Talk To Me

| AnnaM

2012-11-18 11.30.20

My cats talk to me, and I love talking to them.  I have developed a list of things i say to them.  When B meows, I say, “I know, B, I know”.  It’s a hard life and she needs to know that i get it.  When Hank has a particularly bad sneezing fit, I say, “How’s your breathing, buddy?”.  I say, “How’s my B?”, or “How’s my boy?” when I get home from work.  When the cats are finished with dinner, I say, “Did you get enough to eat, Buddy?”  When Hank is trying to get me to play, I say, “Where’s the toy?”  Usually when we are eating dinner, there’s plenty of “Hey!” and “That’s mine!”.   When I’m petting B’s belly, I tell her, “You’re so fat, B”.  I’ve stopped telling her to move over when she’s hogging the bed.  It makes no difference.  Mostly, it all means the same thing: “I love you” and “I hope you are happy” and “Don’t take my food!”.

*I refuse to follow the “correct” use of quotation marks, because I think the rules are silly.

This Will Do

| AnnaM

2014-10-18 12.05.06-1

I’ve mentioned before that B has a favorite sleeping spot deep in the closet.  She has a few other places she likes:  the chair, your lap when you are sitting on the couch, and the ottoman as a last resort.  Recently I left the laundry bin on the dresser, filled with clothes.  B loved it!  You’d find her in the laundry bin at all times of the day.  A few times she would even break her routine of sleeping on the bed, practically on my pillow, in favor of the basket.  I had to sacrifice the clothes for her comfort until I gave up and finally rewashed them.  Optimistically, I put this cave bed on the dresser right next to the (empty) bin in the hopes that she would use it.  She checked it out once or twice before ignoring it completely…until now!  I’m very excited that she’s found a new bed that doesn’t result in extra laundry or require me to forfeit half my wardrobe.

Green Eyed Boy

| AnnaM

2014-07-26 16.41.38

Hank loves to be pet but it doesn’t last long before he flips over and starts to attack your hand.  If people acted that way, it would be like going for a massage then biting the hand that’s rubbing you after only a few minutes.  It doesn’t make any sense!  Doesn’t he like the rubs more than the playtime like a normal person?   He probably loves them both equally.  I love him, and those huge green eyes, more than anything.

Come here! I want to pet you.

| AnnaM

2014-10-11 09.25.32-1

When I get home from work, I’m usually greeted by both cats.  It varies which one gets to me first.  Sometimes they are both waiting at the door, wondering when I’m getting home.  Other times, it takes them a few minutes to make it out of their respective sleeping caves.  They walk out slowly with squinty eyes and stretch as they make their way over.  I try not to go straight to the food, which I’m sure is what they really want.  Instead I spend a few minutes giving them attention and pets, which can be challenging when there is two of them and one of me.  B likes to get her back scratched while hunkering down on her cardboard scratchpad.  Otherwise, she’s always moving away from you, making her just out of reach.  Hank likes to stay in one spot and get two handed full body rubs.  I always worry that I’m neglecting one of them, especially B since she’s harder to pin down.  When they are both in range it’s a mental adjustment to pet one and scratch the other, unless maybe you are a drummer.   I am usually on the floor at this point, with both arms stretched out.  It only lasts a minute or two, at which point I give up and go get their dinner.

Come on, stay awhile

| AnnaM

2013-07-07 15.20.09-1

Hank has been sleeping on the bed lately.  It used to be rare, but it’s becoming more frequent, so much so that I expect it.  It used to be that he’d sleep on the bed for only a few minutes before getting bored and getting up to explore.  Now he comes to bed almost at the same time as the rest of the family and stays there for most of the night.  He doesn’t waste time circling or nesting.  He  jumps up then plops down at his usual place, up against your legs.  I think this new relaxed Hank is a result of him getting older.  I miss the craziness but love the extra time with him.  I bet he likes it, too.  The rush of youth is fun, but what’s the point if you don’t slow down enough to enjoy it?

Matchy-Matchy

| AnnaM

2014-07-25 19.59.49-1

When we started looking for a 2nd cat I knew I wanted one that looked like B – just the right shade of orange brown with tiger stripes.  I didn’t even consider taking home a black and white cat, despite the fact that my boyfriend was hoping for one.  It’s not that I don’t like other styles of cats.  All cats (well, most) are beautiful in their own way.  This issue is really about symmetry.  It would be jarring to have two clashing cats in the same house, and I believe a lot of other people feel the same way.  In my circle of friends, several have a matching pair of pets.  One friend has two long-haired cats that are very similar looking even though they aren’t the same color.  My other friend has two short-haired cats with athletic builds.  I’ve had two dogs that are siblings, and we’ve all seen the people walking down the street with matching white terriers.   After observing this phenomenon in our environment, we can (anecdotally) say that this is a statistical trend that should be investigated further.

Curious (Hank) George

| AnnaM

2014-10-12 09.20.28-1

Hank is a sucker for any open door.  He will climb into the closets, cabinets, showers, and go out on the walkway outside.  He would jump into the fridge if I left it open long enough.  He will squeeze in behind the pots and pans or jump onto the upper shelf in the pantry.  He doesn’t always fit and will have to maneuver behind the spices.  He is always looking for the next big find.  He walks around sniffing the corners for a lead.  He will paw the doors on the bathroom vanities trying to get them open (and sometimes he does).  He will go to the front door and put his two paws up on the door frame and scratch a little.  At the same time, he will look over at you with his pleading eyes and  give a little meow…and that is how he gets the keys to the universe, or at least access to anywhere in the house he wants to go.

Everything is better with a friend

| AnnaM

2013-02-19 07.33.37

Everything is better with a friend and my cats make the best friends.  I love how they generally migrate to whichever room I’m in, just to hang out.  They don’t need to be entertained.  It just so happens that what I’m doing can be very entertaining, but that’s besides the point.  There isn’t a lot of drama and they don’t need to talk too much.  B will do the talking for you if you are willing to listen.  I regularly have to deal with hair pulling if I miss their expectations on the timing of breakfast, but that’s a small compromise that’s part of any good friendship.  Hank likes to see what I’m working on and often gives me input when he thinks the cursor is in the wrong place.  B doesn’t mind when I work either as long as the keyboard leaves some room on my lap for her.  Overall, good friends are hard to find, but I count myself lucky to have two of the best ones right here at home.

Cat-urday

| AnnaM

2013-06-08 12.31.41

Hank is a very demanding cat.  He bats at your food while you eat.  He wants you to play with him 100% of the time.  He wants to go outside.  He sits on the counter while you get ready for work.  He rips apart the shopping bags and snags my jeans.  He wants to check out the food you are making for dinner.  He doesn’t want to eat it though, just bat at it until it’s contaminated.  He loves to dig in the litter box for 20 minutes at a time at 4 in the morning.  I sometimes think he’s a lot of work.  When I get up in the morning, the first thing I don’t want to do is play with him.  I’m usually running late and feel that it’s one more chore.  Then I remember that this is probably the highlight of his day, and that I can always spare a couple of minutes.  Besides, it’s nothing compared to having a dog or a kid!