Cat Quirks

Most cats have quirks. Some are common quirks, like plant terrorizing and ankle batting. My cat's are a bit unique, I think.

The least unique is the dining-room-table-hockey. Whatever is up there, comes down and gets batted around until it's dead. Never mind that it was never alive. Pretend is part of the game. One morning I got up and found my daughter's chapstick on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the table, then walked toward the kitchen. The cat was nowhere in sight. I heard a click, turned around, and the chapstick was gone. Still no Maya in sight. Stealth Cat.

More unique is her ability to save us from Little Toy Army Guys. My husband used to play with those as a kid. You know the kind. Green plastic, had a supporting role in Toy Story? So I bought him a bag one year for Christmas. He had them set up in battle formation on the wide picture window windowsill in our basement. Every so often he and the kids will clean up and the army guys will get set up all nice and neat. The next day we come home, and the litter the ground around the pool table. Casualties of Stealth Cat.

Her funniest, though, is her water thing. She won't drink out of her own bowl, which is pinkish (but not in a bad way) plastic. She prefers to drink out of the dog's water bowl, which is metal. Or, her highest preference, my water glass. I tend to leave them around. She just came into my office, leapt onto the desk, sniffed the two glasses on it--one was empty, the other too tall for her to get into--and left. *I* am most definitely chopped liver.

Last night my husband pulled a funny on her. Whenever the dog doesn't finish her food, the cat helps her out. She'll help her out ANYtime, gladly. We always figured she was just a little piggy and didn't think we were feeding her enough. But last night the dog had to go out while the kids were getting the food ready. Cat started eating her food. Dog's food was in her dish, but dog was outside. Cat abandoned her half-full dish and started eating the dog food.

My husband chased her away, let the dog in, then dumped the cat's food in punishment. Maya returned to the kitchen a few minutes later and just sat there, starin at the dish.

Poor Stealth Cat.