hank

Yoga-Cat

| AnnaM

2014-06-21 07.24.32-1

Someone posted a video of a yoga-guru doing her practice.  I had no idea that the body could combine so much strength and flexibility into seamless movement.  You’d have to see it to really understand, but I was in awe.  This woman did a forward bend (hands on the floor while standing) then went straight into a handstand.  She then proceeded to do a crazy number of suspended back bends and cross-legged poses, all while upside down.  I was impressed!  It reminded me of when the cats fold themselves into all sorts of contortions while cleaning themselves.  If I could do half of what they do, I would be in much better shape and a whole lot more flexible.

Btw, here’s the video that was so amazing:  air dancing~ Meghan Currie Yoga

 

Amazing patient, ok nurse

| AnnaM

2014-09-11 07.22.43

My friends and I were just talking about what we are like when we get sick and, more importantly, what our significant others are like when they get sick.  It was a consensus, they are terrible patients and not very good nurses.  Hank has been such an amazing patient that you would never know he’s sick until you heard his breathing.  He has had a chronic upper respiratory issue for about a year and a half.  The doctors say there’s little I can do for him except give him lysine treats and time with a humidifier.  Some days are worse than others, but Hank doesn’t seem to notice.  He still runs for the toy like an athlete, but he isn’t able to go as long because he can’t get enough air.  I will spare you from the details on what happens when he sneezes.  It isn’t every time, but every once in a while the stuff that comes out is gag-inducing.  Seeing it once is enough to make you avert your eyes at soon as it starts lest you get the image burned in your brain.  He sometimes has wheezing attacks that sound like a panic attack and asthma combined.  As scary as it is, I’m so happy that he hasn’t gotten depressed and that his condition isn’t nearly as bad as what I’ve seen online.  I don’t think he realizes he’s sick, and that makes me want to help him get healthy so much more.

The last nice weekend in Seattle

| AnnaM

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In September in Seattle, you often hear people talking about the upcoming weekend and about how they need to take advantage of “the last nice weekend” before the weather turns.  You never know which weekend it’s going to be, which is why you might hear it a few weekends in a row.  It’s generally accepted that at some point the clouds will roll in and not leave until spring.  The cats love the sun and soak it up any chance they get.  It’s possible to predict which room they will be in based on the time of day.  You might find them hidden on the other side of the bed or underneath the dresser stretched out on a sun strip.  Once the sun goes away, that spot quickly shifts to any spare blanket.  Last winter I got myself a heating pad and it wasn’t mine for long.

Run Hard, Play Hard

| AnnaM

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Hank goes all out when he’s running after the string.  He takes his athletic training seriously but still makes sure to have fun at the same time.  He stops when he’s tired but not until then.  He isn’t thinking about pacing himself when he knows he has a long play session coming up.  Hank doesn’t dread his daily racing sessions where he sprints back and forth through the halls of the house.  He isn’t worried that by playing extra hard he’s shortening his overall playtime.  He’s making every minute count.   In fact, he doesn’t sleep the day away like most cats (read: B).  If it’s the weekend and there’s something to do, he’ll be up all day.  Ultimately, he’s chasing (literally) his passion and living in the moment, and that’s probably part of why his jumps are higher, his runs are more epic, and he’s having a little bit more fun than the rest of us.

Beware the Exposed Belly

| AnnaM

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One of the first things Hank does when you get home is run to his bed (the guest bed that he thinks is his) and flip onto his back with a sweet meow.  You can’t help but be enticed by the soft fur and the clear invitation to rub his belly.  But the second you do, he switches to attack mode and grabs your hand with both paws, pulling it to his mouth for immediate gnawing.  If you resist, his back paws get into the game, scratching you with a quick shredding motion.  I’ve learned to be strategic about petting Hank.  First, it’s best if he’s on his feet, that way his paws are otherwise engaged.  If he drops to the ground onto his back, you can usually get him back up with a quick scoop under his butt.  If he stays down, you’ll need both hands.  That way you can wave one hand safely above him as a distraction while you use the other hand to pet his side or belly.  When he realizes you are petting him and goes to bite the other hand, switch sides and wave the other hand above him, just out of reach. He must have abs of steel from all the crunches he does trying to reach you.  Sometimes, the draw to rub his belly is too great, so I sacrifice my hand to the bites and hooks of his claws in order to get a few seconds of softness.  Just be careful if you do it…it’s not always easy to get your hand back.

weekly-photo-challenge

Your food is my food

| AnnaM

2014-08-01 06.44.40-2

Dinner with friends is something I used to take for granted.  Now that I’m older I realize that good friends are precious since those relationships aren’t easy to build and happen gradually over time.  Then, due to life circumstances, one of them might choose to move away or switch jobs and suddenly you don’t see them as often.  Initially, B probably didn’t think so highly of her new dinner mate.  When Hank was younger he was food obsessed.  He would run back and forth between the food bowls, trying to commandeer all available resources for himself.  B was less confrontational and would surrender her spot, assuming there would be more later (see my previous post about B’s preference for snacks – Big is Beautiful)…she lost a lot of weight during this period of time.  Today things are better but get complicated again when Henri, my part-time dog, is around.  He never grew out of his food obsession so when he’s over the cats get breakfast and dinner in bed.  It works out more like having a newborn baby for me with the midnight feedings that are impossible to ignore as the wake-up call quickly turns into gentle taps on the head followed by hair yanking.  I don’t mind though because there’s nothing cuter than seeing those little mouths chow down up close, and besides, I don’t take that extra time with them for granted, right?

Don’t Disturb the Cat!

| AnnaM

2014-09-13 14.40.09

How many times have you been hanging out, watching TV on the couch, when you realize you want to grab a beer but can’t because you have an anchor on your lap?  In any other situation, it would be unacceptable to ask someone else in the room to get you that beer.  However, in this scenario, all you have to do is point at the cat on your lap and say you’d get it yourself if you could.  That person is likely to nod his or her head in total understanding.  Even worse is the bed shrinking effect when one of them decides to sleep in the middle.  Even so, I will let my legs go numb and wait until my side starts to ache before moving them.  Maybe if it happened more often, I would be concerned with my own comfort.  As it is, if anyone gets too close I put my hand up and say, “Don’t disturb the cat!”.

The Hank-Dog…See the Resemblance?

| AnnaM

2013-08-20 18.48.06

Maybe it’s because I love my cats so much that I notice things that remind me of them, but I swear I see resemblances of Hank in the very popular Shiba Inu dogs walking around the city.  According to Wikipedia, the Shiba Inu is “a small, agile dog that copes very well with mountainous terrain, [and] was originally bred for hunting.”  Clearly, Hank is related to this breed somehow.  He is very agile,  loves to hunt, and has hints of orange in his coat…and just look at the similarities in the nose and ears.  Also, “the Shiba’s frame is compact with well-developed muscles”, just like Hank’s!  Okay, so it may be a stretch, but my boyfriend and I have started pointing out the “Hank-dog” as we pass one on the sidewalk.  Now if only Hank liked to go outside…

*P.S. Does your cat have any distant relations to other animals?

Meet Hank, the best boy that there ever, ever was a best boy

| AnnaM
Hank hunting for the fun of it, not for the food.
Hank hunting for the fun of it, not for the food.

Meet Hank.  He’s the cat you’ve always wanted.  He is mischievous.  He’s handsome and svelte.  He’s loving, but in the way that males are often loving…always enough to keep you on the hook but always a bit out of grasp.  He rarely meows but when he does, you know it’s important.  His voice is sweet.  It’s a combination of rolled r’s and an ascending note from a flute.  He loves to be pet, but he loves to play even more.  He has significant charm and uses it to his full advantage when leading you over to his string, which he does every chance he gets.  Most of all, he’s smart.  He doesn’t endlessly chase the toy.  He learns the toy’s pattern then waits until it comes around again before pouncing, not because he’s lazy but because he wants the optimal point of attack.  He bullies his sister but comes running when she is trapped in the cat carrier.  He sleeps in the crook of your knee at night, but not for too long.  He has shit to do.  He is important.