cat tree – Page 7

Let the Belly Rub Commence!

Sam sometimes likes to hold my hand as he’s about to fall asleep, a trait he shares with Emma, and while he does like the occasional belly rub he doesn’t love them the way she did (or our first cat Templeton, who was crazy for them). One of the things that surprised me having cats the past couple of decades has been how different their personalities are, it’s fun to learn how best to delight each of them. I’ve also been surprised by how affectionate they are, I was not expecting that based on the stories I often heard, but my lap is rarely empty (Trixie is asleep there now).

Wildlife Watching

Boo watches wildlife in the back yard from the top of the cat tree as I photograph him from the floor. “Look, Trixie, there’s a junco!”

Trixie, in her own inimitable style, watches wildlife in the back yard from the middle of the cat tree as I photograph her from the floor. “Look, Boo, there’s a squirrel!”

Trixie watches me watching her. “Look, Boo, an ape!”

📷: Canon 7D II | Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
🗓️: December 3, 2016

The Home Stretch

I had to laugh when I saw Sam sleeping all stretched out on the cat tree, of the six cats we’ve had only the tidy Scout would be less likely to sleep like this. Sam generally prefers to sleep curled up so I don’t know how he ended up in this position, he had been sleeping up there alone so he had the entire space to himself.

Made for Trixie

When we first got this cat tree, I thought the cats would only use the middle platform as a place to jump to the top, as it isn’t very tall. But it turns out to be perfectly Trixie sized, so she often hangs out here to watch the birds and squirrels in the backyard.

Sam in the Soft Light

When I saw Sam sleeping on the cat tree in this lovely overcast light I grabbed the new camera (Sony A6500) and a new lens (Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8) and took one of my favorite pictures of him, a simple portrait in soft light. I’ve admired this lens from afar since it was introduced a few years ago but wasn’t sure I’d use it enough to justify its price. It was both on sale and further discounted with a trade-in special so I decided to give it a go and am glad I did.

The camera also worked out well, I’m holding it over to my side as the TV is where I would have otherwise stood. The little on-board flash can be manually bounced so I used it to subtly fill in some of the shadows near his face that were caused by his body blocking the light. The image stabilization helped out since I was in an unstable position and the live zebras helped me quickly set the exposure to not blow out the back wall, so all that was left was to tap the touchscreen to set the focus on his eyes.

Holy

If Boo was a human he’d be thought of as a holy man, a prophet, a mystic. I sometimes call him the Professor because he’s both curious and intelligent, but there’s more to it than that. There are many times I feel he’s not just observing the universe but trying to understand it. What things he sits and ponders in his heart.

We need more of you in this world, little Boo.

The Fading Light

Feels like dark days ahead as we give in to the gospel of fear. This can be a hard country to love, but there is much that is good, there are many worth fighting for. Here’s to brighter days, to hope, to love.

📷: Canon 7D II | Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
🗓️: October 29, 2016

Dilapidated

There’s a long-running trend in photography of people photographing models in fancy dress in dilapidated buildings, a style I’ve never liked although it is quite popular. But even I couldn’t resist a shot of my lovely model in a run-down location, Boo in the old cat tree that we moved in front of the larger picture window. This part of the cat tree is showing signs of wear but it’s the bottom that has suffered from the love of five different cats, the carpet now in tatters. It’s a shame because we’ve never found another design that we (or the cats) like quite as much, although the newer one in my office does the job.

Mr. Cool

Boo keeps cool in the darkened living room on the morning of the 4th of July. There’s a dichotomy between his waking and sleeping selves, as he’s a shy and nervous cat in general but he can sleep in any position and often appears chilled out when relaxed or asleep.

Sunshine Sam

A break in the heat allowed us to open the windows during the day, so Sam took advantage to climb to the top of the cat tree to enjoy both fresh air and sunshine.