Kitty Pics!

My cats don't do cute things like Susan's do. Yep, that's my current excuse for not having gorgeous images of my boys being playful. The other excuse is that I've only had my new camera a week and am still learning how to use it. But, in the interest of sharing, here are a few images of Hooboo and Hyram.

This one is of Hyram looking brave as he faces the flash. Later he is doing his best to avoid looking directly at my camera so the other shots of him are from the side. Hyram is a Flamepoint Ragdoll which I adopted from the veterinarian 10 years ago. He is finally getting adjusted to his new buddy Hooboo but the competition for attention and food is intense. :)

Here's Hooboo by my desk trying to decide whether he wants to stay in and mess with Hyram or go out and be the cool street cat he was when I adopted him this past summer. I love both my kitties but here is some advice for pet owners and vets. If the owner has one old male cat who has no front claws (not my choice) and has been castrated (the old way of neutering a cat) and they adopt a young street cat who keeps his claws but also gets neutered, DON'T give the new cat a vasectomy! The left over testosterone production will make for an aggressive domineering kitten who will then have the older supposedly alpha cat running for cover. Sigh, I'm sure that keeping his testicles in tact will help Hooboo live a longer and healthier life but I let him outside just to give Hyram some peace and quiet. Poor old guy.

Here's a second one of Hyram looking nonchalant in front of the camera's invasive lens. He was trying to take a nap and be close to me. He now spends a lot of time lying near me in the living room or under my desk when I'm working on my computer. This winter is hitting us both hard. We each seem to have aches and pains in places we wish we didn't. He's moving carefully these days and my right hand is aching in the cold.

Here is Hooboo taking a nap on the sofa. He looks upside down because that's the way he looks from the front of the sofa. Hooboo is an American Bobtail, that's why he doesn't have a tail. I didn't know tailless cats existed except for the Manx. Now I do. He likes to have his back scratched just in front of the stub. Don't all cats? :)

That's it for the best kitty poses right now. I have others but they are just too similar to be worth sharing at the same time. As I get better at animal photography I'll share more of my boys. Hooboo is becoming the cuddle bug Hyram never has been. He gets picked up and snuggled when he comes in and plopped on the bed as I get ready for sleep. Hyram is now starting to spend time in the bed with me when he can catch a time that Hooboo isn't there. Otherwise he still sleeps on the cedar chest (my grandmother's hope chest) which is right next to my bed and has lots of lovely soft laundry piled up on it. Hyram is the one who wakes me in the morning and if his efforts don't succeed Hooboo does a run and bounce across the bed a few times. If I'm determined to sleep late they eventually take up posts waiting for me to be ready to get up and feed them breakfast. I've even had them both on the bed at the same time for that. Ah food, the great leveler. (G)

Happy New Year!