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The so-called Solitary Cat.
Nov. 18th, 2008 01:57 amLet me tell you how my day begins.
I wake up in the morning with my cat jumping upon me. She's usually purring, meow-purring at me and kneading my chest. I've come to roll on my back in my sleep so that she can do this. After she's sufficiently padded and pawed on top of me, she'll jump up onto the bed above mine (it's a bunk) and sleep on 'her' bed. The top bed is not aligned with the bottom, it's along about two foot, so she can stick her head over the edge of the bed and look down at me. Sometimes she sticks her head through the gap in the slats between the mattress and the post. I'll often look up to see what looks like a disembodied fuzzy grey cat face gazing at me intently with a crazy look in her big, black dilated eyes. She's basically saying "Play with me!" But that's at the end of the day.
She also likes to jump on my parents in their beds. I call them "Granny and Grandpa" to her. She knows Granny will feed her every morning. She loves them dearly and knows they'll spoil her.
If I get up early, she'll follow me through into the living areas. She loves to run at my heels and bat at them. Wherever I go in the house, if she's in an active mood, she'll go with me. If I go to the toilet, she will come with me. She'll play at my feet and meow at me. If I forget to let her in, she'll sit outside the door and meow, and I'll hear her paws tap at the door.
In the kitchen she rolls onto her back and stretches out as far as she can. She'll bend backwards, arms straight out in front of her and her back legs dead straight, little toes poking out at all angles. She'll roll back, back, back, look at me and reach for me with stretches finger-toes. It's at this point I usually tap her tummy with my foot and begin the "attack Mummy's feet" game.
Often, she goes outside. If I go outside later to check on her, all I need do is call her. Sometimes she's in the depths of the garden and she takes a minute to get to me, but she'll call me back and come running to me like a bullet. She doesn't always come too close because she knows I'm liable to pick her up and take her inside. But she comes when I'm there.
Usually she'll follow me or Dad inside when she gets hungry or tired. I call her, she comes, and then I say, "Come on, come on, good girl." And she'll follow me slowly inside. I'll reward her with treats and a lot of positive talk and praise. She'll be sleepy now, so it's time for her afternoon nap. This is the part of the day where she has her own time, so she'll sleep in the kitchen or in the window box in the sunshine for a few hours.
When it's time for me to shower or take a bath, she'll be there. Even if I don't call her, she'll be outside the door very quickly, calling me and trying to get in. If I'm in the bath she'll keep an eye on me, sometimes coming to the edge of the water and having a drink (ew) or just looking at me curiously. When I get out and dry myself, sometimes she'll lick the water off my toes. It tickles. (Still, ew).
She'll want her dinner about then, so I feed her and have a nap of my own (cause I'm terrible sick, but sometimes I might try to stay awake through to ten). When it's time for the human's dinner, she'll sit on the balustrade behind our dining area and watch us. She likes to be with the family.
She loves it when my nieces and nephews come to visit. She fair busts to get outside and run with them in the sunshine. When they're inside she'll sit with them. Ruby and her love to play together for hours, though she will test the cat's patience sometimes, as children are wont to do. When my nieces sleep over on occasion, usually on the bunk Rogue tends to sleep on, Rogue will be there with them. She'll be jumping on the bed with them and settling down to sleep with them. I have photos. She loves her 'cousins', loves to be one of the kids. They are like her kitten friends, I think.
At night she begins to sleep more. If I'm up using the computer or sitting in bed and writing, or even sleeping, she'll come find me and sleep near me. She sleeps near me often. If I have icecream, she'll come sit by me. If she's good, I give her a little bit to lick up.
When it's bed time, I tell Rogue that I'm going to bed. I say goodnight to my parents and to my brother and settle down in my room. Sometimes Rogue follows me. Usually what happens is that I'll be in bed, reading or playing my DS, and I'll hear a calling meow in the hall. It's a very special meow. It's her "Where are you?!" meow. She also has a "Come back, you're gone too long!" meow that she uses when people have left the house and don't come back for a while.
She knows when I'm sick. If I don't get up, and I'm sick, she'll sit by me or on my chest and purr. That's the cat way of healing, I've read. She's not really a 'sit on me' kind of cat, except when I'm sick. She'll look into my face and sniff me. She knows when I'm better, too, cause she'll go back to normal again.
She'll usually settle down in 'her' bed and go to sleep. Sometimes she'll play as I described before. But she'll go to sleep eventually. In the morning she'll jump down on my head if I don't get up quickly enough. If I get up before her, she'll follow me through sleepily. Then the whole thing starts again.
I've heard people say that cats are solitary animals that don't care about anyone but themselves. I think this is highly unfair. A cat is, by nature, an egocentric creature. If one understands that, one can see every day how curious and social they are. I don't know if animals can love the way we do, but I do think they bond with people very closely.
I have no doubt in the world that my little cat is a dear and loving friend. I make pretend that she's my baby, because she was so little when I got her and I have a baby-shaped hole in my life. I need her and she doesn't seem to mind being there for me.
If she is a solitary animal, she is the sorriest excuse for one I have ever seen.
I wake up in the morning with my cat jumping upon me. She's usually purring, meow-purring at me and kneading my chest. I've come to roll on my back in my sleep so that she can do this. After she's sufficiently padded and pawed on top of me, she'll jump up onto the bed above mine (it's a bunk) and sleep on 'her' bed. The top bed is not aligned with the bottom, it's along about two foot, so she can stick her head over the edge of the bed and look down at me. Sometimes she sticks her head through the gap in the slats between the mattress and the post. I'll often look up to see what looks like a disembodied fuzzy grey cat face gazing at me intently with a crazy look in her big, black dilated eyes. She's basically saying "Play with me!" But that's at the end of the day.
She also likes to jump on my parents in their beds. I call them "Granny and Grandpa" to her. She knows Granny will feed her every morning. She loves them dearly and knows they'll spoil her.
If I get up early, she'll follow me through into the living areas. She loves to run at my heels and bat at them. Wherever I go in the house, if she's in an active mood, she'll go with me. If I go to the toilet, she will come with me. She'll play at my feet and meow at me. If I forget to let her in, she'll sit outside the door and meow, and I'll hear her paws tap at the door.
In the kitchen she rolls onto her back and stretches out as far as she can. She'll bend backwards, arms straight out in front of her and her back legs dead straight, little toes poking out at all angles. She'll roll back, back, back, look at me and reach for me with stretches finger-toes. It's at this point I usually tap her tummy with my foot and begin the "attack Mummy's feet" game.
Often, she goes outside. If I go outside later to check on her, all I need do is call her. Sometimes she's in the depths of the garden and she takes a minute to get to me, but she'll call me back and come running to me like a bullet. She doesn't always come too close because she knows I'm liable to pick her up and take her inside. But she comes when I'm there.
Usually she'll follow me or Dad inside when she gets hungry or tired. I call her, she comes, and then I say, "Come on, come on, good girl." And she'll follow me slowly inside. I'll reward her with treats and a lot of positive talk and praise. She'll be sleepy now, so it's time for her afternoon nap. This is the part of the day where she has her own time, so she'll sleep in the kitchen or in the window box in the sunshine for a few hours.
When it's time for me to shower or take a bath, she'll be there. Even if I don't call her, she'll be outside the door very quickly, calling me and trying to get in. If I'm in the bath she'll keep an eye on me, sometimes coming to the edge of the water and having a drink (ew) or just looking at me curiously. When I get out and dry myself, sometimes she'll lick the water off my toes. It tickles. (Still, ew).
She'll want her dinner about then, so I feed her and have a nap of my own (cause I'm terrible sick, but sometimes I might try to stay awake through to ten). When it's time for the human's dinner, she'll sit on the balustrade behind our dining area and watch us. She likes to be with the family.
She loves it when my nieces and nephews come to visit. She fair busts to get outside and run with them in the sunshine. When they're inside she'll sit with them. Ruby and her love to play together for hours, though she will test the cat's patience sometimes, as children are wont to do. When my nieces sleep over on occasion, usually on the bunk Rogue tends to sleep on, Rogue will be there with them. She'll be jumping on the bed with them and settling down to sleep with them. I have photos. She loves her 'cousins', loves to be one of the kids. They are like her kitten friends, I think.
At night she begins to sleep more. If I'm up using the computer or sitting in bed and writing, or even sleeping, she'll come find me and sleep near me. She sleeps near me often. If I have icecream, she'll come sit by me. If she's good, I give her a little bit to lick up.
When it's bed time, I tell Rogue that I'm going to bed. I say goodnight to my parents and to my brother and settle down in my room. Sometimes Rogue follows me. Usually what happens is that I'll be in bed, reading or playing my DS, and I'll hear a calling meow in the hall. It's a very special meow. It's her "Where are you?!" meow. She also has a "Come back, you're gone too long!" meow that she uses when people have left the house and don't come back for a while.
She knows when I'm sick. If I don't get up, and I'm sick, she'll sit by me or on my chest and purr. That's the cat way of healing, I've read. She's not really a 'sit on me' kind of cat, except when I'm sick. She'll look into my face and sniff me. She knows when I'm better, too, cause she'll go back to normal again.
She'll usually settle down in 'her' bed and go to sleep. Sometimes she'll play as I described before. But she'll go to sleep eventually. In the morning she'll jump down on my head if I don't get up quickly enough. If I get up before her, she'll follow me through sleepily. Then the whole thing starts again.
I've heard people say that cats are solitary animals that don't care about anyone but themselves. I think this is highly unfair. A cat is, by nature, an egocentric creature. If one understands that, one can see every day how curious and social they are. I don't know if animals can love the way we do, but I do think they bond with people very closely.
I have no doubt in the world that my little cat is a dear and loving friend. I make pretend that she's my baby, because she was so little when I got her and I have a baby-shaped hole in my life. I need her and she doesn't seem to mind being there for me.
If she is a solitary animal, she is the sorriest excuse for one I have ever seen.
