Living With Cats

Every pet owner likes to talk about their furry friends. We have two cats; one is an orange tabby and the other is a white calico mixed breed with Ragamuffin and Ragdoll traits. Our two cats have very different personalities. The ginger cat is independent minded and likes her daily routines. The white cat is more active and friendly but fears loud noises. The white cat spends most of her time downstairs in our finished basement. 

The ginger cat likes to spend her day upstairs until she is ready to start her evening routine. The younger white cat likes to play rough and will try to pick a fight with our older cat. I guess that's why our ginger cat spends most of her day upstairs avoiding the white cat. But they do like each other's company from time to time as the photo shows. My house mate sleeps downstairs with the white cat, and I sleep upstairs with the ginger cat. She likes to stay up past midnight and sleep until noon. The white cat sleeps on her bed and the ginger cat sleeps on my bed. 

The ginger cat's evening routine starts between 9 and 10 PM. She will come downstairs where we are watching television. After visiting the litter box, she jumps up on the half basement ledge wall to look out the window. After making sure there are no critters in the yard, she will either come and sit on my lap or find a spot across the room to wait until it is time for me to go upstairs. I'm usually ready for bed between 11 and 12 PM. 

As soon as I get up, the ginger cat will follow me upstairs. When I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth, she jumps up on the vanity and tries to get me to pet her. When she sees that I am ready to leave the bathroom, she climbs over to the toilet and sits on top of the tank. This is my cue to pick her up and carry her to the bed. 

On cold nights, she waits for me to get under the covers and then comes over by my head and taps me on the shoulder. When I lift up the blanket, she crawls in next to me and lays down. She usually lays next to me for a short time and then, when I'm ready to fall asleep she crawls out and finds a spot at the foot of the bed. If I wake up during the night, she sometimes uses that as an opportunity to get under the covers again. In the morning she follows me into the bathroom and waits for me to finish my shower. She then follows me into the kitchen where I fill the food dish and make my breakfast toast and coffee.

I often don't see the ginger cat for the rest of the day, unless I'm working on a project that she needs to supervise. The white cat is always around when we are downstairs. She likes laying on our laps and begging for treats. She also likes to go outside with me on the deck to investigate the outside world. In the winter, our white cat loves sitting in front of the fireplace. But as far as routines go, the ginger cat wins the prize for the most detailed and consistent routine.