BLOGGERS + CATS...

Bloggers + Cats returns after an extended summer hiatus - listen, you can't make cats stick to a schedule when there might be patches of sunlight to recline in or plant pots to sit in. OK, it was me sitting in the plant pot, I mean extending the summer break. 

I first admired Andrea's cats on flickr - so much personality - and I knew I'd hit the jackpot when on locating her email address I discovered it was also cat related. Eliot and Ezra are like a comedy duo - though for the life of me I cannot tell them apart, so I'm not even going to attempt captions. Thank you Andrea!

What breed are they, how old, how did you come to live with them, why did you call them Ezra and Eliot?
They are long-haired tuxedo kitties (that’s my best guess, at least), and they are about 2.5 years old. My mother found them in need of a home at our local vet’s office, and decided that they’d be great company for me in my new studio apartment when I left for college. They are named after poets, of course! I was an English major.

How would you describe their personalities?
Ezra is a bit of a cowboy, with a feminine side. He’s always stomping around the house, but he’s got a timid meow and a wispy tail that he shakes around a lot. Eliot is more difficult to describe; he’s unpredictable and wild-eyed. While he spends much of his time running away from noises and my roommates, he’s also probably the sweetest cat ever once he warms up to someone.

What are their favorite foods? Ezra likes salmon skin a lot. He usually finds it in the trash bin. Eliot will eat anything, but favorites range from prosciutto to straight up garbage.


Where are Ezra and Eliot’s preferred lounging locations? Do they have any signature poses? Usually they can be found in my bed. If not there, then Ezra likes to sleep in piles of clothing (mostly my boyfriend’s shirts on the floor), and Eliot has taken to a small Moroccan couch that belongs to my roommate. They both spend a lot of time lounging on their backs with feet in the air.

What is a day in the life of Ezra and Eliot like? They’re usually up early making a lot of noise throughout the house. Once someone wakes up, they follow whomever it is throughout the house until about 10 am, when they pass out in bed. The rest of the day is spent lounging until dinnertime. Usually around 7 pm they start making a mess of things and run laps around the kitchen looking for scraps--if they can find a box to play in, even better. If we don’t feed them before about 11pm, Eliot starts to eat things like the mail, or plastic bags. After eating, they spend most of the night running up and down the stairs, playing with each other and with our roommate’s cat, Thaddeus.

Do you have any amusing/weird/cute Ezra and Eliot moments or stories you'd like to share?
I once made a batch of awful tasting corn muffins, which I had tried to feed to my boyfriend with not much luck. I left them out over night, covered with a kitchen towel. When I returned to them the next morning, every last one was gone, with only a smattering of crumbs left behind. I asked my boyfriend if he had eaten them—negative. Hungry kitties indeed.

I also have a story specific to Eliot, which involves his favorite toy. One day he pulled out a ball of teal yarn from the bottom of my yarn basket and started carrying it around with him. A few nights after that happened, I tried to put it back into the yarn basket. It was out again by the next morning. He has since wound it around itself many times, making it into one massive tangle. A few months ago he added to his toy by wrapping it around a package of pipe cleaners. He carries this toy around with him and meows as if he is in pain--but he loves it.

Quickfire round:

Birds or mice? Birds.

Sunlight or radiator? Sun!

Tap or bowl? Bowl. They always spill it on purpose.

Lap or laptop? Laps, for on average 5 minutes before they get fed up.

Snuggling or stretching? Snuggling for Eliot, stretching for Ezra.

Cats or humans? Humans and cats together. They spend a lot of time with me and my boyfriend, but the rest is spent with their cat buddies.