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August 2010

“Oh cats. For a long time I just thought they were weird looking dogs who spoke a different language. But did you know they are an entirely different species? Did you know they could be mean? The first cat I lived with, Zulu, he was a stubborn old cat. And I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead but, he was. Did I mention he was mean and grumpy? Well, he was mean…and grumpy. And as much as I wanted to play with him, he just didn’t appreciate it. I mean, I was a puppy at the time but I got the hint. I made sure to steer clear of Zulu. Then one day, he ran up and he tapped me on my face. My nose to be exact. And this was no ordinary tap. He used his claws. He tapped me on my face with his claws! Oh! The pain was a sharp pain and my nose started leaking. I was a nervous wreck. Missy and Mommy started screaming and my nose was leaking. Leaking? It was bleeding! I was bleeding, people! Do you know how embarrassing that is? I was just sitting in the kitchen, minding my own business, and Zulu attacked me! Cats have absolutely no manners. And let’s just say, after that day, Missy and Mommy made sure to keep us apart. They let Zulu have the run of the house downstairs and I had the run of 2 bedrooms upstairs. Unfortunately, this only made Zulu more hostile towards me. He would try to tap my face with his claws every chance he got through the bedroom door. Every time he was at the door, I foolishly thought he just wanted to say hi. I would put my face down and ‘swipe’ he went with his paw. I knew right then and there that Zulu was basically a wild animal with absolutely no manners at all. Cats!

Enter Linus – It’s been a few years since Zulu passed away and Linus came to live with Mommy recently. I’m the older mature pet between me and Linus.  Even though he is a baby, I make sure to steer clear of him. After all, he is a cat. As the days pass, I’ve noticed that Linus is becoming more daring. The last time I came to visit, I sat in the living room, minding my own business, and Linus ran up and tapped my face. Why? Why do cats do this? Fortunately, Linus never used his claws. I quickly learned that those were just Linus’ love taps. He taps my face or my head or even my tush because he wants to play. Linus likes playing chase and wants us to be friends. We will never be best friends. I mean, he is a cat. We get along and I don’t mind playing chase. But I draw the line at him tapping my tush. I am a lady after all.

*Sigh*…love taps from a cat. They can be dangerous or they can be true methods of affection. Either way, never turn your back on a cat. They are wild animals who lack the manners and maturity of us dogs. It’s a sad truth.”

Me & Linus