Making New Friends

What have Grendel and Bentley been up to for the last few weeks?

They've been making new friends, Of course!






This is Mr. Chipmunk.
I'm thinking that he's an Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus), although I haven't found a picture with markings quite like his. He's very handsome. Of course, Bentley and Grendel want to make friends with him. I'm encouraging this friendship, but as window friends only- you can look, but not touch! I'm afraid that the cats will play too rough with their new friend, and Mr. Chipmunk won't survive the encounter.

The cat's other new friend happens to be a sparrow, a chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina), to be exact. This sparrow is decked out in his summer colors. According to the Stokes Field Guide to the Birds, this guy eats seeds and insects on the grounds, which is mainly where I have seen him. The Grendel Monster really wants to be friends with this bird, but I'm betting any friendship on the sparrows part is one-way only.

Promoting cross-species friendships is always a good thing, especially when you have friendly cats who are always up for play with their smaller, more edible feathery companions, but bribery with food sure does make these friendships happen faster! When I first put up the bird feeder, for months I never saw any birds, and now I've got a regular bird and mammal crew showing up throughout the day. It definitely keeps things interesting, and the cats out of trouble.

Some More information about:
Eastern Chipmunks (Smithsonian Webstite)
Chipping Sparrow(Cornell University Website)


Next Post: Carrie's Super Easy Salsa Recipe

Photo Shoot with Bentley

I took half the day off on Friday, just in time for me to watch the cats follow one sunspot to another. I took this opportunity to take pictures of Bentley. It's really difficult to take pictures of a tan and white cats using only flash, so when the sun comes out, and I get a nice back light, I try to take advantage of it. Enjoy!

I'm not sure if Bentley enjoyed his photo shoot- He was trying to sleep and I kept staring at him! He was formerly feral, and while he has made great progress in the three years I've had him, he still spooks easily. I'm really surprised he didn't get up and find a more peaceful spot. Those sunspots must really be tempting!



I'm always amazed at how handsome Bentley is. He is such a beautiful cat. He's also very long - People are always surprised by how little he weighs (9 pounds) - when he stretches - his body goes on and on and on. Its pretty impressive.




This is Grendel. She's nothing but trouble. There's a love - hate relationship between Bentley and Grendel. Grendel loves Bentley - Bentley thinks she's annoying. I don't blame him. She has to be everywhere he is. She cleans his ears, lays on top of him, and bites him in the butt when she thinks he should be playing with her. It's not all bad- I've seen Bentley jump Grendel, and then complain loudly when she bites back- hard. She just turned one, so she is still very much a kitten.

See what I mean? She's nothing but Trouble!

Poor Bentley - not only will I not leave him alone, his little sister insists on being right next to him (notice Grendel's tail?)








Considering moving... with the start of a stretch, and the beginning of a yawn...

Looking for that perfect spot in the sun, but away
from flashing cameras and curious kittens....

The End.

Stay tuned for the next post- Making New Friends!