Our fuzzy girl was born on Valentine’s Day this year, so that makes her nine months old. We noticed last night that she is much larger than when we first brought her home. Part of that is due to natural growth from kitten to cat, and some of it, delightfully, is due to the season.
I recently had a reader request for more kitty photos. Today is the day!
Jupyter has become the fluffiest cat I’ve ever known. I am beginning to dread the cleanup that will be required when it gets warm again.
Our kitty only ever sees us, and sometimes Pedro’s adult kids when they spend a weekend with us, or rarely my adult kids when they stop by for a quick visit. I got the idea to start taking her the the pet supply store Mud Bay, to help socialize her. Jupyter was immediately at home, and the staff at Mud Bay adores her.
At Mud Bay, Jupyter met her first dog ever. His name is Howl, and is the sweetest dog. They met through a gate the first two times. The third time I brought her, they were given the chance to be without a gate, and they were at ease together.
At home, we tease that Jupyter wants to “help” with everything. Full transparency forces me to admit that she wants all the attention, all the time, from not one, but both of us. Anytime we are obviously engaged in some activity, she needs to be in the middle of it.
At the risk of grossing people out, I’ll admit that she spends half her time on the countertops. We do our best at keeping things hygienic. It’s impossible to keep her off the counter anymore, so we just work with it. We have lots of strategies for how to keep her out of food when it’s more important though. And I am a person who doesn’t mind kitten germs in my food, so when I’m only cooking for myself, I am pretty flexible.
Obviously, she needs assistance with bathing, because her level of washing is not enough to satisfy us. She becomes a smaller cat when soaking wet.
Now that it’s cold outside, I turn on the sauna while we wash her, so it’s nice and toasty in there when she’s done and ready to begin drying out.
She is not a snuggly kitty, or much of a lap kitty. She only really wants to nap with us at night, and especially directly in the center of the bed, or between us. Whichever position will cause us the most inconvenience. Pedro and I take turns waking up balanced on the edge of the mattress, or with arm cramps from the weird position we worked our way into during the night, to try to give the Queen her space.
Jupyter loves using the cat tree that was originally for Racecar. She likes to nap on every level. The tree is right between the kitchen and the TV room, so she can stay there and see us often, as this is the space we are most commonly in when we are not working. She can also watch the sliding glass door where Boh the squirrel comes and begs for peanuts. Jupyter chirps when Boh shows up.
The video shows her out in the back yard, very interested in our chickens.
Conscious Engagement 
She is absolutely precious! And she knows.
The sleeping complaints are familiar. But Sabrian has come to love planting herself between my right arm and body, then pushing.
They are little dictators.
The pushing! I’d be more annoyed if it wasn’t so darn cute. I’m sure Sabrina deserves all the space she asks for. ❤
They are princesses, and Rank Hath Its Privileges – RHIP!
She is very fluffy! And I’m glad you admitted to letting her on the counter. We never tried to fight that losing battle with our cats. Cats have their own minds about things. And overall … Jupyter looked like a very pampered and loved cat.
Thanks for stopping by, Diana. And glad to know I didn’t offend everyone with the cat on counter situation. 🙂 Since she’s only a kitten still, I expect our Jupyter will be even bigger and fluffier next winter. By then I’ll be able to report on how awful it is to clean her up in the Spring shedding season, ha ha.
Pet hair is just a thing we have to deal with. Sometimes I look down at my sweater and say, “OMG” as I frantically start trying to brush off all the dog hair. Hehe.
Isn’t she adorable. Yes you’ll have the best cat hair pick up brush ever.
My kid already asked questions along those lines, with the intent of choosing a practical Christmas gift. ha ha
😂
She has certainly settled in
Yes. So much so that it surprises me. But I actually have never known a more spoiled animal, so maybe it should not surprise me.
She’s quite beautiful and she knows it. You are being well trained to meet her needs and demands. Pets are out of the question for me so I love seeing the photos and the video here. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh I’m glad you liked the video too! That way you could see the cat AND the chickens. It is a little sad that we bought this house after you left, so you can’t really picture where everything is. Maybe I’ll try to do a Tour-of-the-Place blog post in the Spring, when it’s pretty again. Right now it’s all a lot of mud and moss.
Looking forward to it. The only time my place looks really good is after my cleaning lady comes on Saturday morning. I spend Friday and Saturday early morning making everything tidy so she can clean, then it’s back to working on things and making messes. 🙂
Jupyter is gorgeous, Crystal. I love how she chills in the sauna to dry off after a bath. Does she enjoy getting a bath?
She does not enjoy a bath at all. I was hoping that if we got started early in her life and bathed her all the time, she would tolerate it better, but she really hates it. Luckily she does trust us and is not inclined to bite and claw. So Pedro holds her inside the tub sink while I scrub and rinse, and we get it over with as quickly as we can. I’m glad I got the idea with the sauna, after watching her shiver one day. We are lucky ducks to have one!
You are indeed lucky to have a sauna, Crystal. I certainly wouldn’t mind one. Not for the cats, but for me. 😆 I think I will be clawed to death if I try to give either one a bath, which is why I wondered about Jupyter. I always marvel at videos of cats who love baths. A good thing she trusts you and Pedro!
Well, I just love all of this! Such personality. Reading about your sweet baby reminds me of my Gus. He was King of All around here and when we lost him I was devastated. He was a character too, but unlike Jupyter, he hated being on a leash. He’d flop over and wouldn’t move. His claim to fame was definitely that he taught himself to use the toilets in the house! He hated the cover on his litterbox, so he figured out a way around it! She’s beautiful, smart and self-possessed. Perfect qualities in a cat.
Gus was so smart! I had a cat that taught herself to use the toilet too. Love when they do that. Racecar also hated the litterbox, and insisted on going outside no matter the weather for most of her life. When she got old and feeble, she began using it, and at that point I told her she had earned it. 🙂 Jupyter is self-possessed, that is true. We have spoiled her already.
Such a gorgeous kitty!!! And Racecar kitty looks just like my cat Sloopy Anne.
Racecar was a beauty, so I imagine Sloopy Anne is too. How lucky we are to have cats in our lives. ❤
Yes, beautiful cats! Tortico!!!! Cats are the best!
Adorable. So pretty. Is that what a Maine Coon looks like? (Or is it a mixture?)
She is all Maine Coon. Well spotted!
Haha. Actually there was a caption below her photo at the centre… 😉
I’d heard about them but never seen a picture… Pretty cats.
love love love this❤️❤️💕💕
And we love her. It has been the perfect fit for the cat-shaped hole in our hearts.
cats have a way of moving in and taking over quickly….i live my three..I could easily become that crazy cat lady if I had bigger home!!