Dos Loco Gatos

Besides my husband, I live with two crazy cats. Two is the most we will ever have at any one time (I think three or more qualifies as "cat lady" status). I like having them around. Even though they're hairy, sit on every piece of furniture we have, conduct crazy wrestling matches in the middle of the night, and can get on our nerves at times, they bring a lot of simple joy to our lives. Those of you with cats (or dogs) know what I mean.

It's nice to have a furry friend greet you when you come home. There's something about a purring cat that's almost therapeutic, especially when they cuddle up with you on a chilly day. 

Regardless of what cat-haters people say, they really have unique personalities. When you find a good one (or two), they become great pets, part of the family. 

I'd say we lucked out with two good ones (for the most part). We got Lacey 6 years ago from a local animal shelter when she was a kitten. She tends to keep to herself and isn't that outwardly friendly. Lacey's more of a scaredy cat and takes a long time to warm up to people. She's definitely a "girl" with her sporadic mood swings. But we love her because she was our first pet, we picked her out together and brought her home to our first apartment. 

Chancho is our Mexican orphan. His name is from Nacho Libre. We found him on Craigslist 3 years ago, after my co-worker adopted his brother, Bruno. He was the last kitten left, and we literally picked him up at a parking lot. Poor little guy needed some TLC. He was sooooo cute with long soft fur. I've always wanted a gray and white kitty. Little did I know he would be ca-razy. His sweet overly affectionate personality makes up for his bad behavior. Chancho is more like a dog - his favorite thing is playing fetch.

When they're not fighting each other or doing things they shouldn't, they can usually be found in this position. Ah, the life of a cat.

Three Tulips, Two Cats

Three pretty pink tulips brightened my day. As you can see, they were the lucky ones that didn't fall prey to whatever animal ate the heads right off the ones next to them! Maybe tulips are as delicious as they are beautiful.

Here are my two favorite felines, who also brighten my day (when they're not getting into trouble).

They are finally getting along. Lacey, in the foreground, prefers to nap, undisturbed, in a sunny or quiet spot. She's usually scared of guests in our home, and hides. This has given her a terrible reputation for being unfriendly, especially to little ones with loud voices. But she's really such a good cat and loves to cuddle with us on a blanket or our laps.

Lacey was our only cat until we introduced Chancho almost one year ago. He is anything but shy. He lives for affection and wants it 24/7. A curious and friendly guy, who likes to cuddle and play, but has a short attention span. His fur is incredibly soft (and unfortunately long). He makes us laugh and we like having him around.

Even though Lacey hated him the moment she laid eyes on him, thankfully that has changed. I wouldn't say they're best friends yet, but at least they will sit relatively close to one another, which a year ago, didn't look like it would happen. I think deep down, Lacey is happy to have a friend and playmate. Even if he does take her favorite spot in the window and provokes her to wrestle.

"They are releasing their wiggles." - Nacho Libre