myself. Your disheveled hair brings shame to our species."

When Scarlett and Melly nap near each other, the usual sequence of events is this: Melly watches Scarlett sleep, usually from the other end of the couch. When Scarlett is definitely sound asleep, Melly ever-so-quietly tiptoes over and gently lays down about 18 inches away. If Scarlett doesn't stir, Melly wiggles closer, until she's just touching Scarlett. Scarlett wakes up, looks grumpily at Melly, pauses for a moment (as if considering whether it's worth it to make a fuss), then goes back to sleep.

Happy weekend!

Melly and the Box

A package arrived a couple of days ago, and I put the box on the floor for Melly. She wasn't sure what to think, and eventually ended up abandoning it in favor of her old box in the living room, which is about twice the size and very nicely broken in.

The Re-Kittenizing of Scarlett

Thanks for sharing your tales of kitty interactions in the comments yesterday. I'm still adjusting to having two non-littermate cats, and it's very reassuring to know that my girls are acting normally. And by the way, Scarlett and Melly snuggled on the couch last night, and this morning, Scarlett pinned Melly down and gave her head a very thorough bathing. So it's definitely not all bad!

And on to today's post:

Melly climbs on everything, attacks everything that moves (and many things that don't), squeezes into every teeny space... and Scarlett has been watching. After Melly jumped up on the bathroom shelf, Scarlett followed and it’s now one of her favorite places. After Melly played with the mousie toy and the jingle ball that Scarlett had had for years, Scarlett suddenly started playing with them. After Melly decided that sitting in front of the TV while we were watching it was a brilliant idea, Scarlett started sitting on the TV stand.

When Scarlett became a fully indoor cat about four years ago, she (understandably) became extremely bored. I gave her lots of extra attention and a whole bunch of toys, and played with her as much as she'd let me, but even though she eventually got used to indoor life, Scarlett's old spunk and energy never completely returned.

Until now, that is. Even though Scarlett and Melly continue to have loud disagreements and violent tussles, I think Melly has provided Scarlett with exactly the excitement she needed and has reminded her how to have fun. I had almost forgotten how silly Scarlett used to be; it's wonderful to have her back.