Here’s the update you’ve been awaiting. The cats are ready for 2016.

Ajax, our lanky, old man, will turn ten this year. He rules the house with a surprisingly iron paw.

Lady and Tarzan turn six at the end of September. Hard to believe they were born in the parlor almost six years ago and were the size of their heads now. Both weigh between 14 and 15 pounds now. Tarzan feels like a solidly muscled kitty.

This photo was from a couple years ago.

Lady is solid but feels softer. Tarzan is the soft-spoken one of the pair who just wants to sit on your lap and be petted. He gets along with all the other cats. Lady loves being with her people, but she can be a terror around other cats, especially Rossie. She appears to go after Sapphire in the cage, but Sapphire isn’t afraid of her, and when Sapphire is out, she has played with Lady, although she takes cover when Lady is in a less playful mood. I’m trying different essential oils to see if any have a calming enough effect upon Lady where she isn’t aggressive with the other cats. I had encouraging results with Harmony yesterday, but I have to know if it’s repeatable. Time will tell.

Rossie, RubyMae, and Delta are all healthy and will be four this year. Delta is more interested in human interaction (don’t tell the vet staff, when she boards, she hides in her carrier and has been known to cause bodily harm to them). Delta sleeps with us and sharks under our chairs in the evening in search of pets. RubyMae loves the garden window in San Antonio and sleeps with us at night. In the morning, before she retires to her alcove at the top of the stairs, she’s been known to welcome chin and belly rubs. Rossie is a different cat since we began keeping her in the cage last June. I’d hoped to have better news by now, but Rossie seems happier. During the day and early evening, she is out of the cage and has access to the parlor and the kitchen. She almost always spends her time curled up on a rocking chair. She’s approachable, and she purrs loudly, especially when we rub her ears, chin, and tummy. When we’re in San Antonio, she has the run of the house but chooses to spend time in the garden window or under a rocking chair in the bedroom. She is more assertive with fending off Lady when Lady decides to be aggressive. But in San Antonio, there are still altercations during the night, and we put Lady in time out in the cage when that happens. Here in Central Texas, we don’t want sleep disrupted. Also, we’re concerned Rossie will retire to under the dresser again, and she won’t get out to eat or interact with us. With this approach, she’s not attacked, we know she gets to eat, and she gets human interaction. For now, as awful as it seems, keeping her in the cage at night seems to be the best thing for her overall health.

Daphne will turn three this year. She loves the highest places, so the cat tower I bought a few months ago is a favorite of hers. She’s beginning to mellow and is more amenable to use petting her. Picking up and holding is still met with resistance.

Sapphire is scheduled for spaying at the end of January. She has the run of the house when we’re in San Antonio. While she is very interested in us and watches closely, she won’t approach us or let us approach her. She loves to play with the other cats. While in Central Texas, we are keeping her in the cage and continue to work with socialization. It’s a slow process. She will sniff our hands through the cage and spend a lot of time sitting near the door until we sit down to open the door and try to interact with her. Then she retreats to the back of the cage, where we cannot reach her without getting onto hands and knees and reaching to the back. She’s curious but hasn’t overcome that fear instilled by her feral mother.

Sneaky will be five and rules the yard. She’s tamer than my indoor ferals (who are either her kittens or her nieces). She’ll come inside if I carry her in, but she’s reluctant to walk in under her own power. I’d love to make her an indoor cat, but Lady’s unwillingness to accept new cats hinders implementation of that idea. For now, she’s fine outside. I have brought her inside when it’s supposed to be particularly cold, but I wonder if that isn’t counter-productive due to the other outdoor cats. Am I taking away a source of warmth for all of them? Not sure. Either way, she’s a family favorite.

Walter is a regular on the Cat Cam but appears irregularly for Fancy Feast and petting. At least he appears in time to be caught for his annual exam and shots. He’s a gorgeous kitty, and I love interacting with him.

Junior is nearly ready to be caught. I’m not sure how old he is, but he first appeared on the Cat Cam early in 2015, and he was fully grown then but young. He was scrawny when he first appeared, perhaps a young cat using all his energy to grow? He’s begun to fill out and bulk up over the last few months, so maybe he’s two years old? I was able to apply Revolution to his neck for the first time this morning, so when we return from San Antonio, I’ll take a carrier out for the Fancy Feast feedings and attempt to capture him. He needs to be given a clean bill of health, neutered, and vaccinated. I think he’s ready.

Boomer has been making regular visits. But a recent Cat Cam shot makes me wonder if he’s already neutered. If so, I won’t worry about trying to catch him. There’s a good chance he might be our neighbor’s cat. I thought I’d verified he wasn’t by seeing Boomer in one place and the neighbor’s cat on their porch, but I have reason to wonder. What do you think? Has he been neutered? He’s configured a lot like Tarzan, and Tarzan has definitely been neutered.

That’s where the kitties are at the beginning of 2016. Poised for a successful year.