Merry two weeks until Christmas!

It's only two weeks until Christmas! That being said, I got the kitties an early Christmas gift: a cat tree!

I've been wanting to get the kitties a cat tree for quite some time now. Mainly, Trapper and Talon love to climb and will climb anything and everything in sight. Toby is a little like this also. And then there's Thimble, who is simply not like that at all. So, mainly for the boys' sake, I wanted the kitties to have somewhere safe and appropriate to climb to their little hearts' content. The rest of this story is that I found a roughly five-foot tall cat tree at a great price online. I bought it. It arrived today. I already assembled it and the kitties already love it, especially the boys.

See for yourself:

Trapper, Talon, and Toby immediately found their favorite sleeping spots on the tree. (Note the blanket on the right. This is because the kitties have displayed an affinity for bedsheets and forts, so I made part of the tree into a fort for them.)

Toby was especially proud of making himself fit in the smallest hammock.

Trapper adopted the highest point on the tree.

Talon seems to love the soft carpeting of the tree.

Thimble investigated the tree for a bit, but I had to help her onto the higher levels. With her adorably short legs and stocky build, she's just not the climber or jumper that her brothers are. That's okay, though, her cuteness makes up for any lack of athleticism.

So, what was Thimble doing while her brothers initiated the new cat tree?

Sleeping in her favorite tunnel.

And then she watched some TV.

At 21 years old and arthritic, Rosie has next to no interest in a cat tree. She much prefers the comfort of her couch.

Rosie's couch is covered in her favorite blankets, and there's a space heater in front of her couch to her keep nice and toasty.

Obviously, Evan is not able to climb up the cat tree because of his hind limb paralysis. That's okay, though, because at this time of year Evan's favorite place to be is under the Christmas tree.

I tried to get a picture of Evan playing under the Christmas tree, but when he saw me with the camera he decided he wanted a close-up.

Evan loves to redecorate under the Christmas tree, such as by dragging the tree skirt around and making it into a bed.

And last but certainly not least, there's Astrid. At first she was uncertain about her beloved kittens climbing up their cat tree, and she did not really like that she couldn't reach them once they got to the top of it. But ultimately she settled down and resorted to this:

Hanging out on the couch with Rudolph.

 Merry two weeks until Christmas!