It may not be a quiet night
As I sit here and write, WifeOfVirge has gone to bed, but has little chance of sleeping. Lu-Tze has found how easy it is for a bouncy kitten to leap up onto the bed. It must be fun to sprint from one end of the bed to the other at the blink of an eye or twitch of a toe.
Meanwhile I hear a tone from the other end of the house -- an A, I think -- around 880Hz. As I peer into the darkness of the lounge room I hear Isadora plop down from the piano stool. It's after midnight. It's dark. There's a house to explore. What else should I expect?
This afternoon, Lu-Tze showed some of his Magical Mr Mistoffelees skills. We spent about 20 minutes trying to find him. It was only when I searched the walk-in robe the third time that I found him sleeping happily in a corner on a pile of stuff1 with a screen of clothes draped over him.
Isadora kept her distance for most of the day. She preferred the just-out-of-reach solitude of under the bed. While we went out to see Hero we thought it best to close Isadora and Lu-Tze in the laundry (with food, drink and litter tray). I crawled under our bed and grabbed Isadora. She was reluctant, but didn't put up a real fight. Lu-Tze was easy. Wiggle a shoelace and he's onto it. Of course while LuTze was being moved into the laundry, Isadora slipped out and ran -- guess where -- under the bed. We managed eventually.
At hungry-time, the feline independence changed. The traditional aloofness was replaced by a purring, smooching, please-may-I-push-my-head-into-your-shins type of abasement that could easily be mistaken for acceptance. I think she's getting to grips with her new home and staff.
1You know, like what goes into wardrobes and stays there for years and can never be thrown out -- stuff
Comments
Congratulations on your new pets! They sound wonderful. I've always thought mischievous animals were the best kind, in spite of the inevitable mayhem. More interesting stories to tell.
I kept a feral kitten in my room while taming him. Months later, I was admiring the huge Amish quilt that hangs on the wall over the bed. (It's really Mennonite, but who says "I have Mennonite quilts"? Amish sounds more authentic. Bought it from a stunning blonde Mennonite girl who was sitting in the middle of a wagon walled with quilts hung from poles and clotheslines. I stepped inside her outdoor room, heated by the sun, protected by the wind, ringed in patterned color.) The quilt top is 11 feet off the ground. Noticing tiny marks and holes, I followed them with hand and eye. I realized he'd run up and down the quilt, not in one place but all over. I then checked the drapes. Each one had the same pattern of holes. He'd literally run up the walls. Now he's probably curled up with Rachel, kneading her hair. From kitten to cat, feral to won't go out if it's below 45 degrees.
I have it good authority (WifeOfVirge, who didn't sleep as soundly as I did) that I had Lu-Tze sitting on my head on one occasion. I remember waking up at one point when he clambered over my pillow, but I don't recall being sat on. I guess I can be thankful he didn't decide my ears were good to chew on.
I'm not sure how much damage Lu-Tze can do around here. We don't have a lot of really expensive decorations. He has already started finding pieces of furniture to pluck at. The sooner we get him to use the scratching post the better.
I don't want a scratchingpost since they are so very ugly. Instead the cat seems to use the same armchair over and over, and I have sacrificed that. Once into the habit and all that...