Wendy watched. Wendy waited.
To the untrained eye, that is to say..the un-feline eye, it might appear that the tuxedo cat was curled up and asleep on the pillow above the woman?s hair. But Wendy was merely waiting for her shift to begin.
Her shift started soon after the soft murmurings of the man and woman ceased. As the sounds of their breaths slowed and bodies fully relaxed beneath the covers it was time for Wendy to go to work.
Like most athletes stretching was important before working. At that age between kitten and adulthood, Wendy was all leg. She uncurled and laid on her side. Four legs stretch out as far as they could. Paws splayed digits and nails out. Then it was a roll onto her stomach. Hind legs pushed up first for a slow arch of her back until she was fully standing. She jumped off the bed and landed silently. Time to start the rounds.
First stop was the bathroom. Paws whisked her across the cool tile floor towards the litter box. It wasn?t that Wendy had to go just now. She was merely inspecting. The cat peered over the side. Good. It must have been the woman?s turn. While they both did a suitable job keeping it clean the man had the habit of leaving divots in the litter where he scooped out Wendy?s leavings. The woman though, she took the time to level and rake the top back into place. This version of a cat litter zen garden was nearly perfect. It just needed....Wendy reached a paw over the side of the box and pawed a bit more of the litter into one corner. Perfect.
Down the hall to the door of the woman?s office. Wendy leaned her side against the door. Closed tight.Good. The woman might think this was her office but in reality, that is to say...feline reality,Wendy only allowed the woman to go in there when there was work to be done. She would sit on the desk and oversee the woman as she counted the boxes and vials of stock in the closet. Or she would drape across the woman?s lap to keep her in place until the woman was finished reading her books.
Then it was to the kitchen. A stop was made to pick up a kibble from her bowl for inspection. Still nice and crispy, not stale. Good. She better sample a few more just to be sure. When the bowl was nearly empty Wendy turned her attention to the water bowl. Clean and cool. She sampled a few licks. It was suitable. But to truly finish off a meal, er..that is an inspection, she would need a taste of the H20 Reserve....aka the couple of drops of water gleaned from the faucet head.
A bounding leap took Wendy from the sink across the galley style kitchen to the other counter. From there she sauntered down it?s length, eyes fixed on the other resident of this home who was floating quietly in his fishbowl. Charlie.
Wendy sat down a few inches from the glass bowl, staring at Charlie.
Charlie stared back at Wendy.
Eventually, the elven goldfish?s fan like fins steered him slowly down and behind the little plastic castle and plastic plant fronds that decorated his bowl. Out of sight out of mind, fish logic. Wendy wasn?t fooled. For her, freeing Charlie from his watery prison for a play date was not on the schedule this evening. Feline logic.
Back to the schedule, Wendy leapt down from the counter. In true feline behavior, she pretended not to notice the small pile of newspaper beside the man?s chair. There was work to be done. Up onto the window seat, she nudged her way through an opening in the curtains and settled down on the window seat to take up a watch of the street below.
Stack of newspapers.....work.....newspapers....work. Wendy?s tail curled and thumped as this debate rolled inside of her while she watched the quiet street below. Newspaper...work....
Break time! A roll from the sill through the curtains. She paused on the edge of the window seat. Rear end lowered, front paws gripping the edge of the cushion as she stared at the pile of papers. Wait for it.....wait for it.....Launch!
The trajectory was perfect. Wendy landed right on the pile of newspapers and the momentum sent her and the papers sliding across the carpet. The papers moved which meant they now needed to be wrestled into submission. Feline logic again. Rolling, pouncing, shredding ensued. Pause. Shred, pounce, roll. Pause. Race around the room at break neck speed. Over and under furniture, across the field of newspaper. Another lap that ended as suddenly as it began that left a satisfied looking Wendy sitting on the back of the couch.
Break time was over. Wendy hopped off the couch and moved down the hall back into the bedroom. She leapt lightly onto the bed and climbed up onto the man?s chest. He shifted a little and Wendy lay down so that she wasn?t touching certain black markings on his chest. There was something about them she just didn?t like. Back to waiting and watching, she pushed the top of her head up under his chin and rubbed against his beard. He belonged to her. Mine.
A cat nap was not sleeping on the job, as any cat will tell you. If she was really asleep she wouldn?t have heard the soft noise that caused her to lift her head. Wendy looked over at the woman. The woman turned over and Wendy heard that frightened little murmur again. Wendy rose carefully and moved from the man?s chest to the woman?s pillow. A purr starting as she lay down, paws kneading gently through the woman?s hair that was splayed across the pillow. Wendy?s head moved closer to the woman?s ear and she butted it softly with the top of her head. Mine. Purr. Shhh....I?m here. Purr. Tonight it was enough and the woman eased back into a quiet sleep. Wendy kept her vigil.
Again, a cat nap was not sleeping on the job. There was a logical explanation why Wendy jumped a little when the alarm clock went off. But as a cat there was no need to explain. The man hit the snooze button. Wendy waited. The second time it went off he hit the snooze, the woman grumbled and buried her head against his shoulder. Wendy waited.
After the third time when it didn?t seem like the humans were getting up, Wendy?s waiting was over. She slunk down to the end of the bed and eyed the lumps beneath the covers. Eeenie Meeenie Miney......pounce.
?I?m up!? growled Mason as he sat up abruptly. A bleary eyed glare at the cat who was latched onto his foot through the blanket. Wendy lifted her head from biting the lump of his foot and meowed innocently. His chuckle as he flopped back down on the bed was Wendy?s quitting time klaxon. She moved back up the bed and snuggled in the space she could find between her two humans. ?Silly cat.?
Silly.....wait...right there..Wendy moved her head to guide the man?s fingers to the right spot beneath her chin. Purr. What had she been thinking? Oh yeah. Silly humans.....Purr.
To the untrained eye, that is to say..the un-feline eye, it might appear that the tuxedo cat was curled up and asleep on the pillow above the woman?s hair. But Wendy was merely waiting for her shift to begin.
Her shift started soon after the soft murmurings of the man and woman ceased. As the sounds of their breaths slowed and bodies fully relaxed beneath the covers it was time for Wendy to go to work.
Like most athletes stretching was important before working. At that age between kitten and adulthood, Wendy was all leg. She uncurled and laid on her side. Four legs stretch out as far as they could. Paws splayed digits and nails out. Then it was a roll onto her stomach. Hind legs pushed up first for a slow arch of her back until she was fully standing. She jumped off the bed and landed silently. Time to start the rounds.
First stop was the bathroom. Paws whisked her across the cool tile floor towards the litter box. It wasn?t that Wendy had to go just now. She was merely inspecting. The cat peered over the side. Good. It must have been the woman?s turn. While they both did a suitable job keeping it clean the man had the habit of leaving divots in the litter where he scooped out Wendy?s leavings. The woman though, she took the time to level and rake the top back into place. This version of a cat litter zen garden was nearly perfect. It just needed....Wendy reached a paw over the side of the box and pawed a bit more of the litter into one corner. Perfect.
Down the hall to the door of the woman?s office. Wendy leaned her side against the door. Closed tight.Good. The woman might think this was her office but in reality, that is to say...feline reality,Wendy only allowed the woman to go in there when there was work to be done. She would sit on the desk and oversee the woman as she counted the boxes and vials of stock in the closet. Or she would drape across the woman?s lap to keep her in place until the woman was finished reading her books.
Then it was to the kitchen. A stop was made to pick up a kibble from her bowl for inspection. Still nice and crispy, not stale. Good. She better sample a few more just to be sure. When the bowl was nearly empty Wendy turned her attention to the water bowl. Clean and cool. She sampled a few licks. It was suitable. But to truly finish off a meal, er..that is an inspection, she would need a taste of the H20 Reserve....aka the couple of drops of water gleaned from the faucet head.
A bounding leap took Wendy from the sink across the galley style kitchen to the other counter. From there she sauntered down it?s length, eyes fixed on the other resident of this home who was floating quietly in his fishbowl. Charlie.
Wendy sat down a few inches from the glass bowl, staring at Charlie.
Charlie stared back at Wendy.
Eventually, the elven goldfish?s fan like fins steered him slowly down and behind the little plastic castle and plastic plant fronds that decorated his bowl. Out of sight out of mind, fish logic. Wendy wasn?t fooled. For her, freeing Charlie from his watery prison for a play date was not on the schedule this evening. Feline logic.
Back to the schedule, Wendy leapt down from the counter. In true feline behavior, she pretended not to notice the small pile of newspaper beside the man?s chair. There was work to be done. Up onto the window seat, she nudged her way through an opening in the curtains and settled down on the window seat to take up a watch of the street below.
Stack of newspapers.....work.....newspapers....work. Wendy?s tail curled and thumped as this debate rolled inside of her while she watched the quiet street below. Newspaper...work....
Break time! A roll from the sill through the curtains. She paused on the edge of the window seat. Rear end lowered, front paws gripping the edge of the cushion as she stared at the pile of papers. Wait for it.....wait for it.....Launch!
The trajectory was perfect. Wendy landed right on the pile of newspapers and the momentum sent her and the papers sliding across the carpet. The papers moved which meant they now needed to be wrestled into submission. Feline logic again. Rolling, pouncing, shredding ensued. Pause. Shred, pounce, roll. Pause. Race around the room at break neck speed. Over and under furniture, across the field of newspaper. Another lap that ended as suddenly as it began that left a satisfied looking Wendy sitting on the back of the couch.
Break time was over. Wendy hopped off the couch and moved down the hall back into the bedroom. She leapt lightly onto the bed and climbed up onto the man?s chest. He shifted a little and Wendy lay down so that she wasn?t touching certain black markings on his chest. There was something about them she just didn?t like. Back to waiting and watching, she pushed the top of her head up under his chin and rubbed against his beard. He belonged to her. Mine.
A cat nap was not sleeping on the job, as any cat will tell you. If she was really asleep she wouldn?t have heard the soft noise that caused her to lift her head. Wendy looked over at the woman. The woman turned over and Wendy heard that frightened little murmur again. Wendy rose carefully and moved from the man?s chest to the woman?s pillow. A purr starting as she lay down, paws kneading gently through the woman?s hair that was splayed across the pillow. Wendy?s head moved closer to the woman?s ear and she butted it softly with the top of her head. Mine. Purr. Shhh....I?m here. Purr. Tonight it was enough and the woman eased back into a quiet sleep. Wendy kept her vigil.
Again, a cat nap was not sleeping on the job. There was a logical explanation why Wendy jumped a little when the alarm clock went off. But as a cat there was no need to explain. The man hit the snooze button. Wendy waited. The second time it went off he hit the snooze, the woman grumbled and buried her head against his shoulder. Wendy waited.
After the third time when it didn?t seem like the humans were getting up, Wendy?s waiting was over. She slunk down to the end of the bed and eyed the lumps beneath the covers. Eeenie Meeenie Miney......pounce.
?I?m up!? growled Mason as he sat up abruptly. A bleary eyed glare at the cat who was latched onto his foot through the blanket. Wendy lifted her head from biting the lump of his foot and meowed innocently. His chuckle as he flopped back down on the bed was Wendy?s quitting time klaxon. She moved back up the bed and snuggled in the space she could find between her two humans. ?Silly cat.?
Silly.....wait...right there..Wendy moved her head to guide the man?s fingers to the right spot beneath her chin. Purr. What had she been thinking? Oh yeah. Silly humans.....Purr.