Checking in With Smudge

Smudge outside, very attentively looking at a bug.

He’s still a kitten but he’s definitely not as small as he was two months ago, which of course makes perfect sense if you think about it. We’re letting him out on short, supervised trips since like the other cats he’ll be an indoor/outdoor working cat as well as a pet. He’s enjoying the outdoors, which makes sense because that’s where we found him, and anytime anyone opens a door he makes a mad dash for it. I suspect the other cats will also prefer him to be outside at least part of the time, because he likes to tussle, and they don’t like tussling nearly as much as he does. In all, a very kittenish kitten, still.

16 Comments on “Checking in With Smudge”

  1. He’s adorable. I wish my husband would let me get another kitten. It would be good for my Sam Sam to have a play mate.

  2. Great shot. He’s intent on…a bug? A bird? Something fascinating in kitten world. Thanks for this!

  3. I’ve been looking at the size of his paws in some of the photos that Athena has posted, and if paw size is the same kind of predictor of feline adult size as it is for canines, then young Master Smudgington is going to dwarf the other three once he’s full-grown.

    And that whole mischief thing? Well, you doomed yourself the moment you named him Smudge (says the owner of an incredibly mischievous, intelligent, inquisitive, inventive and slightly older kitten named Smudgely).

  4. I think the puffy cat tail is similar to a dog raising the fur on its’ back. A heightened awareness, fight or flight thing.

  5. Oh yeah, he’s in adolescence, wants to be a Big Bad Cat. If he works some of that off outside he should be easier to live with inside.

  6. Do you use any special tools or techniques to help try to keep him from getting out the door? A friend has a new kitten and is trying to cobble together something involving a baby gate to keep hers in the house when she gets home from work.

  7. Cats are some weird critters. Its like someone took a bag of warm fuzzies and crossed them with a sociopath. Weird.

  8. A picture in your tweets made me realize I will soon need to actually pay attention in order to tell Smudge and Zeus apart. Could you post a side-by-side tutorial, for the lazy amongst us?

  9. @ Steve L – in my experience the baby gate works with kittens only until they realize they can jump over it. Works better with lazy old cats.

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