Both of them are very loving, gentle and sweet. Their similarities end there.
Zephyr is the grey and white one on the right - he is a fearful cat. The day they both came to live with me, the two little fur balls hid under my bed. Zephyr stayed there for about three days, venturing out only for food, water and trips to the litter box.
Skitty, the tabby, stayed under the bed for a few hours then ventured out to play with my shoelaces.
The one in the middle is my son, Alex. He was nine at the time. These days, at 23, he's furrier than both cats put together.
Skittles
Zephyr loves food, belly rubs and sleep above all else.
Skitty loves all of the above plus sitting on visitors, checking out the dog, chasing imaginary mice throughout the house and being a part of just about everything we do (within reason).
Zephyr
Zephyr talks to us. He will keep a conversation going for a couple of minutes. For every word or phrase we speak to him, he'll reply with a counter-meow.
Skitty yowls at night - for no apparent reason. The boys have a bit of Siamese in them and that seems to be a common trait for that breed. But if we talk to him, he'll just stare back at us as if to say "You're kidding, right?"
Skittles
Zephyr is lazy. He rarely seeks us out but is always willing to purr on demand when we go to him.
Skitty is a near-constant companion.
Zephyr
Zephyr is terrified of the vacuum. As soon as he hears it rolling out of the storage closet, he tears down to the basement to hide.
Skitty follows me around watching the attachment move back and forth and has actually allowed me to vacuum him, on occasion.
Skittles
Zephyr is a survivor. He has food smarts. And escape know how.
Skitty is smart. He gets that a woofing, ear-nibbling JRT is not a threat. An annoyance - but not a threat.
Zephyr hisses at Benny every time he is near.
Skitty engages Benny in play and only hisses at him when he's had enough.
Both of my whiskered boys are beautiful little beings and I'm grateful that they share our home.
I hope every one of you has a wonderful, healthy and Happy New Year.
73 comments:
Beautiful shots of your cats! Wishing you a wonderful 2014!
At the risk of sounding gushy and undiscriminating, your post is a novella about what it means to share your life with these noble creatures. Brava! And the PHOTOS! (particularly - but not exclusively the top one)
You have to be one of the best bloggers anywhere.
You ARE a great person and pal
ALOHA
from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^=
Loved the tales of your two kitties. They sound like wonderful members of your family.
Happy New Year!
the 2 of them together = SO cute :)
Happy New Year Hilary.
I think cats are so cool. Their personalities seem more variable than dogs to me, but I may be speaking in ignorance. You never know what you're going to get with a cat.
ha. i hope you have a wonderful new year as well...cats have such personality...they are a trip...my wife is a cat person and we have had cats pretty much since we were married (just now convincing her to get a pups)...cute pics
Our Shadow looks just like your Zephyr.
You're right: Benny is the one I think of, and "pronk" is a perfect word for him. Love the kitties! And your pictures makes me feel like I know them, too. :-)
they are handsome as can be. made me miss my barn cat. love that they are so opposite.
Happy New Year to you and your fur friends!
They are beautiful and purrfect.
They are beautiful boys. My own kitty is very happy now that the interlopers have returned home. We were dog sitting my sister's two terrier type dogs. Emma, the cat, tolerates them at best.
I often thank that these little characters do more for us than we do for them and some of them even train us and we don't even know it.
Your cat boyz are wonderful and quite handsome. I love how different they are.
I keep saying that I will not have another cat of my own after Sunny Bunny's departure. The girls have their girl cats and they are quite different from one another, much like your boyz. But I am missing a snuggle partner of my own and I suspect when late spring arrives and there are tons of kittens needing homes that my yearning for a "little man" will come about.
Thanks for the look inside your "heart" with the Zephyr and Skitty. Oma Linda
It's nice to see the photos of Skittles and Zehpyr. I love the one of them cuddling together. Does this mean they've emerged from hiding and are adapting to the new locale?
I am allergic to cats, so tend to avoid gazing in their direction when they are in the room. I also am not as enamoured of photos of them, but your have such great focus and lighting that the viewer can really see how much you love them!
I didn't even know you had cats. So nice to meet Skittles and Zephyr. They are very photogenic. I thought that might be your son in the first photo. Such a sweet pic!
Great pictures of the members of your cat house. (Hmmmm, that didn't come out quite right.) The cats in your house. I've never had much time for those bird-killers, but you do a very professional job of photographing them.
All the best for 2014. Blessings and Bear hugs!
I love the way you have captured their personalities in you photos, Hilary.
Hope they have adjusted to their new home and that they are out from under the bed....
Have a wonderful New Year.
I'm glad to be a part of your blogging family.
Sue
They are beautiful felines. They can be busy even when they are doing nothing. I liked seeing them as kittens.
Such handsome boys! We are down to one kitty now, just Chaya cat and Ellie the dog. Chaya is definitely a fraidy cat but she adores Ellie, thinks of her as her mamma. If the dog is asleep the cat will still occasionally nurse on her feet as she did when she was a teeny kitten. Fur babies… so precious.
I am not very keen on them, cats I mean, you have filmed them very well. But, you had them 14 years, and they doesn't even a bit squabble.
I have 2 who are larger than my dogs.
They are both gorgeous and I love that they are so different. I had a Siamese for 20 years and am well acquainted with that attitude! Ah, I still miss her and the sound of a purring furball...
Excelentes fotografias....
Votos de Feliz Ano Novo....
Cumprimentos
It's fascinating just how individual our pets are. Wonderful pictures.
The jungle trembles at the thought of these feline giants. Your photos are epic and beautiful.
What a fun post! My Squeak looks and acts just like your Zephyr, right down to a big fear of the vacuum!
You know those cute little guys are actually in charge,,,,don't you.
It is all explained in my World Domination post on my Agent 54 blog.
Warning: Once you read it, you may need a tinfoil hat.
Aww, what cuties! Those are wonderful photos!
Fantastic feline fotos!
What a joy to see them, close and detailed.
I wish you a wonderful and successful New Year 2014
http://marciento.wordpress.com/
My what handsome felines in their shiny furabouts. Poor Benny, no doubt about who rules the roost no matter who he may think it is. There is special distain cats reserve for mere dogs....
These are incredible photos. Well done!
i hope you are up and running.
Catchup is fine! I am catching up today. Christmas chaos done. Kids gone.
Cheers from Cottage Country Ontario !
They are Precious! and you got AWESOME shots of them!! Well done!
Such sweet, sweet faces. How smart to get litter mates, they stay friends for life. You are such a gift, Hilary, your photos are to be treasured.
You've captured your babies beautifully...from the top of their soft sweet heads to their adorable padded feet. Love them through your photographs...
Oh, now you know how much I loved meeting your feline family members!! Great photos, too, of course.
Happy New Year in your new home!! :)
they are handsome lads ... do they play with one another .. who grooms who and do they end up in wrestling matches like my two?
Those are some great shots Hilary! Their eyes are so striking! Beautiful cats.
Oh, gosh. So beautiful.
Beautiful cats - I do love cats and have 3 here (actually 4 at the moment as my step daughter's cat is staying over Christmas and New Year). They bring so much. I could never be without at least one! Happy New Year Hilary x
Cute cats. They have such sweet eyes.
Beautiful kitties!
I hope you have a fantastic 2014!
Hilary, they are just beautiful, and your portraits of them are fantastic.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year.
I love, love, love your kitty photos! Both are beautiful. Skittles reminds me very much of my beloved Sweetie Pie, who went to play with the angels earlier this year. May I send them both a gentle cyber-hug?
Happy New Year, dear Hilary.
I was wondering how Benny gets along with them. I was pretty sure it was not a mutual love all around.
I was almost trying to stroke my computer screen but just contented myself with putting it on my lap to try to get the whole kitty-cat experience. Thanks for sharing your boys. They are beautiful specimens! I loved your descriptions of their very distinct purrsonalities.
I wish you and yours, furry and less so, a very happy and satisfying New Year full of love.
Beautiful cats!
I love them.
Hoping you have a very Happy New Year.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
Such lovely cat portraits! (catraits?)
But dang, now you are making me want to run out and adopt a feline or two! We've been catless since our last one passed on, and travel is SO much easier, but shoot... you sure make me want to re-up again.
I love the paws. Happy New Year Hillary!
They are both so beautiful and I love how you illustrate the difference in their personalities.
Happy New Year lovely, wonderful lady and many hugs to all the furry ones
Impressive that Skitty is that comfortable with the vacuum. All of the cats we have ever been around ran and hid when it was out.
Out two new young cats are getting used to the big yellow lab that lives here as well. The dog chases them now occasionally for entertainment purposes, but the cats get him back--waking him up with their 2 am wrestling matches.
Happy New Year.
Double the pleasure, two wonderful cats to round out your family. I don't know what I would do without my Lola. She and I make a family too. Happy New Year. I know you are enjoying the new home.
I truly miss my cats. Thanks for the moments with your fur people....and furry son. Yes, happy new year to you too. Stay warm.
Purring with delight seeing these beauties! Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Hope you are cozily settled in your new home.
dear hilary,
happy new year!
i wish that all your wishes are fulfilled this year!
needless to say that i adore the photos of your cats. what cuties!
xoxo
Nice photos of some neat looking cats. Blessed 2014 to you and yours!
Happy New Year, Smitten. These look like some very happy cats:-)
Omg they really are beautiful..I love the name Zephyr.
Happy New Year.
oh qu'ils sont adorables
Such a heartwarming post - you can see their personalities in their eyes. Makes me miss my Parker, a Maine Coon cat that was the loving-est cat I've ever shared my life with. Thanks, Hilary. Happy New Year to you and Frank.
I am very much a cat person to begin with, so my prejudice is toward liking any photography of cats, but your cat photos are superb. As with all else you photograph, you capture such a magnificent wealth of detail. I mean, I can fairly much feel the fur and hear the purr. Great.
This one melted my heart!!! Happy New Year, Hilary!
Happy New Year !
These photos are telling me who is boss! What gorgeous kitties. I would love to see Bennie romping through this post. It seems to me that cats pose but Bennie lives.
terrific cat portraits. that last one makes me giggle, as if zephyr is just barely tolerating his brother and the camera.
What pretty kitties! I hope you have a happy new year as well :)
Such beautiful cats and a wonderful insight into their unique personalities. Are they litter mates? Isn't it interesting that two cats of the same age in the same surroundings have such different characteristics. Thanks for sharing your feline friends with us.
An enjoyable photo biography of Skittles and Zephyr, and your human son thrown in. :)
Great photos! I love the one where they cuddle together for kisses and affection. It's easy to see and hear about why you love them so much.
I love your cats. They are gorgeous and personable. Most cats are. Now that Mac is better, I am better planning to reopen the One Cat Shy of Crazy blog again. I wish I had a book of your photography, your talent astounds me
Sandi
Skittles and Zephyr are really beautiful cats. It's hard to believe they are 14 years. Great post!
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