It’s Caturday VI

This young lady has a new obsession

A couple years ago, my neighbor got a new tomcat. All the other cats in this house are female and the poor chap got his fair share of abuse from them. It’s safe to say he’s not a ladies man because instead of making them all swoon, every single cat he comes across turns into a rabid psycho bitch.

Until recently, my ladies were quite unaffected by that. They’re the only ones who live in an upstairs flat and he never found his way up here. Until about four months ago when he figured out that with a little bit of willpower, he could jump his way up to my balcony.

It started one fine weekend morning when I thought the end of the world had come because I was woken up by a diabolical noise from the kitchen. Upon further inspection, it was Äffchen screaming at what I thought were birds. But no, it was this poor little guy. At first, I think he got the shock of his life and disappeared quite quickly. But curiosity got the best of him and he was back a few days later. After a few visits he figured out that yes, Äffchen does have a few anger management problems, but he was perfectly fine behind the glass.

He’d come back more and more frequently. He tried hissing and bitching back but soon settled for staring at her stoically while she freaked out on the other side of the glass.

I thought that her behaving like this was a matter of defending her territory. I may think I’m in control and reigning over this place, especially because I hold the power over the balcony door and thus decide when she can even go out there but nope, obviously she’s the queen of this place and a stranger like him can’t just walk in on us like that. While that may be true, by now I believe there’s some secret little obsession building inside that tiny (though slightly chubby by now) body of my little feline. And it may be mutual. Jacomo (that’s her love interest’s name) comes over twice a day by now, whenever he gets the chance. And for the rest of the time, Äffchen sits by the balcony door and fixes his usual spot outside with a longing gaze. She spends hours sitting there, sort of on and off until it gets dark. Then she knows he won’t come because he gets called inside for dinner and a night in. When usually my cat would settle next to me for a “Welcome Home”-session of Murder, She Wrote reruns after work, she can now be found in the kitchen every afternoon. I feel cheated on!

I fear the time summer comes along and I’ll let her outside. Given the nature of their relationship thus far, I guess she’ll tear out his throat in a dramatic show of her affection.

Lazy Sunday

Spent the day….

The good thing about terrible days like yesterday is they’re usually followed by good days like today. Days when I remember what’s important and what isn’t and get to spend quality time doing something for me, and just me. Well, and the cats.

The only positive thing that happened yesterday was that I spent almost two hours at the (almost empty) gym, burning some good calories. So this morning, I slept in and then had a wonderful, huge, decadent brunch including rolls and scrambled eggs. I rarely even have proper breakfast, so this isn’t a regular thing, but today I just felt like it. So good! I also bought some white chocolate-flavored cream cheese yesterday that I almost bathed in today. So much for healthy eating. I think I’ll settle for eating less rather than sticking to lettuce. :p

Except for some laundry, I then proceeded to do…nothing all day. I cuddled up in bed or on the couch with the cats and read and watched TV. Nothing

…with my besties!

more. For a brief moment, I considered going out but then didn’t know where to. The weather wasn’t nice enough for a walk and I didn’t want to go to Starbucks or some other café and just be annoyed by people.

Also, I think I’m gonna try harder to save money and go on vacation more often. The only good thing my aunt told me about yesterday were the vacations she and her boyfriend went on in the last couple years (Israel! <3) and it really encouraged my wanderlust a lot. Then today, I was thumbing through a leaflet with holiday offers I picked up at the supermarket yesterday and was smitten by the part about Dubai. There are so many places I’d love to see one day and I’m not gonna live forever and doubt I’ll end up rich enough to just afford it like that one day, so I better save up and treat myself to something nice.

Spidey, Spidey

This entry shall start with the tale of a brave little cat. Äffchen, fearless as she is, saved me from sleeping on the couch yesterday because she stalked, killed and ate a spider that had rudely set up camp by my bed.

But I still didn’t sleep well.

It’s getting ridiculous now. At around one in the morning, I woke up screaming and running around my bedroom, switching on the light and staring at the ceiling in a wild panic because I was sure I’d seen a tarantula-sized spider there. It took several minutes before I realized that it had either been a dream or that I had imagined it all. Afterwards, I went back to sleep but I was so exhausted from my nightly adventures that I still felt drained when my alarm woke me at six and the whole day just became a drag.

© Garfield.com

This is the second time it happened and I have no idea if I should try to and do something about it?! I really don’t like spiders but I’m not actually paranoid or anything. I wouldn’t say it’s a phobia in the way that it affects my daily life a lot. In fact, there’s one in my kitchen as I’m writing this but it’s up in a corner somewhere, so I’m not freaking out about it. I just don’t like the idea of touching them or having them crawl all over me. As long as I know it can’t reach me, I’m fine. But still, if it’s messing with my mind that much, perhaps I should do something about it?!

It’s Caturday V

Sometimes I think my cats and I were made for each other. All three of us will eat just about anything. While I’m trying to get better and be more conscious of what I eat, my cats get worse and worse.

Äffchen Eat World

The picture shows Äffchen eating mashed cabbage. Cabbage! And that picture is from about a year ago. Since then, it got way worse. When I rinse a plate and put it in the sink instead of the dishwasher, it takes about two nano seconds before both of the cats are hanging upside down in the sink to check if there’s anything for them to lick up. I used to think I only had to be more careful when meat or dairy products were involved but nope, they won’t stop short of vegetables and most kinds of fruit. The only thing they’re not a fan of are citrus fruits. But even then, they’ll come over to at least check it out.

It’s Caturday IV

One thing that always puzzles me is when people tell me they mustn’t touch their cats’ bellies unless they’re ready to face death.

Not only don’t my cats mind where I pet them, quite often they’ll actually present me their bellies to be petted there. And even when it’s not a specific “Belly Rub Day”, they don’t care either way. They don’t care if I touch their legs or tail, either. Sometimes Äffchen is in a playful mood and will slap my hand but not because she minds being touched in that specific place but more because…well, she just wants to.

I didn’t ‘train’ them to be like that, they just are. And it is so strange because apparently, it is rare that a cat won’t mind. And yet, both of mine are like that. I swear, they’re not cats, their alien life forms!

It’s Caturday III

Best Friends

I think what most non-cat people underestimate is the soothing effect cats have on the soul. The noises they make, their gentle touches, the calm and quiet presence. Whenever I have a particularly bad day, I try to focus on my cats. I watch them sleeping next to me or pet them and listen to their quiet purring.

People say that cats are independent and will leave if they can. But I sincerely doubt that when I see the way they live with me. They’re not just hanging around waiting to be fed. They sit close to me even after they’ve just had dinner, they remind me of their presence and come to me if they want to play or be petted. Just because they don’t do tricks like a dog doesn’t mean they don’t want to be with their humans. They’re not demanding but they just like being close to me.

And they’re really good listeners. Not because I think they understand me but because rest peacefully and purr when I’m talking to them, just letting me rant on and on. The more I talk to them, the more relaxed they get and that just helps. Like a quiet therapist. Cheaper, too. 🙂

It’s Caturday II

Spot the kitty

The little furry star of today’s post is Äffchen, the youngest member of our little household.

‘Äffchen’ is German for little monkey. Originally, I had planned to name her Audrey after the gorgeous and amazing Audrey Hepburn. Well, the name stuck for about two days before it became clear that my new little kitten wasn’t anything close to a graceful lady like that. So she was nameless for almost a full week until I started calling her ‘Äffchen’ which was originally meant to be a little nickname but then stuck with us. There really is no name that could be any more fitting for her. She looks like a little monkey with her brown fur and skinny, lanky body. And she acts like it, too.

I got her in 2011. After I had lived alone with Sally as my only cat, I figured she needed a companion for the long hours that I spend at work and otherwise away from home. Our first try had failed when I got Emily and she, too, ended up liking my mother a lot more than me and fighting with Sally a lot. That was in 2010 and it took me a year before I dared another try. Looking back, I’d say the second try was even more of a risk and I should have learned from my first mistake. A co-worker told me about a farmer / restaurant owner who had a cat that had recently given birth and who wanted to drown the remaining kitten if he didn’t find a home for it. So I drove there on the same night.

When I got there, he showed me this hyper little brown bundle that was jumping around outside the barn. She was entirely fearless and so friendly. It took me about five seconds to decide there was no way I was gonna leave her there. On the way home, I started having a few doubts. What if Sally didn’t like her? And indeed, the first day was hard for them. Äffchen is just generally very friendly and open. She sees you, she wants to play with you. But whenever she approached Sally, she’d hiss at her. Not in a really angry way and she didn’t hit her or bite but she just went around the place hissing. By now I’ve learned that it isn’t uncommon at all. Many cats react like that and for the most part, it’s best to just leave them be and deal with things in their own time. Which I did and after a day, they started accepting each other. I won’t lie, they still fight sometimes. Mostly playful fighting, but sometimes they get angry at each other, too, like most roomies. Most of it is probably down to Sally being five years older and a much calmer character. Äffchen just wants to play a lot and she’s very hyper. Sometimes Sally just watches her and endures it but on bad days, she’ll snap. As will I. It happens.

Äffchen really is the most peculiar little cat I know. It starts with her appearance. She’s a German Rex (or at least she looks like one) but very small, skinny and with a crazy little build. Really, imagine a monkey and you’ll know what I mean. Her fur is dark and light brown but in her face, she has ginger streaks that look like she’s prepared for war. It’s hard to see in pictures but when you see her in person, it’s obvious. And really, her behavior is not like any cat’s I know. Every other night, she’ll drop one of her toys in front of me so I’ll throw it for her to bring it back. Like a little puppy. Her rightful spot is next to me. And I mean right next to me. Not on the same couch but attached to my thigh.

I just love that little critter.