This page is about feline formations and time-share arrangements—all the ways that the cats in our household share space and get into mischief.

2014

Oct. 10, 2014—Tabbies in the peaceful time before the Orlands (Tippy, Tink, and Perdita) joined the household. This is (top to bottom) Max, Zoe, and Kaylee:

2015

April 2, 2015—Tippy and Perdita in my office. Right after their arrival!

April 20, 2015—The three new California cats are beginning claim spaces in the house. Tink, the calico Manx, has taken the cat bed in the window seat of Tom’s office, with a view of the street. Perdita, the orange cat, is trying out the small cat tree in the front window. Mr. Tippy is still hiding behind my iMac, but he comes out to be petted and to see Perdita when she visits. That expensive custom-made cat tree that we bought for the new cats? It didn’t fit through the hallway to my office, so we put it in the dining room where our cat of 11 years, Zoe, is up in the top of it. Which she deserves, since the new cats are encroaching on her territory. Max, the neighborhood cat, has the antique mohair sofa.

Dec. 1, 2015—There is only one thing that can stop Zoe the cat from pestering me incessantly while I work at the computer: Mr. Tippy the cat, who pesters Zoe exactly the way she has been pestering me. Mr. Tippy has found his calling. He gets treats.

2017

April 23, 2017—Tippy and Zoe:

2018

April 10, 2018—One of our favorites: The Cubist formation.

2019

Feb. 11, 2019—The “quotation mark” formation:

Feb. 11, 2019—Two cats in one: Tippy and Perdita.

March 12, 2019—We are in the midst of a month-long annual commemoration of the reorganization of our cat herd that took place four years ago in March. Today is the anniversary of Perdita biting me when I tried to put her in a carrier to bring her home. Here is a current picture of Perdita (right), looking not particularly apologetic, with her friend Mr. Garibaldi.

May 8, 2019—They noticed immediately that I’d put out the patio cushions. (Perdita and Tink)

Sept. 19, 2019—The three Orlands enjoy the last rays of summer:

2020

Jan. 24, 2020—The afternoon sun inspired the cats to try an Evenly Spaced L Formation:

Feb. 11, 2020—The three cats we adopted from California five years ago have gradually acclimated to our house. Two of them can be petted and picked up indoors; one (Perdita) will allow touch only when upstairs, and will relax to be petted only at night and upstairs. None of them can be touched while outdoors.

Taking them to the vet is a challenge. Capturing Tippy or Tink involves 10 minutes of chasing them around the house and finally hauling them out from under a bed, dresser or sofa. Perdita gets so upset (she doesn’t just run, she panics and is in danger of injuring herself) that we skipped her annual checkup last year so we could continue to tame her.

But what’s really confusing is this: We make a vet appointment weeks in advance. The morning of the appointment, we come downstairs to feed the cats as usual and Tippy and Tink have vanished (they are hiding behind the sofa).

HOW DO THEY KNOW? We are getting up at the usual time, the cat carrier has not been brought into the main house, we are going into the kitchen and putting out food…? Are they reading the calendar on the computer?

Feb. 28, 2020—I have no idea what earned us this approbation:

March 1, 2020—Celebrating the 5-year anniversary of the day they arrived in Seattle, Tink and Tippy appreciate the formal tablecloth. Note Mr. Tippy “hanging 10.”

May 24, 2020—Tink and Perdita in the back yard:

August 3, 2020—The evening catscape:

Sept. 8, 2020—Feline formations: Tom calls this one “Pi.”

Sept. 21, 2020—Tippy and Tink on the chaise

2021

March 2, 2021—Perdita, Tippy, and Zoe share the chaise:

March 5, 2021—Tippy and Perdita in one of their weirder formations:

June 28, 2021—They talk about cats that are food motivated or play motivated. Our four food-motivated cats trotted in the door for their 6 p.m. dinner and are now secured inside. The two “cold-motivated” cats are sitting in the shaded backyard, sulking. The negotiations have begun.

2022

Jan. 27, 2022—For unknown reasons, Tippy and Max have joined the WBC on my desk. Yes, the WBC is dismayed. This is the meeting of the guys club, BTW.

March 1, 2022—On the table celebrating the 7-year anniversary of their arrival (Tink and Tippy). Perdita caught up with them a week later:

March 5, 2022—Good cat news: The WBC has found the sunny backyard bench I bought some years ago for Mr. Garibaldi.

Bad cat news: Perdita and Tinkerbell noticed WBC enjoying the bench and…now there’s no room for WBC!

Yes, I’m looking for another bench to add to The Sunny Spot in the back garden.

June 14, 2022—The contractors have driven Zoe and Perdita from the house.

August 5, 2022—This is what cats do when their owner is experiencing excruciating pain after dental surgery. The orange cat is the notoriously unfriendly one—but now cuddling me.

Sept. 8, 2022—Mr. Tippy likes to sleep on top of other cats. The World’s Best Cat is under there, somewhere.

2023

May 2, 2023—Mr. Tippy keeps getting in bed with the WBC. Who tolerates it. Two old guys…:

2024

May 14, 2024—Tink and Toby

May 20, 2024—Two of the young neighborhood kids (5 and 3) just came in to play with Annie and Toby. The cats are so good with children! I think Annie really needed some high-energy play. I let the kids feed Toby treats.

Now Toby and Tom and I are exhausted.

May 27, 2024—We arrived home from Folklife late Sunday night to discover war had broken out between Annie the Pirate Kitten and the 3 California cats. It was the first time in a few months that they’d spent a full day together inside the house, and the latest that we’d come home. Annie had driven the trio from their upstairs home base but they’d seized control of her living room window. Tink had a scratch on her nose, and Annie was absolutely berserk when she saw us, flying over furniture and diving under the couch. It took an hour to calm her down and apologize to those she’d offended. Things seem better today. Toby, of course, ignored the whole contretemps. I have misted the house with Feliway calming spray.

Aug. 17, 2024—This is a photo of three cats who had just eaten breakfast and gone outside. They are watching me feed a fourth cat in the kitchen. The injustice!!

Sept. 7, 2024—Last night Mr. Tippy trotted inside at 6 p.m. but his “sisters” Perdita and Tinkerbell refused to come in for dinner. We ignored this for a while, then realized it was dark, and went into overdrive trying to lure them inside. We’d call, they’d appear on the back patio—but then they’d rush off to the front yard. I’d call every 15 minutes, and they’d repeat this scenario.

Then our neighbor across the street texted that the two cats were in her front yard, meowing at her, and leading her across to our place, so they must want me to let them in. I texted back that I’d been TRYING to get them in for two hours!

At this point, I got a flashlight and went out front where the cats were delighted to see me. They began leading me across the street to the neighbor’s house, Tink chirping and the usually silent Perdita purring loudly. They seemed to be hunting something.

I began looking for an injured animal, or a lost kitten, or something…but…nothing.

My neighbor texted for an update. I texted back my confusion.

By now I was back in my driveway, the cats both sitting and staring in fascination at my neighbor’s driveway across the street. I listened and heard “rustle, rustle, thump, thump” coming from the front of the neighbor’s garage. The cats and I approached, I used the flashlight, but…couldn’t see anything.

Not wanting to tromp all over the neighbor’s yard, I texted her about the rustling and thumping. She came out and said “Oh, it must be the raccoons.”

THE RACCOONS?

I then walked down her driveway, put my flashlight over her fence, and found myself looking directly into the eyes of a huge raccoon in her side yard. It shrugged and kept grabbing plums off a tree, taking one bite, and then throwing the rest of the plum on the ground.

The neighbor then explained that the raccoons sample several dozen of her plums every night, leaving the bitten fruits on the ground where she has to pick them up.

I turned off the flashlight, leaving the marauders in peace. The cats, now at my heels, continued to stare in fascination in the direction of the rustling and thumping.

At this point, I just gave up and went home.

Tom eventually lured Tinkerbell in, and Perdita then returned to our backyard. About 10 minutes later we coaxed her in.

Tonight we were careful to get them in early, well before the plum feast commenced across the street.