Kitty Scrub-In

I love coming home to my cats. I love that first they greet me, and then they give me jobs to do for them. I love their fur, although I'd prefer to stroke it on their bodies rather than wear it on my sweater--but I can deal with that.

I love looking at their fluid shapes - round bellies, pointy ears, bristly whiskers, curved backs, slender supple tails, agile paws. They change with each new position.

 

Wesley and Maui enjoying a scrub-in!

Cats are always comfortable in their bodies. To see a cat luxuriate is to know physical comfort.

What helps you to relax and feel comfortable? 

Rooster Cat

I know better than to try to change my morning routine. I am to arise by 7:30, stagger around with Ugi bouncing off me and playing with his toys waiting for me to let him outside. Then I must scoop Science Diet for Indoor Cats--first for Maui and then for ShyAnn. I drop Ugi's morning allotment of Science Diet for Toy and Small Breeds in his dish.

Foolishly, this morning I attempted to sleep just a little longer. Maui landed his 18 pounds on my bed and gazed at my face until I couldn't help but peek at him. I turned my back to him. He moved to stare some more. When I ignored him, he pushed his paws under my blanket and began kneading and purring loudly.

Have you ever seen Simon's Cat on YouTube? www.youtube/user/simonscat

Check it out--it could as well be my Maui in those videos.

No Mood for the Nonsense

Some mornings I’m in no mood for that nonsense. I think Ugi should come right now and go outside right now and stop with the games. 

Even on those cranky mornings, I laugh before Ugi goes out. Then I laugh as he stops at the top of the ramp and looks at me, waiting until I shout, "run! run! run!"  before he launches himself gleefully---ears flying. I can’t help but think he’s laughing, too, as he takes his silly self to the yard for his chores.

When he finishes outside, he races back to the door, bounces against it and stands on his hind legs looking in the window. I let him in and he grabs his toy again and shakes it before spinning and bouncing off the buffet—where he knows his +Charlee Bears await him. I say “sit”, “sneeze” and when he does, I toss one three-calorie cookie to him. He catches it expertly and swallows it whole. I smile the entire time.

Yup—Ugi gets credit for my first laughs of the day.

Ugi Wrestled the Scary Bear--and Won!

 

Getting Out the Door

When I'm ready to let him out, I call Ugi to the door. He runs and bounces against it, toy still in his mouth. Summer, I let him take it outside with him because he likes the company and because I can send him back to get it if he leaves it in the yard. Winter, I say, “Leave toy!” because we may not see it again until spring if he takes it outside. 

Ugi wears his sweatshirt. It's a purple toy day.

If he’s had a really rousing morning game, it’s hard for Ugi to drop the toy and go do his business. He’ll back away from the door, growl and shake it, showing me his awesome power. When I insist he leave it, he sets it on the floor and looks at me, laughing, grabs it again and runs around the room once more before bouncing on the door to go outside. After that he’s usually ready to leave his toy in the house and attend to his morning duties.

By this time, I'm usually chuckling. Who makes you smile in the morning?

Prime Directive

PLAY is Ugi’s prime directive. When he first came to me from Rescuer Mary Ann’s dog family, I thought his early morning rising was because of bladder urgency—not so. Ugi cannot wait to get up to play! Not only that—I should get up to play with him, or at least watch and cheer him on as he plays by himself.

 

Ugi--Mad Playing Machine

Ugi grabs a toy, shakes it fiercely and runs. He teases me into trying to take it from him and growls like a Rottweiler if I should dare. On days when I’m slow about letting him outside, he changes his game into hide-the-toy-in-the-blankie—covering it, pouncing on it, digging for it. After he finds it, he drags the blanket over it to hide and seek it once more.

Do you have a dog or cat who makes  you laugh?

(More...)

"I Like to Laugh in the Morning"

Some years ago, Bob Nesbit, my goofy, fun friend, said that--"I like to laugh in the morning". It stayed with me. What a great way to begin a day.

Last night after posting on my blog I remembered Bob’s comment. I smiled again

.

Then I began to feel guilty—not about Bob—but about attributing my first morning giggles to my cats! It’s time to give Ugi his due. He’s not a cat. He’s a ten-pound Bichon who does his four-legger jobs admirably—and in my milieu (or sometimes melee) of cats. He’s a little guy with a big heart.

...more to come...