It’s hard to take a picture of a cat that does not ultimately feel generic. Thank goodness for my digital SLR. It was a Christmas gift from Brian a number of years ago. The point-and-shoot mode is decent. And on the occasion that I want to play with the f-stop and aperture as I did when I was experimenting with photographing a lamp, I can do that too. But easy access to cheap and instant photographs should not mean that no one has ever seen a cat as adorable as Michael or Bert. But it is hard to resist picking up the camera when they are piled together in a blissful slumber or doing some otherwise irresistibly sweet thing like staring into the dishwasher as if they had just solved a crime.
When Brian floated the idea of getting more than one cat, I had my doubts. But the rescue outfit where we adopted these guys explained that kittens do better in pairs. For one thing, they need a high level of stimulation that would be hard for most people to provide. Both of these guys do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves – making a toy out of a candy wrapper, for example. But it is still very nice that in addition to us, they have each other.
And yes, I was serious about the dishwasher. For some reason they are fascinated with it. It’s another reason why we are lucky that our kitchen has a door that can be shut. Because they are “banished” from it on a routine basis.
These guys crack us up every day. Their latest game is to stalk each other among some small boxes scattered in our front room. Thinking about childhood and the forts we used to make with lawn chairs and blankets, I threw a sheet over the boxes. Last night, this occupied them long enough to let us enjoy our strawberry smoothies in relative peace.
On that note, Bert is at the door. He isn’t rattling the doorknob yet, but he is letting me know that it is time to move to the recliner where he can pile on and kneed my fat tummy like bread dough. With his eyes closed tight, he sticks his face in my plush housecoat and roots around and gnaws like he expects to find milk. He likes the smell of coffee. But I tell him that coffee isn’t for cats. Eventually he falls asleep. Michael will join us later. I make a game out of who will get up first. My coffee will cool before I can finish it. So, I’ll want to zap it in the microwave again. But I don’t. This is yet another way two kittens have changed my life. When Brian stirs, they will forget about me. He is Man Food Source. They know the routine and they will supervise him until he has successfully executed his morning duties.
Bert is resorting to scratching.
Better go.