Cats...

I don't believe I have ever mentioned it here or not, but I am a cat owner. Actually I own two cats, because just like kids, sometimes you get one you didn't expect.

The black cat is "Squeaky Z". He got his name because he used to meow incessantly, and because his tail is crooked, and has a little "z" shape in it. I got him as a kitten and he used to follow me around the house like a puppy dog. No matter where I went, he had to go as well. He would follow me into the bathroom when I took a shower and would poke his head into the shower to make sure I was OK. He stopped doing that when he realized that there was water in there that would get him wet... Now he just stands guard outside the shower. He still follows me around the house, but not as much as he used to.

The grey cat is "Scrappers". Scrappers moved in when my mom was in the hospital, before she passed away, and he was supposed to be a short-term guest. Unfortunately when my mom passed he didn't have anywhere else to go, so he became a permanent resident. He has learned from Z to follow me around the house, so now they both follow me around. Scrappers doesn't stand guard at the shower, but he does jump into the tub after I get out to get a drink from the dripping facet. Scrappers has taken over the sink in my bathroom, and I believe he thinks it's his bed. He is there seemingly all the time.

Scrappers is kind of a "brute". He is much bigger than Z so, he has taken over as "head of the household" between the two cats. Z has taken quite a few months to get back to his original disposition. For the first 4-5 months Z became the proverbial "scare-dee-cat", and would go into hiding and wouldn't socialize with people. In the last month or so, he has started to warm up again.

Z is very, very picky about the cleanliness of his liter box, and lets me know when he is unhappy about it. He first starts to whine, a very specific meow, to let me know to take care of things. If I don't do it soon enough, he poops on the floor, right outside of the litter box. Even though I have two litter boxes, they prefer only one. And with the two cats, keeping the litter box clean is a seemingly hourly chore!

Today I decided to move the one litter box, their favorite, to a new location, because I am just tired of the smell. Z was not happy with my decision and let me know by pooping on the floor again, where the old litter box used to be. I had showed him the new location, but I think he was trying to tell me he liked it where it was. Hopefully I win this "debate" and he starts using the box in the new location.

Sweetie told me a story about a lady who had nine cats all living inside her home. I do enjoy my cats, but I can't imagine having nine of them. I am struggling with the two I have now!

Later Lou