Happy 6th, Basil and Hamish!

Taken Sunday, during the snow.

The cats turn 6 tomorrow.  Seems like just yesterday they were kittens.  Happy Birthday Basil and Hamish!

For their first birthday in 2013 we found the perfect cat tree for them and their size, the old cat tree that is on our porch right now.  Two years later on their third birthday they got an even taller cat tree with less but larger levels for their adult size, the original cat tree moved to the porch.  Now they are 6 and getting the same cat tree as three years ago, but this one has brown carpet as the beige was not available.  I had thought that it was only two years since the last tree, but it has been three.  I must say that is has held up well for three years, but now it will move to the porch and the original cat tree from 2013 will be removed.

I had gotten the base for the new tree cut, stained and finished earlier in that week, so I put together the new cat tree last Saturday.  While the cats showed much curiosity they remained pretty well behaved until I was finished with the assembly and had it in place in front of the windows.  As you can see, they took to it right away.  It is in every way the same as the last one except it is new and the carpet is brown so it's hard to tell if they even notice the difference.  No matter, it is theirs and they know it.  Cats need a place of their own and a high space is good for them.  When they stand on top they can look down on us and feel superior, like the cats they are.

More and better pictures of the tree, the cats and the process after the break!

Hamish, before the leap...

...to the top!

The cats are tired of winter, too.  They love it when the porch and windows are open!