You might be wondering where I’ve been the last few days. Basically, here, tucked snugly under the love seat in our living room.
This past weekend was a tough one for me, on account of my least-favorite holiday, Independence Day. And it wasn’t just one day of torture this year, but three, since the holiday fell on a Sunday and humans decided to extend the festivities through Monday. So for three days and nights I had to listen to loud explosions purposely set off by humans. At least I didn’t get shot, which is something that hundreds of people could not claim when the long weekend was finally over.
And it wasn’t just the neighborhood fireworks torturing me, but the thunderstorms as well. We had a couple of real boomers here! So I cowered under the love seat, which has become my de facto ThunderShirt, waiting for the skies to clear and for saner heads to prevail.
I suppose most of us have a favorite “toy.” For humans, it’s likely to involve four wheels, electronics, or maybe even wings and a propeller. My favorite is pretty simple and straightforward: it’s a cloth banana stuffed with catnip. I’ve really been lovin’ on it lately!
Like most cats, I’m very good at basic grooming habits, like keeping myself clean. But there’s one task I simply can’t do myself, and that’s keep my nails trimmed. Fortunately for my mamas, I’ve always been a pretty good sport about letting them do this for me. Some of their friends’ cats have to be taken to the vet and drugged for a nail clipping. Talk about drama queens!
But I guess I wasn’t in the mood a couple of days ago when Mama C scooped me up and started heading over to the chair, clippers in hand. I started squirming and putting up a lot of resistance while Those Two just laughed. Eventually Mama C got me into position, handed the clippers to Mama G, and it was all over in a minute or less. Then I got my treats.
I guess life is like that sometimes. We spend so much time and energy dreading things that aren’t really that big of a deal.
We cats are notorious for our finicky appetites, and it drives our human parents crazy. Now I’ve never actually been in a supermarket, but I hear it’s quite a hoot to watch the cat owners milling about the pet-food aisle, looking perplexed and studying the ingredients on tiny cans of expensive food, while the dog owners just grab a giant bag of tasteless kibble and are on their way!
I usually take great delight in checking out my mamas’ selections when they get back from the store.
What’s this? You know I don’t like tilapia!
Usually I’m pretty excited about the choices, until the can or pouch is opened and then dumped into my dish. Often I will like a particular type of food on, say, Monday, but by Tuesday I’ve soured on it. Sometimes I walk away looking offended, without even so much as a taste of what’s in the dish. Believe me, Those Two can get pretty exasperated with me!
The other day Mama G was disgusted when I walked away from a mousse-type food that I had seemed to love just a few days earlier. So I wasn’t entirely surprised when she got down on the floor, scooped up a finger full of that food, and lured me back to my dish, telling me how good it was. I sniffed it, then started eating it off her finger. And I had to agree with her, it was pretty tasty! Maybe presentation is everything!
Elevating finger foods to a new level.
She repeated this process several times, until my dish was nearly empty. Afterward, I felt kind of embarrassed for her. She had become the mother who makes airplane noises while spoon-feeding a cranky child.
But I wasn’t content to let it go at that. After Mama C got home from work that evening, and Mama G told her about the food episode, Mama C had to try it for herself. I obliged once again.
I’ll have another round of the chicken and tuna mousse, please.
I seem to have Those Two wrapped around their own fingers!
Guess what? Today is my birthday! Well, at least it’s the day that my mamas designated as my birthday, since my background was a little fuzzy when they adopted me. They knew only the month and year I was born, and chose the 26th because it was our street address at the time — close enough! I’m not going to argue with any cause for celebration, accurate or not!
So far it’s been a typical day, but I’m hoping things will pick up later, when Mama C comes home from work. I’m not expecting anything too extravagant, maybe just a nice pet salad. I love fresh greens! Mama G did sing to me this morning, but I found myself wishing she hadn’t. Let’s just say that singing is not her forte.
You’re probably wondering exactly how old I am. I’m 10. Now most humans seem obsessed with converting animal years into “people years,” but of course that’s all irrelevant to me. But if you must know, that means I’d be about 56 if I were human. Thank goodness I’m not!
Maybe I sleep a little more than I used to, and my appetite isn’t what it once was, but I still feel pretty spry. So bring on the pet salad and treats, and let’s get this party started!
You know how I’ve been documenting my bad behavior of late, and almost boasting about how there have been no consequences to it? Whoa, could I not have been more wrong! It became clear this past weekend that even Those Two have their limits! It seems they could overlook me sitting on the dining room table while they ate, eating scraps out of the sink, and even drinking from their water glasses. But they obviously drew the line at me trying to give their nice carpeting that ’70s shag look and prepping their furniture for the Salvation Army. On Saturday, I got capped! No, I don’t mean shot, I mean this …
Couldn’t they have chosen a more manly color?
Now I’ve been down this road before. Despite their best efforts to furnish me with lots of scratching posts and pads, a guy’s just gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. So they tried this product, called Soft Paws, on me once before, when I was pretty new to the family. But they eventually gave it up, because the little vinyl caps fall off as my nails grow and have to be reapplied every four to six weeks, and Mama G got tired of accidentally gluing her fingers together in the process. So we’ll see how long this latest attempt lasts.
In the meantime, they’ve been feeling a little bad about it all and have been giving me many more treats than usual. I think I counted ten yesterday! And when it comes to treats, I’ll suffer any kind of punishment if it means more of them — bring it on!
Nutrition experts have long said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, one that should not be skipped. Well I agree wholeheartedly! Not only do I make sure I get my cat-specific meals each morning, but I just love it when Those Two cook up some eggs and sausage, then forget to keep an eye on me!
It would be nice, just for once, to be able to lounge, eat, play or simply contemplate in peace, but Those Two always seem to be snapping photos of me, even when I’m not doing anything particularly cute. I can understand how celebrities feel, trying to avoid the paparazzi.
What’s the big deal? Don’t they have handsome cats where you come from?
Oxbow's World 