It's a hard knock life for Al. I'm no longer home all day to give him food and attention (I often worked from home before coming back to The Loon). He has to share a litter box with his brother-from-another-mother-and-father, Stinky. And there's a teenager who absolutely, unequivocally loves him...who he can handle in doses.

He overdoses every weekend.

So, what's a day-in-the-life of Aleister like? It's best to describe in photos, so have some defensive catnip ready as we go behind the scenes of Al's tough life in the Choad household.

WAKE UP

(Image by Choad)
WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER ON THE FASHIONABLE ZUBAZ?! (Image by Choad)
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Naps are life. This is something that Aleister and I can agree on. Routine isn't a bad thing, either, which is why he prefers to be fed right away in the morning when a human wakes up; even if they're just using the bathroom at 2am.

FEED ME

(Image by Choad)
Don't tempt me with potassium! (Image by Choad)
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Aleister loves his wet food almost as much as he loves everybody else's food. We have to put his wet food on top of our chest freezer and Stinky's food in the bathroom, otherwise they'll take a few bites and switch (Stinky needs special food for his kidneys, that's why we separate them for as long as we can).

Eventually, whomever is feeding them has to do anything else but watch them, at which point the boys will swap food.

Kibble is also life for Aleister, and - like most cats - if he can see the bottom of his dish, he'll panic that he's running out of food. He'll let you know his concern every time he goes back to the kibble dish to eat more.

POOP + ZOOMIES

(Image by Choad)
Who needs to drop a loaf? (Image by Choad)
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The cliché about post-poop zoomies is real in our household, and an actual instinctual thing for cats. We moved from a two-story townhouse into a single-story apartment, so the boys don't have stairs to zoom up and down. They make do with the apartment. TMI: Aleister's bombas are nearly human-sized, but I won't bless you with a picture of that.

THE ZOOMIES AREN'T CUTTING IT, TIME TO FIGHT

(Image by Choad)
Walk away, human, this doesn't concern you! (Image by Choad)
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Stinky is well over 10 years older than Aleister, and about 10 pounds lighter. The above photo makes it seem like Aleister just beats up on the old man, but that's not the story at all. Stinky dominates the catfights more often than not. It's quite the sight.

NAP

(Image by Choad)
(Image by Choad)
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Aleister is like a toddler: GO GO GO GO GO and then out for a nap. After getting rested up, he'll get a few BIG STRETCHES in, before:

RECREATION

(Image by Choad)
This smells like failed ambitions, human (Image by Choad)
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If Aleister can get somewhere he shouldn't be, he will. He's spared us walks on the kitchen counter (that we know of), but will climb anywhere he can. Throw a light blanket or sheet over him and he'll be entertained for HOURS...and you'll soon have a shredded light blanket or sheet.

MORE NAPPAGE

(Image by Choad)
THAT BELLY! (Image by Choad)
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Naps are life, and if Aleister catches you resting comfortably in a recliner...

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He self-censors with his tail (Image by Choad)
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...soon, WE will be resting comfortably in a recliner!

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