This blog was originally going to be about The Leonis Adobe, a historical site almost right in my backyard – which is one of my favorite places in the world. But two things happened – one I couldn’t snare the photos from Leonis Adobe from their website and you know what they say about one picture being worth a thousand words.
And two, my cat Skittles had me laughing so hard the other day, that I had to share this with my friends.
For those of you with quirky animals, you’ll relate!
Now, let me
explain, Skittles is my love, my companion and my sidekick. She’s always with me. For years, when I had the older style computer, when I sat at my desk and wrote, she’d sit atop the computer and sleep or hang her leg down the screen and paw at it. Nowadays, I have a flat screen 22-inch monitor and I’m sure she’s cursing in Cat Lingo about losing her favorite spot. She still glances up there, to see if she can fit. Smartly, she hasn’t tried the jump, because no way would it hold her. She settles for sitting on the desk, which totally obstructs the screen until I can coax her to lie down or jump off.
At any rate my tuxedo cat Skittles or as I call her, Skitties or Skits is also known by family and friends as the Devil Cat. She really likes only three people in the world, with a few exceptions. Me, my dear hubby and my daughter. Somehow, she forgot my son, whom she used to sleep with and now has decided he’s good for an exorcist-type hiss and attack by claws. (I’m not exaggerating!)
Skittles will never win a Miss Congeniality contest.
We can never figure out why she runs away from some people and hides under the bed until they leave, or decides for some strange reason, the visitor is worth that said exorcist-type hiss and strike at, from her vantage point under the dining room table. My sister and her entire family are afraid of her. In fact, once when I was out of town, I coerced my sister to come feed her. Oh, she didn’t want to do it, but she REALLY owed me a big favor. Her twenty-year old son came with her, armed with a giant squirt bottle and their stories of dashing from room to room, locking themselves into my laundry room until the coast was clear, had my hubby and I in stitches of laughter.
Their fear of the Devil Cat is real!
Now, mind you, my Skittles is so sweet and loving to me, that it took me quite some time to believe these stories. I’ve decided that she’s a Heckal and Hyde Cat too. Do cats have dual personalities? In my case, YES.
Skittles is spoiled. I’ll admit it. But my hubby is just as guilty as I am. When she was a kitten, he’d bend down to pet her as she ate her kitten kibbles. Now, she runs into the kitchen and cries, meows and nips at our legs until we acknowledge that she’s eating – and darn it, we’d better pet her. Her purrs of joy tell us we’re good Cat Parents.
She’s the only cat I know who loves to drink coffee … no I don’t feed it to her, but Lo and Behold, if I walk away from my coffee cup, I’ll find her there, lapping it up as if it were a pint of milk. (I drink my coffee black and so, apparently does she).
Skittles’ latest antics really surprised me! Since I’ve been exercising regularly, doing aerobics, weights and Pilates, if I’m on the ground, she’ll meow like there’s no tomorrow. “I don’t know what you want,” I’d say to her. It’s almost as if I’m on her level– ground level and she feels excited to have me there. For whatever the reason, she won’t leave me alone when I exercise. The other day, after many meows and a few leg nips, (btw-I do reprimand her for those) I thought I’d show her a thing or two. I put down my weights and picked her up instead. I dipped up and down doing my lunges, side sweeps and deep knee bends, thinking she’d hate this and leave me alone.
Well, I was mistaken.
She loved it! Her purrs came loud and clear. She stayed in my arms during the whole routine. I couldn’t believe it. The Devil Cat turned into the Exercise Kitty. And at 13 pounds, she certainly weighs more than the weights I’d been lifting. A win, win situation for both of us.
To that, my husband said, “Now, she’s going to expect it every time.” Like I can’t just put her outside if I wanted. <Big grin here>
So, my question to all of you is, do you have pets? And what eccentric antics have they exhibited? I know they have them. I’ve decided animals are much like people – and you know how quirky humans can be!
Check out my new Desire Cover! I really like it. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon now, but in bookstores in September. It’s part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club continuity!
And to one commenter today, I’ll be giving away a book of your choice from my backlist! Thanks for blogging with me. I’ll announce the winner later in the day!
www.charlenesands.com
I don’t feel like blogging today.
