The cats were one year old on 21 May. These photos give additional glimpses of their lives in April and May. Click on each individual photo to see in full size.

When the sun strikes Tux’s coat, it is clear that he is not just a black cat with white socks and bib but that he has a lot of red in him.

More photos from Tux’s adventuring.

Being outside so much and being so engaged with everything can be tiring and sometimes it’s good just to flop down on the flower bed and rest a minute before returning home.

The cat carriers are on the shelves in the cat room, the bottom inside the top, and lined with some old towelling. In these photos we had the two carriers on top of each other but with the new shelves, we’ve separated the two, and placed one higher than the other. The cats often choose to sleep in them, during the day or at night. They don’t have a preference and choose as they feel inclined in the moment.

Sometimes a face appears over the edge as we approach but at other times all we see are a pair of ears or a tail or even nothing at all and we have to go close and peer inside to see if they’re there. Often they are tucked inside, curled up in a furry ball.

When we went to collect the cats four months ago, we bought medium size carriers but it appears that, by the time they have to go to see the vet again, they’ll need a larger carrier.

I’m not sure if Tux was trying to get in the same carrier with Tabs or whether he was stretching up to groom her, which he often does.

Tabs is often the cutest cat, displaying her body, asking for love and affection, but Tux can be awfully cute too, hiding under the duvet or curled up in my chair.

Of course, when I brought a black chair a few years ago, I didn’t know that we’d have a black cat choosing it for a sleeping place. If he didn’t have white socks and a white bib we wouldn’t be able to see him.

When we first got the cats, I was adamant that they would not be allowed on the worktops in the kitchen. Hello reality – especially when it’s close to dinner time and they’re plaintively asking when they’re going to be fed.

Tux is intensely interested in everything and is very keen on watching me when I’m washing the dishes. He finds the water running into the bowl and then disappearing down the sink quite fascinating.

Sometimes Tux likes to hide in the shopping bag, particularly when he thinks his sister may be having a go at him. The carrier bags inside it make crinkly noises, which cats love, but sometimes he decides that he’d be more comfortable with the bags pushed out.

Just like any brother and sister who sometimes fight, they’re friends really

Tabs watches and listens for everything when she is outside, especially birds on high, but we’ve not seen any in the garden since the cats have been free to roam out there so there is no risk of her catching one.

She is fast outgrowing the cat tree in the office so when I’m not there, she’ll nip onto my chair for a snooze. I wonder if the manufacturer makes a larger size perch?

The photo of her on the cat tree also shows the hole in the net curtains which they made. I’ve cut that part away now, and whilst it looks a little odd from the outside, the cats now have a good view without having to hold the curtain back as they did. It also means that children going past exclaim at the kitty in the window and the neighbour with two dogs from a few doors away says good morning to the cats when he passes.