What does it take to get a blog post written about the most important member of this family? It’s high time everyone gets to know the incredibly magnificent me, even if I have to write the post myself! So let’s do this thing! Come on in and let’s get acquainted.
About Me
I am a sleek, handsome, grayish-brownish tabby cat who has to continually make sure everyone treats me like the king of the household that I am—especially the two canines of the family. I was chosen by the older of two daughters of the house who don’t live here anymore but love to visit. They give me lots of attention. I wish they’d give me one of their rooms, since they’re not using them anymore. But c’est la vie.
Fala
When my people adopted/rescued me they rescued Fala at the same time. He was also chosen by daughter #1. You can read all about that here—it’s a great story. Honestly, I love the old guy, but he’s not much fun. He doesn’t play much with me or with anyone, for that matter. He is purely a people dog. He loves our humans and just wants to be with them. He’s embarrassingly attached to them. I gotta say, it gets old. He has actually been know to snarl at me—ME—when I try to lie down next to him. I literally have to wait till he goes to sleep to snuggle in. Most of the time he just acts like I don’t exist.
Resting from the zoomies
When I first came into the family, one of my favorite things to do was tear noisily through the house at something approximating 100 miles an hour and swing on the shower curtain in the middle of the night. What a buzz! That’s when I got my nickname of “crazy cat.” I try to maintain my reputation by randomly zooming though the house at odd hours, even though I’m eleven years older now.
Hide and Seek
Can you see me now?
I’m also expert at hiding. I can open the door to the linen closet and sleep undisturbed in a basket of comfy stuff stored on the bottom shelf. But I’m not going to tell you my other hiding places. Just suffice it to say that there is no way my people can find me at bedtime. I like to hide until the middle of the night when they are sound asleep, then I come and pull and scratch the covers of Mom’s side of the bed. This usually wakes her up and she gets up to let me into the garage so I can sleep in my castle. I have her trained well. Sometimes, though, I have to meow loudly to wake someone up. This causes Watson to start frantically barking. That’s the most fun of all! When Mom gets up, I stay just far enough ahead of her that she can’t grab me, and then I dart into one of my secret spots. It’s easy when it’s dark. She grumbles a lot and then goes back to bed. We do it again as soon as she goes back to sleep. It’s tons of fun, although I don’t think she enjoys the game nearly as much as I do! I usually take pity on her and go straight to the garage the second time. Unless I’m feeling really feisty!
Watson
I haven’t told you about Watson yet, have I? He joined the family about five years ago (you can read his story here), and life hasn’t been the same since. He doesn’t ignore me—far from it. Since he got the first whiff of my awesome feline scent he has made it his mission to capture me—as if!
Watson and I have had quite a few standoffs, and I have to admit I have led him on many a merry chase through the house! It’s fun to make some slight noise or meow a bit, because when he hears me he just goes berserk! He starts barking and running around in circles trying to find me. Poor guy runs into things when he gets so excited, but he always seems to zero in on my location and next thing I know, I’m running for my life! It’s actually kind of humiliating because I finally realized he literally can’t see me. I tell you, for a blind dude he’s a pretty relentless and worthy adversary. I mean, I can always get away because, hello, I can jump onto something like the dining room chair.
But sometimes it’s more challenging and fun to stay just out of reach as we race through the house. I’m embarrassed to confess that he has actually gotten my tail a couple of times. It’s pretty bad when a blind dog can almost catch a fine athletic specimen like me. But on the bright side, we do get lots of exercise. And every now and then Mom gets us to call a truce and co-exist in the same space. I don’t mind it, but Watson sometimes seems a little on edge. Like he really wants to bite me but has to be a good doggie.
Bad Habits
My worst habit is—you’re not gonna believe this—I’m a piddler. I love to piddle on just about anything that I shouldn’t. From the dog beds to the couch pillows to people beds. I’m so bad about it that I’m pretty much banned from all the bedrooms. That might be why they didn’t give me one of the girls’ old bedrooms. I don’t know why I do it—it’s like I just can’t help myself. But I will say that’s the only time my people get very unhappy with me. Note to self: I really need to stop doing that.
Being a Cat
My favorite thing to do is nuzzle people who don’t really like cats, or better yet, jump on their laps. It’s the little things that make me happy! When Mom and Dad are trying to work or read, I enjoy climbing all over them and purring in their ears. I can be quite persistent and exasperating—it’s one of my innate talents. Mom calls me “obnoxiously loving”—or is it “lovingly obnoxious”? Every now and then I will condescend to lie down on Mom’s lap, but it’s gotta be on my terms or not at all. And I have to make sure Watson doesn’t sniff me out. He can be very sneaky. You think he’s totally oblivious, maybe even asleep, and suddenly he jumps up and lunges at you. It’s quite terrifying if you’re not prepared for him.
I spend a lot of time in my castle. They call it the garage, but it’s my domain. I come into the house to eat and spend a little time with the fam and maybe go outside for a little fresh air, but I love it in my castle. It’s the only dog-free zone in the place. The washer and dryer and a lot of other stuff are out there, so I let Mom and Dad visit when they need to. But if they leave anything on the appliances I will piddle on it. A cat has to set some boundaries, right?
There Once Was a Fluffy
I’ve heard stories of a cat named Fluffy (come on, Fluffy? Not a very inspired name!) who used to live with my people. That cat is a legend—apparently she was a perfect little lady cat. And very fluffy. Duh. She was so aristocratic and classy that they sometimes called her “Queen of Sheba.” That’s a hard act to follow, ya know? Fluffy went on to the great feline mansion in the sky before Fala and I came into the family. Too bad, I think I would have liked her. Of course she would have liked me—what’s not to like, right? And she would have evened out the odds with the dogs.
All in all, it’s a dog’s life in my family, but I can tell my people love me, too, and I love them right back. Even if I show it in the most annoying ways! A cat has a certain reputation to live up to, ya know? I am aloof when they want cuddles and cuddly when they would rather I stay out of the way. Works for me! Any self-respecting cat would do the same. Tell me, what’s your cat like? I’d be glad to give him or her some pointers if you want! I can be downright inspiring when I try.
