The Little Pack

The animals often curl up in inappropriate places. Here Baby Titten feels inspired to sleep on my laptop sleeve. Its entirely possibly that the laptop was recently on the sleeve, therefore making a warm place for her to curl up. She is the ultimate spot stealer, often appearing out of thin air to take our places (and the dogs’ as well!) when we get up, and loves to curl up on the (formally) clean laundry right out of the dryer for the warmth.

1. He greets me each and every morning. And if I sleep in too long, he cries… and if I still sleep in too long he begins to knock things over. And if I still sleep too long he races sideways through the house making a “greowl” sound: half growl, half meow. OK, so most of this behavior is actually kind of obnoxious. But all of these actions are rooted in his love for me and so I just find them all the more endearing.
2. His purr-coos.
3. His soft, soft fur.
4. The way he waits for me at the screen door every single time I take the dogs out. Awww. Sweet.
5. That he likes his belly rubbed.
6. The way he sleeps on his back with all four paws in the air.
7. His little games: whether he has a mouse toy, a bottle cap, or a paper clip, we are talking about hours of endless entertainment.
8. The way he plays in the running water in the sink and the fact that he only likes the way I turn it on. He literally snubs the faucet when my husband attempts to turn on the water for him.
9. That he comes when I call him and follows me around the house like a dog.
10. His big, round eyes and his absolutely meek innocence. He embodies a sweetness that is impossible to describe.

Since his haircut, we have started calling Archie “Boots” and this picture illustrates why. At 17 pounds now, he has come a long way since the early days. As a baby, Archie personified sweetness in a little ball of fur. So tiny, with baby fine fur and the tiniest paws. He slept on my neck, and would put his little paw on my nose. Perhaps I was snoring, I don’t really understand it. The fur on his paw would tickle my nose and wake me up. This was the beginning of his “purr-coos”: purrs so loud and content, it sounds as though he is cooing.

I have written before about how the animals learn from each other. This is not limited to the dogs, the cats do it too, particularly Baby Titten. She is a smart cookie and understands a lot of what goes on around her. Archie loves to sprawl all over the place, on his back, all fours in the air. Baby Titten sleeps in traditional cat positions—in a ball, or on her stomach with all her feet tucked underneath her body. Soon after adopting Archie, we would come into a room and see her awkwardly laying on her back, front legs stiffly in the air, eyes big as silver dollars, still as can be and obviously uncomfortable, but determined to copy Archie,  and thereby proving the term, copy cat.

Sleepy Kitty

Awww… I just want to squeeze him tight! Somehow all the naughtiness becomes so trivial when faced with the abundant sweetness in this picture.