Somehow, I have 2 fully grown cats in my apartment. What happened to my babies? I definitely miss kittenhood – I love the little balls of love and fury they were when they were tiny. In a neverending flood of sorrow for Shane, they are both Momma’s Boys. In their defense, I’m with them 24/7 and Shane works outside the house.

Bear Oliver (exclusively called Bay or BayBay)

This gorgeous beast of a boy is the resident monster of our home. When he was a kitten, he couldn’t meow – he made these weird noises that were somewhat more like a croak. At some point, he discovered his voice and boy does he use it. Shane calls it “singing” and I call it “yowling”. Boyo has a lot of feelings and demands, and is not afraid to let you know all about them. If I’m a moment late on dinner? I’m going to hear about it. I have walked the halls bouncing this 20ish pound furball on my hip far more times than I’d like to admit. He also yowls when he has a toy, but especially when he has an earplug. He is irresistibly drawn to the ear plugs Shane uses to sleep, but he also knows he isn’t supposed to have them, so he steals them and screams about it. Legitimately sounds like he’s dying.

I am 100% guilty of giving him treats to make him hush.

He also growls when there’s food he really really loves. Klaus will have no interest in his meal, but by God, Bay will make sure Klaus knows not to try to steal anything. He is especially obsessed with celery and meat of any variety. He is a menace at meal times. He is a bully when we’re eating and tries to push his way on to our dinner plates. If you offer him something to smell, he will instantly smack you. He also does this thing where he rears up, puts one paw on the side of the counter, and reaches the other one up to pad around to see if there’s anything on the counter he would like to eat.

He has brought me a couple of new experiences – getting poo out of super long butt fur (not his favorite hobby) and extensive grooming (sometimes his favorite hobby). Sometimes when I walk into the hallway to shush the yodel, he runs to the office (where the brush is kept) and sharks my legs until I sit down and give him a brushing. I have never had to do so much grooming and maintaining of a cat’s coat, and it’s a really nice bonding experience.

He still likes to be held on his back like a baby – but not as often as he did. He loves to be held as I walk around or when I get on the floor to pour pets and sweet words onto him.

He also plays fetch! He lives to run up and down the stairs chasing a metallic crinkly ball. It has to be that ball. If it doesn’t get to the bottom of the stairs, he sometimes gets confused and leaves it on the step as he runs back up.

He is definitely the baby of the family and is spoiled rotten. He is the easiest to distract from bad behavior, and is currently very upset he’s been put on a diet. He isn’t a lap cat – he doesn’t even lay on the couch.

Klaus Isotope

This sweet boy is my shadow. For at least a part of every single day, Klaus follows me from room to room and cries until I sit down and pet him. If I sit on the couch and put a blanket over me, he’ll sometimes hop right up and snuggle in. He is shy though, sometimes he starts out sitting on the couch as far away as possible and then slowly scoots closer and closer, then lays half on my lap, then finally settles down on my lap.

He is obsessed with reflective surfaces. We had to put aluminum foil around the tv on top of a dresser because we’re terrified that he’ll somehow unbalance it and it’ll topple on him. He has tried twice to triumph over the foil, but it won both battles. He has messed up 2 tv screens, and Shane is not pleased. Luckily, he’s mostly obsessed with the one on top of the dresser, so it’s not that large of a problem anymore. He’s also a cat in love with water. Not being in water, but splashing, pawing, “dancing” in puddles. It’s so much fun to watch. Sometimes I put a little bit of water in the bottom of the tub and let him go wild.

His other great loves are the balcony and the garage. He spends hours and hours out on the balcony and sometimes requires treats in order to get him back in. If he thinks we’re going into the garage, he’ll cannonball down the stairs and meow at the top of his lungs. You can pet him so much when he thinks you’re letting him onto the balcony or into the garage.

He’s the smart one of the duo. He can open doors when needed, he knows how to work the treat puzzles (though Bear did figure these out), he’s the original fetch player, and you can just see the gears turning in his head.

He’s standoffish, particularly with strangers. He would be very much fine without any humans at all, but when he does want attention, it’s usually at 3 in the morning and I’m fast asleep. So he wakes me up by shoving his head under my hand. And if a cat can have a person, I am his person. Every day, for a few hours, he follows me from room to room and if I sit down, he lays down. And sometimes, rarely, he’ll get in my lap on the couch.

Bear tends to get a lot of attention – he’s loud and needy, while Klaus is my laid back boy and tends to be overshadowed. I go out of my way to make sure he gets as much love as he’ll accept and just let him do his own thing.

I’m so glad that these two came into our lives. They have really helped me heal from losing Laurie and Tau, and really make my days brighter.

-S

• Cats