Allison's Book Bag

Cinder is our most reserved cat. But one evening that all changed. Or so I thought. While I reclined on our sofa, Cinder jumped next to me and laid on the recliner arm. Then she crawled closer to me and laid her head on my leg. I stopped watching television and waited. A few minutes later, my reclusive cat had curled up on my stomach, her body half buried under my robe. I smiled and felt loved.

That same week, when my husband was reading in bed, Cinder jumped next to him and laid at his feet. Then she crawled closer to him and laid her head on his arm. He closed his book and waited. A few minutes later, our reclusive cat had curled next to his side, her body half buried under the comforter. He smiled and felt loved. I cupped my hand in my chin and stared suspiciously at Cinder.

My suspicions were confirmed when I found her one morning hidden in a pile of dirty laundry. It’s not us that Cinder loves; it’s any place she can find warmth. Except that doesn’t explain why every time I let her down in the basement, she rubs her face against Andy’s sneakers. Or why she fancies my gloves. Neither of those provide her with warmth.

As I continued to observe our quirky cat, a pattern emerged. She liked our pillows. And our towels. She especially liked snuggling into our stuff, when we weren’t home. Maybe snuggling is more than a reserved cat can handle on a regular basis, but our scent is important to Cinder. We ARE loved!

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CINDER: Cinder here!

RAINY: No, Rainy here!

CINDER: If you’re helping write this post, then Bootsie should be here too.

RAINY: But she’s asleep!

CINDER: And Barnaby should be here.

RAINY: But he’s looking out the window and barking at nothing.

BARNABY: Ruff! I’m here.

BOOTSIE: Yawn! The sun feels so good.

RAINY: Now can we write?!

From the Cat Trio and the Solitary Dog….

As we write this, we’re looking out our bay window onto the backyard with its giant maple tree. There’s a squirrel stealing another tomato from the vegetable garden and two blue jays bickering on the back fence. We’ve been living in our new home for over a month! There have been ups and downs, but now we’re finally feeling settled.

The first days our owners kept us confined to one room. They knew we needed time to adapt, but I think they also wanted to keep us out from underfoot. They finally let us out because we kept meowing and they didn’t want to lose another night of sleep.

RAINY: I was the first out of the room!

CINDER: You were the noisiest one. And you wouldn’t leave their plants alone.

RAINY: Hey, I slept some of the time. And you meowed too!

CINDER: I was the second out of the room! And you only went to sleep when Allison came into the room with us. Even then, you didn’t sleep long. She had to put a pillow by the door to keep you from scratching it. You’re a pest.

RAINY: We all wanted to explore! Remember how we sneaked past the box at the foot of the stairs and checked out the upstairs?

BOOTSIE: That was fun!

RAINY: And remember how we sneaked into the basement when they forgot to close the door?

BOOTSIE: We did?

CINDER: Well, we might have done that without you. I think you were off hiding in the cat tower.

BOOTSIE: I really like the cat towers.

RAINY: Those were some of the “ups”. Should we write about the “downs”?

CINDER: Why not? You were the one who threw up. And kept getting yourself locked in closets. And….

RAINY: We all threw up at least once. Moving is a HUGE change! And the dog is the one who kept peeing in the house….

BARNABY: I get excited watching all the action outside! The living room window is the best!

CINDER: You should join us on the bench in the dining room. The bay window is the best.

BARNABY: There are more people and dogs and cats out front. And the bench is too high for me.

RAINY: Can you believe the people next door have a cat that looks like me? And that our owners have petted it?

BOOTSIE: Why shouldn’t they pet it? They like cats.

CINDER: But they’re our owners!

BOOTSIE: You get jealous about everything.

CINDER: And you get scared of everything.

BOOTSIE: Do not!

RAINY: Yawn! I love how the sun shines through the back door. It makes me want to roll over and sleep. Can we post this now?!

BARNABY: Shhh! I think they’re home.

RAINY: We didn’t write about the visitors.

CINDER: Our owners are almost over their colds. Maybe they’ll want to write about that?

BOOTSIE: I like this photo where we’re all together with Allison.

CAT TRIO & BARNABY: Thanks for reading our story!

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With our household of critters having expanded to include three cats and a dog, I thought it fitting to join a meme related to pets. After searching around, I came across Awww….. Mondays. The one rule is: “Post a picture that makes you say Awww…. and that’s it.” Every photo seemed to feature a pet and so the meme is a perfect fit!

Over time, after my first cat died, my memories of her blurred. For that reason, I’ve often regretted recording so few entries in my journals about her. When Cinder and then Bootsie and then Rainy came into my life, I decided to keep a notebook dedicated to our pets. As I look back over earlier entries, to find stories to share, I take pleasure in seeing how Rainy especially has changed.

Once upon a time Rainy refused to let me groom her or clean her teeth. With equal vehemence, she stole meals from the kitchen counter or refrigerator. Her sisters were none too pleased either when she grabbed treats thrown to them. She enjoyed knocking books and cards off shelves. No heights were off limits either. More than once, I found her strutting atop are cabinets, weaving her way in and out of toys that soon tumbled to the floor. When she discovered her tail, she could spend a great deal of time batting it. A pencil in my hand to her represented a chance to practice her paw grip. She also liked a good game of pounce, with my feet being the object of her bites. Oh, and at night, she loved to jump onto the bed even if I was in middle of a good sleep.

That was then.

Yesterday Rainy modeled for the camera, so I could illustrate my article about her grooming routines. She still loves food, but I am learning to outsmart her. Now I let her play in the basement while meals are being prepared and any tantalizing food in the refrigerator is well-buried. She also still knows no limits to the heights she’ll jumps or the objects she’ll shove. Except again I’ve gotten smarter. Now every shelf and cabinet has room for her to walk along the ledge. Although her tail and pencils no longer intrigue her, she does love to hide under our kitchen curio, and poke her paws out for us to grab. In other words, she’s learning to engage others in her play. She’s even started to reciprocate grooming from her sisters. As for the middle of the night, my little monster has become an angel. Every night she’ll curl up under my arm and snuggle in for a long sleep.

This is now.

I started my first notebook dedicated to our cats back in 2014. It has long since overflowed into a second and third journal. I’ve also been turning those notes into anecdotes and advice columns. All serve as a tribute to our wonderful feline companions!

>Want to start your week off with a smile? Visit Comedy Plus or Burnt Food Dude and see what others are sharing today.

With our household of critters having expanded to include three cats and a dog, I thought it fitting to join a meme related to pets. After searching around, I came across Awww….. Mondays. The one rule is: “Post a picture that makes you say Awww…. and that’s it.” Every photo seemed to feature a pet and so the meme is a perfect fit!

“What’s up?” I asked Bootsie. She stared up at the ceiling. I laid my laptop to the side and stood up to check on her. Our oldest cat has been known to chase spiders, while our youngest has a thing for bugs. Most of our cats have brought us mice. Maybe Bootsie’s predator instinct has kicked in.

Following her gaze, I looked upwards, but I saw nothing except the reflection of the light from our living room lamp. Bootsie paced the floor, tail twitching, and uttered a low meow. I smiled and patted her head. Our first cat used to chase unseen creatures too. In fact, it was one of only two times when she’d sprint through the house. The other was when she’d relieved herself in the litter box. “Crazy cat,” I teased and returned to the recliner to work.

A few minutes later, Bootsie shook herself. She plodded my way and jumped up beside me. With her head, she nudged my hands, convincing me to make room for her on my lap. Except no soon than I had repositioned my laptop to allow room for her then she leaped to the floor. Back to the wall Bootsie headed, her meows now more plaintive.

I sighed. Cats apparently do have better vision than humans. They do see things we don’t, I reasoned, as I once again followed her gaze. But once again I saw nothing. Or did I? Using my one hand to shield the light from my eyes, I took another long look at our white walls. Lo and behold, where the ceiling and wall intersected, a moth flapped. “You get that moth!” I whispered to Bootsie and then sat back to watch and wait.

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