It's another night with my pets and me. Husband is traveling, kids are all out so it's just me, my laptop and my furry friends. Sounds like a quiet night? Think again, it's actually quite the opposite. Lucy, my rescued 8 year old mix of sweet neurosis is typically worried and is of course a dog on edge tonight. She's sensitive to sudden movement, she's aware and suspicious of most everything and everyone. She's likely a textbook case because when she loves, she loves deep but when she's not sure, her behavior can be truly volatile. She's an unpredictable girl. You may be lovely but that's not quite good enough here. Lucy will decide.
Sammy, the cat, is moving swiftly into full blown old age. His 14 years have been sweet and active. He's explored entire neighborhoods and managed to find partners in crime wherever he's lived. He's turned up outside of second story windows, he's done more than his share of hunting. He managed to get a daily second breakfast at a random house down the road for many months before he was busted one year. With his antics behind him, Sammy now spends most of his day curled up in a sweet sleep. He's got a little pharmacy of medications which he routinely scoffs at. His monthly shot is not a happy scene. Tonight he is peacefully snoring next to me. His little face is endearing and almost makes me forget his grumpy demeaner while awake. As with any caregiver of a senior, I know my job is to keep him comfortable, to make sure he eats, drinks and takes his meds. To sit with him and keep him company. Stay strong Sammy and maybe give me a little paw of appreciation every once and a while.
So clearly, my home tonight has both a senior citizen wing and a psych wing....but there's more. I'm babysitting a couple months for my daughter's two little kitties. These little guys were adopted from a shelter in Maryland about 10 months ago so I guess they are still kittens? There is a lot of jumping around, scratching stuff and general mayhem with these brothers, Anderson and Cooper. The kitchen floor resembles a small section of a pet store with bowls, toys, balls and scratching contraptions. It's my own fault since I've traded my past life of buying random barbies and skateboards for my kids to now buying little furry catnip toys and flying cat toys on sticks. I'm pretty sure that Anderson is becoming obese but sadly am finding him pretty lovable that way. I know it's not healthy and will ask google "How to help a cat lose weight?" first thing tomorrow.
I'm intrigued by Anderson and Cooper's brotherly love. They seem to really like each other. They hang together. They don't fight, they just hang together. They've never been outside. They're just content with life here on the couch. Maybe I can learn a lot from these little guys.
Comments