Is that kibble? Oooh, I should eat that.
That's not Jeff or Amy? Bah. I don't like them.
Is that Jeff? Perhaps I should help him read.
Is that Amy? My back needs to be scratched.
Is that Tenzing? I should beat him up.
That is his life.
Tenzing is far more complex. It has taken me years to begin to understand him. Jeff picked up on his personality traits earlier than I did. For years I assumed aloofness on his part, but after comments from Jeff, I began to pay closer attention and realized that was not the case. While not as abundantly demonstrative as Edmund, Tenzing is not nearly so aloof as I always assumed.
It took a long time for me to realize that just because he did not want to be petted or held, it didn't mean he was disinterested. Instead, he is more interested in contact. He does not like long days of me sitting at the computer, because there is no place for him; I am there, but un-snuggleable. He clearly prefers the days of reading, when I become a barely-moving literary lump on the couch; that cat can hear the rustle of pages from across the house and always seems to appear shortly after I've lost myself in the first chapter.
No petting. Perhaps a gentle rub of the ears, or a light stroke on the top of his head. What he's looking for is the sideways crook of my leg as I stretch out. Given five minutes of reading, he is there, turning ever-tightening circles before flopping down with a great, heaving, singular purr! before tucking chin over paws and falling soundly asleep.
The mommycat is reading, and still, and therefore all is right with the world.
I've made a point to take a break and visit the library in the past few days (provoking an irony that will not be lost among a few of you who know an untold story percolating behind the scenes right now) and ended up bringing home books on random, abstruse subjects. My goal was to find subjects that had absolutely nothing to do with dragon*con, programming, or database work.
Currently, with a sleeping cat tucked neatly into the negative space around me, we are studying the identification and manufacture of classic 18th-century lace.
Well, I'm studying, and Tenzing is sleeping on the books. Should learning by osmosis actually work, my cat is likely to prove to be a Flemish genius. Me, I'm just doing my best to stay calm and relaxed between now and dragon*con.
T minus 6 days and counting.
]]>World,
It was a wonderful day, wasn't it? Our toes are dirty and our fur is still warm from the sunlight. But we're hungry, and it's dark, and we both very very desperately want cuddles. My oh-so-silly-brother Tenzing is frantic, half-dazed, desperately rubbing up against the couch and love seat in an attempt to simulate scritchies. I want my ears rubbed, and I think the litterbox needs a touch of tending.
I just hope they speak to us after we unlock the closets we stuffed them in. Better yet, no speaking - just bites of Crunchy Cat Food, perhaps a play or two with the Toy-On-A-Stick. We'll sniff the male one's dinner and then, after he goes to bed, we'll pile up on the bed and help the mommycat with her Spanish-language studies.
]]>World,
It was a wonderful day, wasn't it? Our toes are dirty and our fur is still warm from the sunlight. But we're hungry, and it's dark, and we both very very desperately want cuddles. My oh-so-silly-brother Tenzing is frantic, half-dazed, desperately rubbing up against the couch and love seat in an attempt to simulate scritchies. I want my ears rubbed, and I think the litterbox needs a touch of tending.
I just hope they speak to us after we unlock the closets we stuffed them in. Better yet, no speaking - just bites of Crunchy Cat Food, perhaps a play or two with the Toy-On-A-Stick. We'll sniff the male one's dinner and then, after he goes to bed, we'll pile up on the bed and help the mommycat with her Spanish-language studies.
She tells us all the time that she doesn't think she'd know how to do her studies if Tenzing wasn't asleep on the backs of her legs, and I weren't cuddled up in the crook of her left arm.
(She's right-handed, and she doesn't like it when I lie on her pen.)
I hope that - oh, dear. Here they come. Time to purr and be a pretty kitty again. I hope they aren't TOO mad.
Think of us when you see a sunbeam. Sleep in it if you get a chance.
Edmund (and Tenzing)
Exasperating little brats, aren't they? I'd toss them out of bed tonight, but they'll just wait until I fall asleep and climb back in bed, settling themselves over my legs and feet, purring us all to sleep.
In the end, they are cats, and they obtain forgiveness whether we intend to give it or not.
]]>Also growing a bit hungry myself. It's dark now. What a wonderful, wonderful day. Didn't care for cleaning the grass and the dirt out from my paws, but the sunlight was divine and the bugs made for excellent snacks.
I know that Tenzing says we should refer to them as the male and female humans, but...I miss my mommycat. I want snuggles. I want my ears rubbed. I want Crunchy Food that doesn't require stalking. He won't admit it, but I think he wishes that the mommycat were sitting on the couch, knitting, so that he could curl up in her lap and purr himself to sleep.
Unlike my brother, I have the courage to admit that I am most definitely a mama's cat.
It's dark now. I've managed to turn a few lights on, but it's not the same. If Tenzing won't let them out in an hour or so, I'm going to let the mommycat out. If Tenzing doesn't get belly scritchies soon, he'll probably go into withdrawal.
I just can't imagine going to sleep for the night if the mommycat wasn't in the bed with us. If Tenzing won't act, I'll have to take control of this little rebellion. He thinks I'm stupid. I'll let him keep thinking that.
]]>Ended up with no lunch and paws in desperate need of cleaning. Cleaned paws in broad daylight in front yard until neighbor children began passing by. Have very little experience with neighbor children, but seem to remember vague teachings from feline mother about children and tail-pulling.
Do not like having my tail pulled, so went back inside.
Humans are silent again. Perhaps they are bored. Edmund suggests we waggle the toy-on-a-stick in front of them to see if they want to play. Reminded Edmund once again of lack of opposable thumbs, which received the response of "What's a thumb?"
Brother was definitely dumbest in litter. If I didn't look out for him, who would?
Nevertheless, lack of suitable Prey and still-dire need for belly scritchies are causing us to look more longingly at the closets where the humans are being kept. Perhaps if we just let out one of them, they would give us the Fresh Crunchy Food we like so much, and perhaps I could get my belly scratched.
Just a little.
There's nothing wrong in denying one's predatory nature because of an addiction to belly scritchies, is there?
]]>Need for belly scritchies is becoming near-desperate. When we chose the female one years ago, we were not warned of the addictive danger of belly scritchies. They should come with a warning label.
After we wandered in from our nap - what a glorious day it is outside! - I left the humans a present on the floor. They'll think Edmund did it; they always do.
It has been such a beautiful day: grass and sunshine and romping and eating all of the kitty treats with my brother. I slept on the kitchen table and drank out of the sink and made sure to throw extra paws' worth of litter around the bathroom just to make a point.
I am growing hungry. The female one would feed us in the afternoon, but she is - ha! - unavailable at the moment. Therefore, I shall glory in the joy of the hunt and the power of the kill. For I am Tenzing - predatory, silent, and fearless.
]]>We wish the female one still grew catnip for us. We miss fresh catnip.
]]>We wish the female one still grew catnip for us. We miss fresh catnip.
Had a grand time romping about in this "front yard," which, up until now, we had only seen and not experienced. Shame on the male and female ones for not allowing us this life-changing experience. A feline has not truly lived until he has had to clean blades of grass from between his toes.
Well, perhaps that part was a bit overrated, but rolling about in the grass and chasing invisible mice was pretty cool. We now understand "basking in the sun." The artificial sunlight inside Our house does not compare to the warm sunlight outside.
We do not understand why they keep all this from us.
We were, however, greatly distressed by the large mechanical cats that stalked up and down the street at various times. They purr differently than we do. Louder. If I didn't know any better I wouldn't think they were cats at all.
They were much bigger than us. We hid in the grass and watched them. We are smart cats. It's okay to box your brother's jaws, but sometimes random strangers just don't understand.
Really, really want belly scritchies now. Tenzing says that if we let out one of the humans, perhaps we could get belly scritchies. The male one did not leave us enough food for our afternoon feeding. Drastic measures may need to be taken to avoid starvation.
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