Crawl Space

In our home there are crawl spaces.

Yes, we have our own bedroom, a human sized one. We also have full reign of the entire house, with cat toys strewn whichever room you are in.

However, those crawl spaces are unused and we want to make claim to them.

We saw this online, and we are encouraging mamma to create the same tiny space for us.

Guy Transforms Space Behind Wall Into Bedroom For His Cat - The Dodo

We don't think we are asking too much. Our own television with bird and squirrel videos would be ideal.

In the mean time, we have windows to check out the action outside.

And we do find other ways to play. Our newest game is hide and seek.

Our negotiations for a separate playroom in a crawl space are still ongoing. We will keep you posted.

It is raining here today, and we are grateful it is not too cold. Our friends in Maine had snow last week!  Wherever you are, we hope your last week of April is filled with sunshine.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

Snow in April is abominable. Like a slap in the face when you expected a kiss. - L.M. Montgomery.

Cover Girl

Happy March, Dear Readers!

We are very excited that we were selected to be part of a Girls' Scout Calendar. Behold March:

A Girl Scout was creating a calendar and sought photos of cats. The proceeds from the sale of the calendar would benefit a TNR program. Mamma submitted multiple photos of Pasqua and I, and to our pure delight, we were both selected to be part of the calendar.

How cool is that? And for a wonderful cause! 

I make a beautiful cover girl, don't you agree? 

We had a wonderful week here - very cold outside, which makes us overly concerned about our sweet Grigio. He refuses to allow us to approach him, and he won't come inside our warm home. Happily, he uses a heated pad on our deck - and just stares at us: 

He is a very silly cat, and we hope one day he will realize the happy home inside. There are lots of things to play with, and lots of places to hide, too. Maybe one day. We remain hopeful. 

May your March be filled with sunshine and happiness.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

In March the soft rains continued, and each storm waited courteously until its predecessor sunk beneath the ground. - John Steinbeck.

Motivating Tips for Getting Through Winter

Happy Sunday, Readers!

Mamma was reading this article to us, How to Stay Motivated in the Cold Weather, and Pasqua and I agree that it may helpful to all of you.

Here is our cat-recap:

1. Love your mornings - we like to cuddle in bed with mamma and make her relax with us before getting ready for work each day. On weekends, we make sure she ignores the alarm clock, and only pays attention to us.

2. Write motivational post-it notes - since we cannot write notes to mamma, we do bring her toys, and move them around the house for her to find. Sometimes, I leave her "surprises" when I am missing her too much. Mamma does have a couple of motivational mantras on her mirror but I have no idea what they say. I assume it has something to do with loving us. 💗

One of ma's motivational notes - what does it say? 😻

3. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks - I know mamma listens to books in her car while commuting (and we don't get in that car with her much). At home, she does read out loud to us, and it is so nice to hear her different voices for characters, and to listen to whatever it is she is reading from. The article says reading is motivating, and I must agree, it motivates us to either pay attention to ma's voice, or to take a deep cat-nap.

4. Warm up with exercise - every morning, mamma does yoga. We like doing it with her. It is invigorating! In the afternoons, she will do a dance routine to some video she has, and that one is very funny to watch. We will chase after balls and toys to keep up with the music and to get our exercise in, too! It certainly warms us up.

5. Show up for yourself - this one lost us a little bit, because, as cats, ummmm, we definitely show up. In order to sustain motivation in the winter months, the article suggests to challenge yourself, set small, attainable goals, and reward yourself every time you crush them. Ummm, okay, does this mean we get more cat treats? Mamma gives us treats each time we "sit", "jump", "give paw", and "high five". Is this us showing up for ourselves? 😹

6. Enjoy the winter festivities - the last tip seems like the easiest one! Each season brings seasonal foods and festivities - something for all of us to look forward to during the calendar year. So, what's your favorite winter festivity? Ours is watching snow fall from our windows. If mamma would use the fireplace, I think we would really enjoy warming our fur by it. 😸 In November, mamma goes out pumpkin picking, orders pumpkin lattes, and buys presents for us and all her loved ones to celebrate Christmas. I can't wait to see what we get this year!

What do you think of these tips? What tips would you add to stay motivated in the cold weather?

We are big on relaxing in the winter - well, in any season, really.

Me working on my blog writing.

Have a wonderful week!

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Happy February!

Happy February, Readers.

There is still a kitten in our house. I don’t think he is going back to wherever he came from.

Witnessing first snow of his life.

Hearing a snow plow for the first time. 

He is 4.5 months old, with a lot of energy, and likes to play. He likes to eat my adult food, and that is fine with me, because I like to eat his kitten food. Ma has all about given up trying to separate our food respectively during feedings.

He also sleeps a lot, which is great because once he sleeps, I can nap, too. We nap often on the same furniture but not too close. I am not there yet. He wants to be next to me, but I need my space, so I move my nap place every time he gets too close. He seems to get the hint, in the moment, but forgets my imaginary border that exists around me every time it is nap time. Strange.

I nap here, on this side of mamma.

He naps there, on the opposite side of mamma. 

I still carry Topino Verdi to mamma twice a day, she has yet to capture it on video for us to share here. For the most part, the little kitten has an understanding that Verdi is mine. On the occasion, when Pasqua doesn’t remember, Pasqua receives a light swat of my paw for touching my beloved Verdi.

Co-existing is working for me. We both sleep in the same bed through the entire night (not cuddled next to one another, of course!).  We play, we nap, we eat, we sleep, we give mamma love, and she gives us her love.  That’s all any of us seem to need.

 Purr & Paw, 

-Stivali.