The Accomplished Cat
March 28, 2014
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a cat, and I had
forgotten some of the added services cats provide over and above being pets.
Each cat has his or her own specialties, and here are a few of Prudy’s:
Alarm Clock. My
cat alarm clock is set for 6:30 a.m.
This is fine for the rare days that I need to get up that early—which,
unfortunately for Prudy, are not that often. Many nights I must shut Prudy in
my office/her bedroom so that I can get a full night’s sleep. My office is
directly next door to our bedroom, so when her snooze alarm goes off at 7:15 , I’m sure to hear it.
Declutterer. Some
areas of our house now look a little, shall we say, minimalistic. For example,
the dining room table, which used to have a lovely silk flower arrangement, is
now a bare sheet of wood. Cats love to knock things off any surface they manage
to get on, whether or not they are allowed
on these surfaces. As Prudy’s ability to jump or climb has increased, so has
the spareness of my décor—the sofa table, the aforementioned dining table, my
dresser. Practically every horizontal surface in the house has been simplified
if not stripped bare. No, I suppose I
didn’t really need that ceramic candle holder. But I’m still sad about the folk
art cow she knocked off the kitchen sideboard.
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| Are you sure you need all these papers? |
Natural Antidepressant.
Prudy is super soft to pet and very purry—she purrs when she eats, she purrs
when she plays, she purrs when she’s in the mood for affection. She’ll climb on
my lap, lie down, and sometimes go to sleep. She’ll even lie on her back and
allow me to play with her paws and stroke her pouffy tail. It’s kind of hard to
remain down when faced with all that cuteness.
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| Asleep on my lap |
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| It's exhausting work being this accomplished |
Personal Trainer.
Monday morning (a day I had to get up at 6:30—thank you, Prudy), as I exited
the bathroom back into our dark bedroom where my husband still slept, my bare
feet met something soft and furry. In an effort not to flatten her, I performed
some of the most intricate dance moves I’ve done in a long time.
Artist. I’ve been
taking Laure Ferlita’s Imaginary Visit to a Past Vacation class, and the first
time I worked on an assignment, Prudy lay down on my open palette. I suspect
all future sketches will have a little cat hair accent in them somewhere. A new
way to incorporate texture!
I consider myself lucky to live with such an accomplished
cat, and look forward to seeing what other services she will bring to our
lives. Not a bad return on the minimal adoption fee at the shelter!
What are your pets’ specialties?
4 comments
My cat (Buster) provides some of the same services that Purdy does, with the added benefit of furniture remodeler; he chews the furniture! I think we mostly have stopped his scratching by finally finding a scratching post he uses, but we can't break him of the chewing. In addition me acts as scissors; he actually chews through the thread while it's on my sewing machine. I have to cover my machine or unthread it and put the thread away anytime I leave my sewing room for more than a minute.
ReplyDeleteCheryl--As I read about Buster chewing through thread, I pictured him beside you as you sew, and you holding out a thread for him to "cut" for you! I'm sure it doesn't work like that! Cats certainly have some interesting quirks. My old cat, Winston, used to lick photographs. I assumed it was something in the chemicals used to develop them, but still.
ReplyDeletePrudy is one real cutie, indeed! Watching how cats sleep and the positions they get into never fails to put a smile on my face. :) I have never had cats for myself, but I have been feeding the strays outside my house (and wherever else I happen to find them) for quite some years now. Recently, a kitten who had tagged along with his mother to have their share of food outside my house, was left alone to fend for himself. The mother never came back. And from a shy, meowing little fella, it has now grown to quite a cheeky and lively kitty who treats my compound as his rightful place of belonging. Even my dog, who is mostly anti-cat, has mellowed quite a bit with the little fella. And now, whenever I take my dog out for walks, the kitty tags along like it's the most natural thing in the world! This amuses me no end. :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle--Sounds like you do have a cat...just not one who lives inside with you! I would love to see the kitty taking a walk with you and your dog.
ReplyDeleteAnd Prudy thanks you for the compliment!