Cat Routines

Gigi (l) Emma (r)

It is bedtime. I am snuggled in with the lights off and the white noise on. The feather comforter is pulled up to my head, a pillow cushions my knees; my pillow is fluffed, crisp, and cold.

Sure enough, as I am settled in, Emma arrives. I know it is her because she is the heavier one. She steps her front paws onto my hip and waits there. I slowly pull my arm from under the covers, stretch it back, and pet her head.

I pet her in a vigorous fashion because of her weight. Gentle petting doesn't seem right and she doesn't complain.

After a while, I withdraw my arm back under the covers and she hesitates a moment or two longer then steps down. I can feel her circling the bottom of the bed around my feet.

Eventually, Emma finds her just perfect space, lies down, probably head on paw but I cannot see this to be sure, I can only feel her purring which in her particular way is more like a rumble.

Emma is ready to seek a night's sleep. Every now and then, as she is drifting off to sleep, she will shout out. I cannot spell the sound she makes, but I believe it is to let me know she is content.

Not too long after, I feel another set of front paws on my hip, only this time a lighter pair, they signal Gigi's arrival. She jumps completely up onto my hip and then slowly walks up my rib cage, crosses my shoulder, and steps gently over my neck and past my head, onto her pillow/nest space to my right.

I welcome her with a whispered, "Hi!" I pet her from head to tail as she stands there enjoying the massage. I do so gently if only because she is slight in weight and vigorous petting doesn't seem right. She seems to agree. Of course, she purrs, which for Gigi is more like a vibration.

Next, she needs to clean my hair a little, with studied licks with her raspy tongue. What makes her choose one section of my head to clean tonight over another I do not know, but she seems to know and that is enough for me.

After a few licks, I stop her by putting my hand in front of her head which causes her to pull back a little, and I gently move my hand in a counter-clockwise fashion which causes her to shift in the same direction.

Once facing 45 degrees away, I run my hand down her body which signals her that it is time to lie down, which she does. I tuck my hand behind her hindquarters as she continues to purr. She wiggles around a bit as she settles in.

Then with a kick of her hind paws, she moves herself into position to lie down completely, with her head nestled into my open hand. The vibration continues until she is asleep.

This happens, almost like clockwork (pun intended) every night and I love the attention and the intimacy of my relationship with my two kitties (now going on eight years old but I still call them "my kitties.")

Good night. Now it is my turn to drift off to sleep.

For Some of Us Nothing has Changed

STORIES FOR THE TIMES:

I had a conversation the other day with my two seven-year-old cats, Gigi and Emma. Gigi is svelt, intelligent, pensive, quiet one. Emma is obese, not so intelligent, impulsive, noisy one.

Gigi was selected by my husband Gregory (RIP) and Emma was selected by me. All of their characteristics match, almost perfectly, Gregory and mine.

My conversation with them went something like this:

"You know, so much has changed in the last days and weeks and you probably haven't even noticed."

"Meow."

"For you, life is pretty much status quo with playing, sleeping, and eating."

"Yeow."

"There is a closet full of litter, two extra bags of dry food, and maybe 24 cans of each of your wet foods: Gigi-shredded chicken and Emma- minced tuna. I also have half a dozen bags of treats."

"Burrrrrrrrrrrr"

"So it is pretty amazing that for you guys nothing is different, nothing is changed. You have no worries, do not contemplate your own death or that of each other, or worry about tomorrow. You do not miss "eating out" and are happy with just me and each other for company!"

"MAYBE I SHOULD LEARN A LESSON FROM YOU BOTH!"

No comment from the girls but Gigi brushed against my leg and Emma drifted off to sleep.

Kitties

Even though they are four years old (July 4 and August 1) I call them "my kitties." They also have a number of other nicknames.

Emma is pictured at the top of the photograph. Gigi, is pictured at the bottom of the photograph.

One of Emma's nicknames is "Brick." She weighs close to 20 lbs.

I also call her the "Upside Down Kitty." When she is on her blanket at the end of the bed and I am sitting on the bench across, I talk to her. She responds by turning herself upside down to "look cute."

"Dog," follows me around wherever in the condo I go.

"Hunter," plays with her mouse and screams to show off to me and to announce that she has caught prey. The mouse is really a red, aluminum foil, and blue puffball. Even with the puffball filling her mouth, her screaming is so loud that people with whom I am on the phone ask what the problem is.

Emma is rough and ready and can be a holy terror.

Gigi, on the other hand, is delicate and tentative but also can be a holy terror.

I call her "Lover" because she is gentle and sweet and really settles in when getting pet.

She is also known as "Sister" because she hides so well, and so often, in the condo that I cannot find her. I have to ask Emma, "Where is your sister?"

I call her "Girlfriend." When I am napping or going to sleep at night, she walks up my leg, side, and shoulder; dismounts at my head, and settles into the little nest between my pillow and the nightstand. I say, "Hi, Girlfriend!"

Then she turns around a few times and finally settles down with my taking her back paws in my hand. She lowers her head onto my other hand. Holding hands with my Girlfriend.

Sometimes if I fall asleep before she arrives, I awake to find her in the usual position "holding my hand."

Finally, Gigi is called "Princess." She is very proper, carries herself around the condo with a regal gate, never hurries or rushes. When I offer "treats," which are served in little plates on the bathroom vanity, Emma arrives and has almost completed hers when Gigi saunders into the bathroom and gracefully hops up to have hers.

Kitties, cats, are amazing creatures. As close to a "wild animal" as you can have in your home; they are intelligent, loving, and misbehave when they think they can get away with it.

They always greet me at the door when I arrive home, snuggle up on the sofa or in bed and watch TV with me, talk to me non-stop when they want or need something, take their toys out of the basket in the hall when they want to play, at times entertain themselves for hours and at other times demand your attention, love to sleep most of the day, and never clean up after themselves!

Training the Big Cats or How I Ran Away to the Circus and Was Home Again in Time for Dinner

Silly title but I had fun with it. Actually what I wanted to share was a story about training our new kitties. After a bit of research, I found out that I could train them to sleep at night and play during the day even though they are nocturnal animals by nature.

Step 1: Do not let them sleep during the day. Every time you see them snuggled in, wake them up.

Step 2: Play with them, including strenuous exercise, at least three times a day, especially right before bedtime.

Step 3: Keep toys out of the bedroom and avoid playing with them there if possible.

Step 4: Feed them moist food right before bedtime so they will have a full tummy.

Step 5: Be patient, be consistent, do this for a week or two and voila

Step 6: Kitties that will sleep through the night when you do.

Next I am working on keeping them off the kitchen island counter and from eating the plants. Stay tuned.

A New Vocabulary

(Gigi on bottom, Emma on top)

As you know, two new kitties have joined Gregory and my life. They really are gifts of love, and purr, and mischief, and more love. As they have gotten used to living with us, we have gotten used to living with them, a new vocabulary has begun to develop:

"Watch out for those land mines."

Meaning, don't trip on all the cat toys strewn around every part of the condo.

"What crazy women."

Meaning, they talk in very loud voices. Our previous pets only used that level of talking when they were in pain or unhappy. We have had to readjust our thinking and as a prompt to do so, it was just easier to label them as "Crazy" when they were behaving like that.

"Freedom girls, FREEDOM."

Meaning, I am walking towards the guest bathroom, where you are being held captive while we were gone, and I want you to know I am about to release you, so you don't start screaming when you hear us come in, and then think that I'll let you out every time you scream, and being an intermittent behavior you will inadvertently sustain more screaming for longer while I keep you locked up.

"TREATS, TREATS, TREATS," said in a high falsetto voice while shaking the kitty treat jar.

Meaning, I am going to give you some treats, knowing that you will follow me into the bathroom even though you know you'll be locked up - or - that you'll come out of the closet even though you know I'll close the door behind you.

"CHICKEN."

Meaning it is time for your moist food feeding. Our previous cat, Mariah, only liked chicken and snubbed her nose at turkey, fish, or ham. So to get her to come to eat, may she rest in peace, I announced "Chicken!"

"Loving, nurturing noises."

I realized when I am holding a kitty in my arms, and she is purring, and I am rubbing my nose in her face or belly (known as schnuggling in Yiddish,) I MAKE THE SAME SOUNDS MY MOTHER USED TO MAKE WHEN SHE WAS SCHNUGGLING ME!

Kitties

Have the new kittens had an effect on me? While walking by a plant on the living room floor, I found myself swatting the leaves.