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Chiefly about cats.
Jul. 8th, 2002 11:57 pmThe used bookstore that I frequent every few weeks has a shop cat named Ophelia. She is a good creature, in her way, but she sucks the end of her tail. She knows that I will always sit on a footstool for about a half hour and hold her. The first thing she does is rub her head against my face so I spend the next 29 minutes trying to blow cat hair off my lipstick. She chooses to spend that time sucking her tail and purring. I always end up with a damp spot on my shirt. People must think I'm the village idiot and have been drooling on myself.
Today I spent eight solid hours with K & C's cats. I have to pack all this kitty goodness into a short window of time. Although I'm sure it's been hard for K & C to be away from their furkids, I think the separation has done Sanju a world of good. She has become so affectionate and seeks attention constantly. Hmm... perhaps this is not necessarily a good thing. At any rate, she has come so far from the skittish, aloof little thing she was even a month ago. Several times tonight she was content to just lie on the floor next to wherever I was. At one point I was sitting in a chair watching a movie with my arm over the side of the chair, hand cupped on the floor. Sanju folded her front paws into my cupped hand and I held her paws while she napped.
It's been hard to divide my attention between Tatsuko and Sanju. Tats spends most of her time up on the kitchen counter or on the bed, and Sanju has the run of the place. The kitten is vocal and demanding, so she gets the bulk of my affection. At one point I was lying on the bed petting Tatsuko with my left hand while the kitten yowled from the floor. So I picked her up and put her on the bed on my other side so I could pet them both at once. This went on for a few minutes until I remembered that they loathe each other, and if they decided to fight it would be directly on top of my easily damaged person. I picked up the kitten and fled to the other room.
"Picked up the kitten" sounds so easy, doesn't it? But it's another sign of how much she's changed. Up until very recently, she would allow nobody but K & C to pick her up and would turn into a spiky whirlwind if anybody else tried. Over the past few weeks I've gotten her more accustomed to being picked up by lifting her on and off the couch or the bed, or just picking her up for a second or two and then setting her gently back down before she has a chance to freak out. Today she let me hold her for about ten seconds, which is a miracle. I don't need to push it any further than that.
Don't take the kitty away!
Today I spent eight solid hours with K & C's cats. I have to pack all this kitty goodness into a short window of time. Although I'm sure it's been hard for K & C to be away from their furkids, I think the separation has done Sanju a world of good. She has become so affectionate and seeks attention constantly. Hmm... perhaps this is not necessarily a good thing. At any rate, she has come so far from the skittish, aloof little thing she was even a month ago. Several times tonight she was content to just lie on the floor next to wherever I was. At one point I was sitting in a chair watching a movie with my arm over the side of the chair, hand cupped on the floor. Sanju folded her front paws into my cupped hand and I held her paws while she napped.
It's been hard to divide my attention between Tatsuko and Sanju. Tats spends most of her time up on the kitchen counter or on the bed, and Sanju has the run of the place. The kitten is vocal and demanding, so she gets the bulk of my affection. At one point I was lying on the bed petting Tatsuko with my left hand while the kitten yowled from the floor. So I picked her up and put her on the bed on my other side so I could pet them both at once. This went on for a few minutes until I remembered that they loathe each other, and if they decided to fight it would be directly on top of my easily damaged person. I picked up the kitten and fled to the other room.
"Picked up the kitten" sounds so easy, doesn't it? But it's another sign of how much she's changed. Up until very recently, she would allow nobody but K & C to pick her up and would turn into a spiky whirlwind if anybody else tried. Over the past few weeks I've gotten her more accustomed to being picked up by lifting her on and off the couch or the bed, or just picking her up for a second or two and then setting her gently back down before she has a chance to freak out. Today she let me hold her for about ten seconds, which is a miracle. I don't need to push it any further than that.
Don't take the kitty away!
