Two Years with Hobbes

Hobbes 3.24.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

One of the very first posts I wrote on this blog was the first year of Hobbes. We brought him home on June 24, 2015, which means that he’s been in our lives just a little over two years now. First, let’s take a second to revisit baby Hobbes.

Hobbes 6.25.15 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

Who wouldn’t love that little face? I try to embrace every stage of life and not reminisce about what I don’t have anymore. But I would give a lot for a few more weeks of those baby Hobbes days, just for that adorable face (minus the garbage can diving and pantry raiding, of course).

 

Hobbes is the craziest kitty I’ve ever met, but he’s also one of the sweetest. He’s claimed bedtime as his time with us and is so excited to jump up on the bed as we’re settling down for the night. He’ll actually try to herd Jake into bed if he’s spending time on the computer or still doing something else after I’m ready for bed. He loves it when we make a blanket fort for him, just like a little kid, and often settles in while we watch TV or read and then falls asleep on my pillow. He goes through phases where he’ll sleep on my pillow through most of the night. Other times, he’ll hop down shortly after we turn out the lights.

Hobbes Photography Helper | https://www.roseclearfield.com

Hobbes is my ever present buddy around the house. It’s partly because he has a major fear of missing out, and it’s partly because he’s just really curious. Among other activities, he often shows up when I’m making food, taking pictures, scooping the litterboxes, doing any sort of cleaning, and doing laundry, especially when it’s bedding. I’m not sure why cats find taking the bedding on and off to be so much fun, but it’s a consistent favorite in my house.

Hobbes on the 8' Ladder 3.22.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

I mentioned Hobbes’ love of ladders in my year one post. A year later, he is still just as much in love with ladders as ever before. In his little world, painting the living room is one of the best things that has happened thus far in 2017. Unfortunately (for him), now that I’m winding down my major home projects that involve ladders (namely painting), they’re mostly in the garage now. We do still have art to hang, which may involve the step ladder, but it’s not quite the same as having a ladder hang out for days on end during a painting project.

Hobbes II 1.26.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

There are a few completely original Hobbes behaviors, which I think deserve a mention in this post.

  • Hobbes plays fetch just like a dog and will bring a toy mouse to me or Jake when he wants to play fetch. His latest tactic is to bring it right before we’re about to leave the house, guilting us into throw it a couple of times before we head out the door. He’ll also come when I call him, even when he’s in another room, mostly because he thinks he might get food (and he does sometimes, so you know).
  • Hobbes loves to help me give Jake a massage. He seems to understand that the process involves making Jake feel better. When he sees Jake getting ready for a massage, he’ll jump right up, lie down on his back, and start purring and kneeding. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, and it happens pretty consistently.
  • Hobbes loves to jump up on Jake’s shoulders. Typically, he’ll jump straight up from the ground while Jake is sitting at his computer. But he attempts it in other places, too. He never tries to hurt either of us with his claws, but he often gets way too excited about the shoulder jump routine, and then it ends with scratches.
  • Hobbes makes a lot of random noises. I’ve had other cats, like Angel, who meow all the time, but never other cats that make noises. He runs around like he has his own soundtrack or something. It’s very entertaining and also makes me extremely glad that he’s a house cat. I can’t imagine what it would be like for him if he did that out in the wild.

Hobbes Stalking 2.5.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

Hobbes is also very interested in people food and is shameless about begging at every possible opportunity. He’ll be sound asleep on another floor of the house, then suddenly at my side as I’m getting out food for lunch or dinner. He’s crazy about chicken, shrimp, tuna water (yes, the water in a can of tuna…I know some of you with cats know what I’m talking about), scrambled eggs, and basically any kind of dairy and any kind of soup with a creamy base (chicken and dumplings, potato soup, etc.).

Apollo and Hobbes 2.2.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

Apollo and Hobbes 3.4.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

Finally, Jake and I field regular questions about the process of introducing Hobbes to Apollo and Ares. I completely understand the apprehension that comes with bringing another pet home. Now that we’ve made two successful new cat transitions, I feel somewhat qualified to give advice on this topic. There are a few key things we did that helped everything go smoothly through both transitions.

  • We introduced Apollo and Ares to Angel when they were kittens, and we introduced Hobbes to Apollo and Ares when he was a kitten. The established cats aren’t as intimidated by a kitten, and the kitten understands that he’s the little guy.
  • We gave both cats a lot of space and general separation to get used to each other. Apollo and Ares spent their first few weeks largely on a different floor of the house than Angel. Similarly, for a couple of months, we kept Hobbes on his own at night and slowly introduced him into the regular routines, like feeding and bedtime, with the other cats.

Even under the best of circumstances, it’s an adjustment for everyone. It took a long time for the cats, especially Ares, to all get as comfortable around each other as Apollo and Ares are with each other. But Hobbes is very much a part of their little clan now and enjoys hanging out with both of his brothers.

Hobbes 5.19.17 | https://www.roseclearfield.com

We love you, Hobbes! Here’s to a fantastic year #3.

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7 thoughts on “Two Years with Hobbes”

  1. Wow – I can’t believe he’s two! It doesn’t feel like that long ago when you first shared new kitten photos. Even if the adjustment period took some time, it certainly looks like all three cats are buddies now!

  2. Amy | Confessions of a Daydreamer

    Oh, he’s so precious! September will be mark my first full year with my shelter kitty and she’s the best cat I have ever had! Shelter cats are the best 🙂

  3. Aww, he’s a beautiful cat! He seems like he has a great temperament too! I’m a total cat person, so I think he sounds awesome!

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