happy holidays

Seconds after this photo was taken they started screaming and batting at each other, which is how Siamese cats "play." For more information see my previous post on "play time."

They are such calming creatures.

(Oh and those hats are, obviously, not real. Like they would sit still with those hats on their heads! The best I would be able to do would be to take pictures of them trying to disembowel the santa hats . . . maybe next year.)

play time

The players:

• Felix, male, seal point, age 1.5, 13 lbs
• Mina, female, chocolate point, age 15.5, 7 lbs

1. detente:
They have shared the space for naps. They awake and avoid eye contact.

2. making the first move:
He begins with a fake stretch -- one paw almost touching her.

3. the ploy:
His stretching moves him into a position that says: "I'm a goofball, I''m bored, and I'm now going to start bugging you." He has succeeded in provoking her. (It doesn't take much.) She raises herself and her tail begins to flip.

4. The game is afoot.
He starts to grasp at her flipping tail. If he is allowed to continue he will ultimately try to bite it. (She would do the same and he is much more playful and gentle than she is.)

5. game over:
She puts an immediate stop to his shenanigans with a sharp loud scream. She turns to bop him but because he immediately backs off she just jumps off the chair and runs away.

He usually looks very confused after these altercations.