Sunday, September 22, 2013

Here, Kitty Kitty!

I’m pretty sure my cat, Sophie, was a human in a past life.  In fact, I’m fairly certain she was the original “Maxine”.   It’s funny how we assign language to our animals.  We DO know what they’re thinking!  My sister’s dog, Brinkley, has a VERY human personality.  She’s even “sassy”…she even cusses <gasp!>!  That’s why the captioned kitty/puppy photo’s are so popular…what ELSE could that expression say?  I think all pets have a sense of humor.

Our Sophie is sassy like Brinkley.  She is irritated by the younger, “disabled” kitty, she is demanding when she wants something, and she “sasses” back when I’m scolding her for being snippy.  Glitch is your typical bratty younger brother.  Sophie likes to head-butt to get my attention.  She’ll sit very close to me…staring…purring ever so softly.  If I ignore her, she will head-but my arm until I get up.  If that doesn’t work, she’ll just barely touch my arm with her cold, wet nose.  It bugs me and she knows it.

I read somewhere that cats age a bit different than dogs and I recently plugged Sophie’s age (almost 9 in human years) into a “cat calculator”.  She’s almost 47.  Glitch is the equivalent of a 12-year-old boy…and just as ornery.  This explains why she is SO annoyed by him.  I’d be irritated too if some 12-year-old kid jumped on my back when I passed by the dark bedroom doorway!  I’d probably scream and knock him out too!

Because of Glitch’s disability (he has cerebellar hypoplasia, which impedes his ability to coordinate his back legs), he can’t really jump up on anything.  He can get up on our beds or the sofa, but not on window sills, tables, chairs, and he certainly can’t go outside.  Not to worry, there is no pain involved in his condition…unless he runs into a table leg or wall a little too fast when he tries to run.  He’s a very affectionate kitty.  I think this stems from the fact that his mother died at his birth and he was nursed along by a caring family until he was adopted.  He then imprinted on Emmy.  When she comes home, he runs for the door like a puppy.  He follows her around the house and insists on being in her lap if she is sitting.  He sits outside the bathroom door waiting for her like she’s trapped.  He can NOT handle it if she’s in there, especially if the water is running - he throws himself at the door and paws under it.  He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

When we brought Glitch home, he was just learning to use a litter box and because of his legs, he has balance issues.  This makes using his box a bit messy.  During the first couple of months, he had a bath on a pretty regular basis to get the ‘ick’ off of his lower half.  Now, when Em is in the bathroom and he can hear the shower, he looks panicky.  He paces in front of the door until she finally comes out.  I swear I hear a little “whew” and a look on his face that says, “I tried to save you, but I couldn’t fit under the door!  Did you get poop on you too?”


Some people say cats don’t have emotions or motives.  I disagree.  I think they are just as emotional as we are and I’m absolutely certain that they can 'talk'.  They say a lot with just a ‘look’.  Sophie has her ‘Don’t-you-look-at-me-in-that-tone-of-voice’ look and Glitch has his impish little expressions.  They get mad, they get snippy, and when we don't comply...they get even!  Our pets are very much a part of our family - Brinkley even has her own Facebook page.   

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