Hear Me Roar

Change is Good

Recently Mama started getting up a little earlier in the mornings to take her shower before going to work. This has never happened before. She used to take showers in the evening before going to bed. Now she turns on the water, gets the day's clothes, and then calls to me: "Come on, little Boo! Mew!" and I run in to be with her. I love being in the bathroom with Mama while she takes her shower! I can sit behind the curtain liner on the edge of the bathtub and stay dry but I can still see her. Most of the time she hums or sings and I love it when Mama sings. Sometimes she leans over and taps on me through the plastic. I mew at her and she mews back. Then when she's done and is drying off, I just have to tell her how much I love her so I make all kinds of noise. I usually don't mew very loudly, so I think Mama likes it when I do because she mews back at me. Then we play something Mama calls "cave kitty," where Mama makes a cave out of the bath towel and I get underneath and hide. It's so much fun. I can't help but mew and knead anything under my paws, even the bathroom rug or Mama's foot. Mama thinks this is just the cutest, because that's what she says: "You're the cutest kitty EVER, little Boo!" And then I get lots of scratches in all my favorite spots. What's even better is this is just Mama and me time, because Darwin is shut out in the hall and can't get in. I like Darwin but most of the time all he wants to do is wrestle and chase me. Sometimes I need a break!

Yes, I think I like this change in the routine. I hope Mama does this all the time from now on!

Canine Invasion!

On Friday some people showed up with a couple of creatures that scared me so much I spent most of the next two days hiding. I heard someone call them "dogs," so I guess that's what they were. When they arrived I think they were really excited at being somewhere new because they were running around like crazy, and Darwin and I didn't have a chance to escape before they found us in the kitchen. I made all my fur stand on end and I ran like hell for the basement. Mama shut the door after me and I went right up on top of the shelf and hid behind some stuff. There was all kinds of noise coming from upstairs- crashing, scratching, and Darwin hissing. Then Mama yelled, there was some more crashing, and then silence. I didn't want to come out and I stayed on the shelf until Mama came down and dragged me off and took me upstairs into the bedroom and shut the door. Darwin was already there and I just went and hid behind the blinds. At night, thought, we got to come out and get a bite to eat. The "dogs" were with the new people in the other bedroom with the door shut. Whew.

Saturday the dogs went into these large cages in the music room and stayed there all day while our people were out. Darwin was brave and sat in the doorway looking at them but I made myself scarce and stayed upstairs all day.

Sunday I was crouched behind the shade in the bedroom when the dogs came in. I know they just wanted to check me out but they were so big and excited that I got scared and bolted into the bathroom. They chased me and I went up on the sink and tried to get behind the blinds, but they wouldn't move and the DOGS WERE RIGHT THERE! I heard Mama yelling, "Get those dogs away from the cat NOW!" and someone came and dragged the dogs away, and then Daddy grabbed me and put me in the basement and shut the door. I went and hid behind the dryer. Mama came down a while later and pulled me out and talked nice to me, but I didn't feel like giving her any head bumps. I just wanted the dogs to leave and for there to be peace and quiet.

And then, they did leave! Everyone left and it was so nice. Later Mama and Dadyd came back and at first I was scared the dogs were with them, but they weren't, and that night my people were watching TV and I got right up on my favorite spot, sitting on Mama's lap. Sigh. Finally, peace.

A Breath of Fresh Air

I don't get to go outside very much, so when I do it's a real treat. Sunday afternoon, Mama and Dad were doing something in the yard, and they took Darwin outside and put him on his harness. Darwin has to be on a harness because if he isn't, he'll go roaming all over the place and Mama and Dad get very worried. I'm more timid and I stay in the yard close to Mama, so I can be outside without a harness. When I saw Darwin go out, I got very excited because it usually means I can go out, too. Mama got my collar out of the drawer and put it on, and then I was free!

It was such a nice day. The sun was shining and it wasn't that cold. First I went over and visited Darwin where he was laying on the catnip plant. Then I had some quality time with Mama on the grass. I poked around the fence, ate some grass, sniffed the herb garden, visited with Darwin again, and then I wanted to see the front yard so I squeezed under the gate. Mama must have seen me because she came right out and picked me up and took me to the backyard. Then she did something to the gate so I couldn't fit under it anymore. That's OK, there was more than enough to keep me occupied in the back yard.

Mama and Dad were outside for a good hour and a half, and I was outside that whole time, too. I poked around under the rowboat, sat with Darwin by the birdbath, sharpened my claws on a tree stump, and just basically had a great time. Mama would check on me every now and then by calling my name, and I always come when she calls because she gives me the best pets and scratches. I was checking out the neighbor's garage when Mama called me, and when I came out she picked me up and took me inside. I was bummed, I knew my little bit of freedom was over. Then Darwin came inside too and we both had something to eat. Then it was couch time with Mama and Dad!

TV TIME!

Oh, television, where have you been all this time? How come I never paid attention to you before?

It all started with that Video Catnip that Mama got for Christmas. Well, I guess you could say me and Darwin got it for Christmas. I'll never forget the first time I saw it. Mama picked me up and brought me into the living room and set me down on the footstool next to Darwin. Suddenly, THERE IT WAS. A giant bird RIGHT THERE IN MY LIVING ROOM! What the...! And squirrels! And there was chirping and cheeping and all kinds of noises coming out. I was fascinated. I tried to touch the birds but I couldn't. It was driving me crazy! Me and Darwin sat there for more than a half an hour watching the birds. When Mama turned off the TV I was so upset. I wanted MORE! When the TV was turned on later I rushed over to see if the birds would reappear, but they didn't. It was something else. There was all kinds of stuff going on, some of it even more interesting than the bird show, so I just sat and watched. Mama took a picture of me watching that show. There was something about a white wizard and a ring of power...oh, who knows. Humans watch some pretty strange stuff. I like the bird show. Oh, okay, I'll be honest. I like ANY show. Any time that TV gets turned on, I am so there. I'll watch anything, from SpongeBob SquarePants to Scrubs to ER to American Hot Rod. As long as it's on, I'll watch it. Mama and Daddy call me their "little TV junkie." I don't know if that's bad or good. Heh...I watch just as much TV as they do, so they must be "TV junkies" too!

Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Just a quick hello!

So...what's going on? I'm still loving the TV. I watch anything and everything. It's fascinating! There's some pretty cool shows out there. Mama and Dad watch a lot of TV. Some of it is more interesting than others. I like shows that are busy and have a lot of action, like "24" and "CSI" and "MXC." A couple weeks ago Mama put on that really good bird and squirrel show for some people who were at our house who'd seen the pictures of me watching TV. I was SO excited to see those birds again! Everybody laughed at me but Mama called me her little boy and gace me scratches so I didn't mind.

I've been doing a lot of quality window-sitting lately, now that it's warm outside and Mam and Dad have the windows open a lot. Darwin likes to hog the windows perch most of the time but when he goes and sits on the condo, I get into the window.

Mama even let me out a while back when Darwin was on his line in the backyard. I poked around in the mulch for a while and then went exploring. Mama came calling for me and I came out from inside the neighbor's garage. She picked me up and exclaimed that I was filthy...well, I had been rolling around on the driveway concrete for a while...it just felt so good! How was I supposed to know I was going to get all covered in dust? Plus, it was really dusty in the neighbor's garage...Mama said to Dad that she could see clouds of dust blowing off my fur. Sheesh. That's why I have a tongue! To clean myself up! But Mama rubbed me with a damp towel. Oh Mama...I'm not people...I don't have to be wet to take a bath!

Lately I've been super affectionate to Dad. I'm a reserved kitty. It takes me a long time to get used to new things. I figure I've been living here for almost 3 years, it's about time I warmed up to Dad. So now he gets the leg rub and kitty head bumps and I talk to him. He's really nice. He knows all the spots I like to be scratched. I should have done this months ago!

They should call it the "cat days" of summer

I don't know why they call it the "dog days..." because I'm just as miserable as anyone, and I'm not a dog! I'm one hot, hot kitty at the moment. It's been so HOT lately. I should be glad I'm an indoor kitty and our house has air conditioning. I don't even like sleeping with Mama and Daddy anymore because it's so hot. I like it downstairs where it's cooler. Upstairs isn't as cool. This morning, however, I went upstairs to see Mama when she got up. I was laying on the cool wood floor when she woke up and saw me and asked what I was doing down there! Of course I can't speak People so I said, "Meh."

Man, I wish I could get rid of this fur coat. Whew. I hope we have some cooler weather soon!

Mama and Me

Have ever told you how much I love my Mama? She's the best. I miss her so much when she's not around during the day, when she goes to something called "job." But when she comes home, I'm always waiting by the door! She comes in and picks me up and holds me on her shoulder and murmurs things like, "Hello my special kitty." I'm so happy, I just dig my claws into her shoulder, which Daddy and Mama call "the claws of love." Mama holds me tight for a while and then puts me down. But I can't let her out of my sight, so anywhere she goes, I go too. Up the stairs. Into the closet. Into the bathroom. Even when she's in the shower I sit on the edge of the tub and watch her through the curtain. Sometimes she sings, and I get very excited and put my paw on the curtain. When she comes out, though, that's when I get to play "cave kitty," which is the best game ever. Mama makes a little cave out of her towel and I go inside and lie down. Mama thinks this is so cute and I get lots and lots of tummy rubs.

Then there's Mama and the computer desk. I love when Mama sits down at the computer desk, because that means I can get up there and lie down on her arm. I put my paw and my head on her arm and just lie there with my eyes closed, purring, being next to my Mama. I make sure my tummy is available for rubs, of which there are many, because even though I've got Mama's left arm pinned down, she uses her right hand to pet me. It's hard to miss me, since I'm a big fluffy kitty right in front of her face!

Then there's couch time. Any time Mama sits down on the sofa, I'm there. But I can't just jump up and sit down. I have to knead. I have to knead because it makes me happy and reminds me of when I was a little kitten. Besides, she's my Mama, and all kittens need their Mamas. So I knead, and knead, and sometimes I knead for so long, Mama tries to push me down, saying, "Bouhaki, just SIT DOWN, you've been kneading for fifteen minutes!" But I always spring back up and continue. I won't be rushed. When I'm finally done, Mama's lap or tummy is all nice and warm and soft. It makes the best nap spot.

When Mama went out of the house yesterday evening with her bag of music books, I went and sat on the kitty condo in the window and waited for her to come home. I waited so long I fell asleep. Then I heard a scratching noise outside. I cracked open my eyes and there was Mama waving at me through the window! She said, "Hi Boo!" and I said, "Waa!" By the time she came through the door I was off the condo and ready to greet her. After she took off her coat and put down her bookbag I got some quality shoulder time.

Yes, I love my Mama. She doesn't have any kids of her own so she tells me I'm her baby. I love to be babied. Mama does a great job of that. I'm a happy, warm, safe, loved kitty.