Adventures in Kittenhood

I keep calling our new kitten Mimi after her predecessor Gigi. Not just the similarities of name, but the same issues of getting her incorporated into the life of my household, meaning me and 16-year-old Mr. Lucky Cat. Perhaps he and I are more indolent and less flexible than I believe us to be. All that kitten frenzy and curiosity annoys us, and we do not enjoy being toys, especially when the player comes with tiny but effective needle sharp teeth and claws. I’m covered with scratches toe to head from being the local climbing post and practice dummy for hunting and battling. Lucky is very vocal about his objections to her attentions. I don’t understand cat language, but his tone is enough to know he’s beyond cantankerous old man to contemplating reducing the number of her lives.

I try to remember she has a brain only the size of a walnut. A hard one at that! Think how many times a crow has to drop a walnut plucked from a tree before it cracks. Not that I’m dropping Mimi from any heights…other than mine… Reminds me that Bill Cosby once joked about childhood brain damage.

Here’s the kitten version:
Becca: Mimi, don’t play with Lucky’s tail. You’re gonna get swatted.
Mimi: (continues to eye the forbidden tail twitching just beyond me, wiggles down into a crouch, and pounces)
Lucky: YEE-OWWWL! (flattens her with one paw)
Mimi: Mew! (dashes for cover behind me again)
Becca: Didn’t I tell you not to do that?
Mimi: Mew. (I take that as “uh-huh”)
Becca: Then why can’t you leave him alone? He’s an old grouch.
Mimi: Me-ew. (Sounds like “I dunno” to me)
Lucky: RRRwwrlll! (jumps up and heads for the door…with Mimi right behind)

Fortunately, Lucky hasn’t used his substantially larger claws on her. But then, although born in March, he’s not a Pisces. I am. According a particularly wacky horror-scope, Pisces tend to torture small animals. That's an exaggeration of course. I would never harm one. I confess I do tend to pat cats on the head repeatedly, but is it dribbling if the head doesn’t hit the floor? I also have to confess a childish desire to watch cats jump straight up in the air. They have to be surprised to do that of course. A sudden movement underneath them with a loud noise often works.

I’m also a proponent of letting cats experience the consequences of their curiosity. Just the other day, I let Mimi explore the bathtub drain hole after my shower and let the shower valve drop on its own. It wasn’t a dangerous amount of water coming from the faucet. It didn’t all douse her head, and I did dry her off after I stopped laughing.

Then there was last night when I was in bed…I suffer some allergies and had the sniffles. Mimi was curious about the tissue waving in front of my face and the strange snort coming from it. I really couldn’t help the violent sneeze that blasted out just as she sniffed it. I’ll admit her instantaneous reverse leap from my chest to my knees tickled my funny bone. Reduced me quickly to my huffy Muttley laugh, complete with tears, even as I tried to comfort her. Usually my sneezes come in threes…I wonder if the laughter short-circuited that reflex? Hmmm…well, with Mimi’s habit of repeating herself, I guess I’ll have opportunity to find out.

I hope you could tell my tongue is firmly in cheek. Tell me some of your kitten or cat adventures.

Too Domesticated?

I have two beautiful Abyssinian-mix cats, Mr. Lucky and Gigi. If you happen to wander by and admire my felines, I’ll gladly gush about them. However, today I’m wondering if domestication has gone too far? Or not far enough?

Consider the fact that my cats NEVER “do their business” outside in the dirt. Nope, no matter how long they have been outside. In fact this past weekend, they were waiting, little furry legs crossed, at the door when I came home from a day long workshop, and they nearly tripped me up on my own dash for the bathroom. Further, like spouses and children, a closed door to the bathroom is merely a temporary obstacle. Being the smart Abby-mixes they are, they’ve learned how to pull the door lever. If they can do that, then why can’t they learn to use the toilet and flush?

Another case in point, my two cats have the hunting thing down, but there’s a problem. Lucky brings his “toy” to me (usually some unfortunate lizard and, yes, occasionally a hummingbird), drops it at my feet, lifts those big green eyes, and begs, “Make it play with me!” Look beyond the “ewww” factor: his “toys” are not a meal. Some link is missing in this cat!

Paradoxically, his biological brother lives with my parents in a rural community. Buddy is an efficient and thoughtful hunter. Plus he gets it! He knows why he hunts. When he brings his prize home, he announces his delivery on his way to the bathroom. After you have suitably praised his prowess, he moves on to the clean up process with a flick of tail that says, “no need to set out the canned stuff tonight, I’ve got it covered.” The only problem Buddy seems to have is that his eyes are too big for his stomach. My dad once caught him stalking a deer.

Now Gigi doesn’t mind horning in on Lucky’s game, but she not much of a hunter of “live” things. I’ve learned to make sure all ball-point pens, twisty-ties, rubber-bands and shoe laces are out of sight. She cannot resist them. While finding the lost pens and not tripping over a suddenly fur-encased ankle is annoying, I worry most about her swallowing the twisty-ties and rubber-bands. So I’m a little obsessive about keeping those things in a drawer…at least so far she hasn’t managed to figure out how to open those!

The Glorious Pursuit of God

What an amazing weekend! Today I'm still saying I'm too blessed to be stressed! LOL I'm renewed and refreshed after dwelling in the loving presence of God for 2 days of worship, teaching, praying, and fellowship.

My church hosts a prayer retreat every fall, and the Lord shows up every time! This weekend's theme was "Prayer: the Glorious Pursuit of God." The key speaker talked of the "Divine Dance," God encounters in the mundane moments of life, and how we as Christians individually and as a group can cultivate a culture of prayer in our lives, our churches and our communities. We were all reminded that God seeks a personal relationship with each of us. A glorious pursuit indeed!

I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I entered the sanctuary (worship hall), like a familiar tingle on my skin and warmth welling up in my heart. Joy scented the air as well as expectation...both ours and God. Why would the Lord not be joyful and expectant? His people, his beloved ones had gathered with the desire to draw close to Him, to seek a deeper relationship with Him!

I love to be part of the worship band and to help lead the worship through song. There is and always has been something sacred to me about music...the way it touches our hearts, resonates in our very souls. Song gave way to prayer as the Spirit stirred up the place. Several people brought messages from God to us. Oh, how much He loves us! How much He rejoices to bless us. If we but turn toward Him, He will step toward us...we step, He steps...and the "Divine Dance" begins. May I never stop dancing with God!

Oh, I'm out of time and still have so much to share with you. May you dance with God this week!