Doing a sound check from the living room's high point

Time flies when you have cats! Athena turned one year old in June, and Zephyr in July. It’s been fascinating to watch their personalities develop.

Zephyr demonstrating bike maintenance techniques

In spite of his initial skittishness, Zephyr has turned out to be more dominant and resilient of the two. He seems to enjoy being picked up and cuddled. He hasn’t once pooped in the wrong spot or barfed up his lunch. He still loves to fetch but is pretty particular about the brand of foam ball.

Zephyr posing with his fetching ball

One of his most endearing traits is the plopping. He’ll find us and plop himself down forcefully to request his belly rubs.

Zephyr sleeps in strange positions

This is fine when we’re watching TV on the couch, but when we’re asleep in bed and our faces get in the way it can get unpleasant. He will also bring his foam balls to bed in hopes that we wake up in the middle of the night and want to play. He also loves to meow-chirp at birds, bugs, shadows, string, and the laser pointer.

Athena extracting her toys from a box

Athena is the more neurotic of the two. She’s seems to have gotten over her sensitive-stomach issues but we are still quite cautious when introducing her to new foods. She only likes to be petted or picked up on occasion. She goes into “orbiting mode” where she’ll circle around your feet as you walk. Then she gets into “kneading mode” where she purrs, suckles, and kneads us. Again, this is OK when it’s Amanda on the couch waching TV, but less so when we’re asleep in bed. She will also fetch a couple of her preferred toys, although it’s less reliable than Zephyr.

Athena and Zephyr passed out on the couch

We’ve learned that neither cat likes to be walked. We have harnesses for both of them and take them on walks on our buliding’s external staircase. With all the hair standing on end, cowering, and visible shaking we’re starting to get the picture they’re not too happy with being out. I personally think it’s good for them to get out of our 2-bedroom place and see the world.

Zephyr and Athena relaxing on their fortress

Since we’re at work during the day, one of the challenges is keeping them entertained. I keep building them fortresses out of chairs, ottomans, sheets, coffee tables, boxes, and step stools. I’ll weave ropes in between the items, hide toys, etc. They have a good instinct for destruction and the forts frequently require rebuilding. But each new one gets them in the exploratory mood all over again.

Athena dives into the box after her toy