Hi, Pet Buddies! This week I once again ventured into the mysterious world of cats for a yap-meow with Lovey Blythe-LoPresti and her sister, Priscilla.
Lovey and Priss live on the beach with their humans, Leah and David. Unlike dogs, cats do not jump and yap when I knock on the door. Their Mom ushered me in. Everything was in white, nice and crisp, and it took me a moment to realize there was actually a cat in the room.
“Mr. Bonzo, how lovely you could come. I‘m Lovey Blythe-LoPresti. I’m hyphenated. ”
The soft voice had come from across the room. I finally spotted her on a dining room chair. She was a small, with short white hair with black stripes around her ears and down the back of her head. She sat with her paws delicately crossed.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” I said. “I didn’t see you at first.”
“I know. That happens a lot. See, Mom has a monochromatic color scheme and wanted a cat that matched the décor.”
“Well, you certainly do. And you’re much more interesting than a throw pillow.” (Oh, boy, did I say that out loud? I hoped she had a sense of humor.)
Happily, she did. She gave a little smile. “I help Mom do the laundry every weekend and enjoy playing Camouflage Kitty in amongst the white sheets. I stay very still and she calls me and calls me. Then I pop out. It’s a hoot!”
“I heard you have a big sister?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, that would be Priscilla. We call her Priss. She’s sort of, er, reserved. PRISS!!” she yelled. I jumped.
A very fluffy, round calico cat peered at me from around a chair. Then she sat down under the dining room table, crossed her paws and stared at me cautiously.
“Hello, Miss Priss,” I said.
“Humpff,” she said.
“Anyway, Mom got Priss first. Priss’s mom was feral (you know, wild), and her dad bailed. So some nice humans let her mom onto their screen porch to have her kittens. They all did get good homes. Then mom got me. I’m 14 and Priss is 15.”
“I never would have guessed,” I said.
“Yep, we still have a lot of energy. I was aloof at first. Well, I’m a cat, right? But then I just relaxed and figured out it was way more fun to just be snuggly and hang with mom. I have my own chair at the counter when Mom and Dad have meals. And I have an important job, too. I’m Mom and Dad’s Official Alarm Clock and Snooze Button. Starting at 5:30 am, I use my BIG Meow Voice to wake them up every 10 minutes until it’s time for them to Get Going. I sit right on top of Mom and put my face REAL close to hers and meow. So when she opens her eyes, there I am, staring right at her from 3 inches away. I don’t know whether you noticed, but I have very unique eyes – they’re blue and green – so my stare is totally Pawsome. Works every time.”
“I’ll just bet it does,” I had to smile. “Do you guys get outside much?”
“Actually, a lot more than Mom and Dad probably want. I’m an Escape Artist. I wait for my chance, then poof! I’m outside. I don’t go real far, just our yard and the neighbors’ sometimes. I inspect stuff. Then I come back in. We have this fabulous cat door. Dad made it special. Wanna see?”
She led me over to a big white door between the dining room and laundry room. The door was cut into the shape and size of a CAT. With ears and everything. It was amazing.
“It’s the coolest thing ever, right?” she said.
“What about Priscilla?” I inquired. “She’s pretty quiet.” She was still sitting and staring at me, obviously not a big fan of dogs.
“Oh, believe me, she’s not always quiet. I gotta admit, she’s the oldest and she’s the boss. If I’m sitting in a spot she wants, or have a toy she wants, she gives this totally weird meow. If I don’t vacate, she swipes at me with her paw. I’m usually too fast for her, but I split anyway. Hey, it’s all good,” she said rather philosophically. “Somebody’s got to be the boss, right?”
“Um. . . .”
“Priss’s a total Daddy’s girl, he’s her chosen human, follows him all over the place. We both feel bad for Dad because he had to give up his cat, Ro-Meow, when we became a blended family. Ro-Meow and me and Priss just didn’t get along. We all tried but some things just aren’t meant to be. Priss thinks Dad’s the total Cat’s Meow. She even helps him with the yard work. She sits in the Observatory (Mom and Dad call it the Florida Room) and looks out the sliding glass doors and helpfully points out any spots he’s missed. She also likes to drink shower water. She slurps it up in her paws. Same with her food. She’s been teaching me how to carefully bat my kibbles out of the food bowl over into the water bowl, then scoop them into my mouth with my paw.”
“We do like to snuggle together when it gets cold, but usually we sort of do our own thing, ya know?”
“Totally,” I nodded.
“And, in the morning, before Mom and Dad go to work, we all listen to music – Jack Johnson and Gene Lane. It’s sort of gentle rock. We all dig it. In the evening, we sit together on the window sill and watch mom and dad grill out front. And we meow though the window to keep them company.”
“Sounds like you have a happy, blended family,” I observed, preparing to leave.
Heading home, I thought about how random, chance events can have unexpected, happy endings.
Till next time,
The Bonz
