Antares was very interested in being on the catio, and after squinting a bit, I saw what was capturing his interest.
There was a black cat sitting on the fence.
And a calico cat sitting on the porch roof.
Sentinel also wanted to have a look, but from inside.
As with most cat encounters this one ended with the cats wandering off. But it was fun to have four cats in sight.
While I was waiting to meet up with a friend tonight, I purchased two catnip toys for Sentinel and Antares.
They were interested, as you can tell by Antares searching under the couch for his, but the toys were a bit too short for them to really dig into them. Alas!
More than any other summer, Antares seems at home and happy in the heat. Once the daytime temperatures popped over 80 degrees, he started spending more and more of his day outside on the catio.
He even goes outside and hangs out on the front porch catio during the day, which he’s never really done.
I’m glad he’s a happy cat.
Back when we were a single-cat household, Sentinel gave me all the signs that we should be a two-cat household. He cried to go out every time he saw a cat outside—and it was, I want to be friends! not, I want to kill that cat. When my aunt’s cat came to stay while she was on vacation, they got along well.
And so a year later we brought Antares home and ever sense I have wondered off and on what kind of mixed signals Sentinel was giving me. Because Sentinel, now that we are a two-cat household, doesn’t really seem to be into sharing space with Antares. You can see here his foot placement. It’s more Go away! than Hooray!
He puts up with it, because he’s that kind of go-with-the-flow cat. But it’s usually Antares who wants to do social grooming and Antares who wants to sleep curled up together.
Maybe Sentinel just wanted to be the kind of cat who made the rounds and stared at all the other neighborhood cats until it was time to come home to his own place? Regardless, they’ve been living together for 13 years now, and I’m guessing it will be Antares who next experiences the single cat life. I wonder how that will be for him?
Matt unwisely left a sleeve of saltines out overnight. Feral kitten Antares went on the prowl.
Antares, the sensitive fellow, is back at the specialty cat optometrist. He’s been having drippy eyes again.
As usual, he was a boneless kitten when it came to being examined. He will need ointment applied to his eyes multiple times a day for months, but he should be on the mend soon.
Antares is ready for me to come and sit down. He’s got my place all warmed up.
Antares was in a good enough mood to pose for the camera. Sentinel was sacked out.
One area I keep well weeded is the part in front of the catio. Sentinel tends to push on the wire part trying to get to any greenery. Sometimes I can distract him with some of the wheatgrass I grow for the cats to snack on.
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.
