Antares is ready for me to come and sit down. He’s got my place all warmed up.

Antares doesn’t spend a ton of time on the back porch. There are always sounds that chase him back inside where it’s safe. Or wind. He really hates wind. But it was sunny and warm today and he wanted a dirt bath, so out he went.
Later, I took him for yet another vet appointment. When I brought him home, I unzipped his carrier and he jumped out, but a few hours later he jumped back in and gave me the eye.
He knows that he gets a treat if he goes in the carrier on his own. So I gave him that well-deserved treat.
The kitten, as I routinely call him because he is the youngest cat, is not doing so well. He’s got a lot of drippy, goopy eye stuff going on. What the normal vet has been giving him hasn’t worked, so he’s headed to the cat ophthalmologist next week.
Poor kitty. He still remains sweet, despite his malady.
As other writers have observed, welcoming a pet into your life gives you companionship and also regular reminders about the life span. My two cats, ages sixteen and twelve, have both entered the elderly stage. And it’s the younger one who isn’t doing very well with this phase of life.
While Sentinel has been aging more or less gracefully (he’s taken prednisone for years to help with his vomiting) Antares has catapulted himself into some sort of herpes thing that has left him sickly and sad and in need of a lot of expensive medication. Plus, he has to start medication for his thyroid.
Having sick cats isn’t fun. Hopefully these medications will have him feeling better soon.
While Sentinel has not cottoned to the cat door, Antares has figured out that he can be an outdoor kitty by just pushing through it.
While he doesn’t spend a ton of time on the catio, he does go out every night, and there are even times during the day when I will find him keeping an eye on the front sidewalk.
He might spend more time there when it gets warmer outside.
Side note. The concrete turns green like that every winter. We could spray it off, but why bother? It goes away when things warm up.
Ikea advertised this cat cave insert for their standard bookcase and soon after I learned about it, I bought one.
This brings the hideyholes the cats have to three: this, plus a tent I bought from Ikea years ago, plus a plush sided tent that Matt’s mom gave me because her cat wasn’t interested.
Reporting from the future I can say that Sentinel uses the plush sided tent multiple times per day, they both go into the Ikea tent when they need to blow off steam, and they almost never use this hideaway.
I took some time over the Thanksgiving weekend to add shelves to the catio.
And now we can call that project done!
Except not, because the shelves aren’t wide enough for the cats to sit comfortably on. So I might get some boards and add them to the top. Or I might not, because the don’t seem to like to climb when out on the catio.