Wintertainment

Bird watching--late autumn

                Once it’s too cold for outdoor clowder comfort, what keeps them busy?  Well, after they finally accept that they are staying indoors, a large percentage of winter hours are dedicated to sleeping.  Each cat has claimed a heat register.  During the day they go to their registers and ooze their bodies over them until no air can get through.  In this way they suck up all the heat coming from the furnace as they nap.

                In the few hours that remain, they work to maintain their winter weight by overeating.  Then they do what every child at home on a snow day does—bugs the heck out of the others.  Frank chomps, Finny and Toby swipe from hiding spots beneath furniture, Biff and Jersey rest with one eye open so they can watch their backs.  If Finny gets really bored, he will start rummaging in the waste baskets.  He has a special affinity for used tissues and cotton swabs.

                There is one bright spot in their day—bird and squirrel feeding time outside the dining room window.  We refrain from feeding wildlife in the summer—it would cruelly set them up for death by cat.  In the winter, however, we want them to come to the feeders.

                Our kitties line up on the window ledge and watch the eaters for hours.  If a cat is too tired to sit up, he’ll lie on the dining room table and watch.  Squirrels are their favorites, but sparrows, cardinals, and blue jays make good subjects too. 

                Most of the time the cats watch passively and occasionally try to communicate with a chuttering noise. Every now and then, though, a squirrel will notice them and lean against the window to peer in.  The cats will get so excited they forget about the window pane and try to launch through it. 

                During the long winter months we take whatever entertainment we can get.