[ May 8th, 2008 at 9:28 am ]

I watched a mediocre movie last night (”You, Me and Dupree”) which was actually quite notable because during one particular scene both of my cats’ names were mentioned within a few seconds of each other.

Molly: There’s, like, a million Twinkie wrappers on the floor of your car. You’re not fooling anybody.
Carl: All right, all right. So I admit it, I enjoy one occasionally. Is there something so wrong with that? And, Molly, look, I am under a great deal of stress.

Not only that, but the two characters were arguing — just like Molly and Twinkie do on a daily basis. So fitting.

[ April 15th, 2008 at 1:17 pm ]

Molly can make an ultra-fun plaything out of a discarded piece of paper of arbitrary size and shape. I’ve seen her bat around a shred of J. Crew catalog the size of my thumbnail. The most important factor is the krinkle factor; does it make an alluring and entertaining noise when she pounces on it? If so, Molly will amuse herself with it for hours on end.

[ February 13th, 2008 at 11:52 pm ]

I wish Molly could learn to blog, like one particularly famous robot can do. That would negate the need for me to write posts here on her behalf. Also, if Molly kept a diary of her daily thoughts and feelings, perhaps I’d one day understand why she no longer wants to sit in the cat tree.

[ January 6th, 2008 at 11:19 pm ]

Todays experiment was to test whether Twinkie really knows her name. I always think it’s cute that Twinkie will respond when called, but I’ve suspected that she’s attuned more to the tone of voice, and the eye contact that goes along with it, than to her actual name.

Me: Twinkie!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Twinks!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Twinkle-Toes!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Molly!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Kitty!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Mommy!
Twinkie: Meow!
Me: Poopy!
Twinkie: Meow!

Hypothesis? Proven.

[ December 1st, 2007 at 9:37 pm ]

Today Twinkie pretended to catch snowflakes in her little paws! I don’t think she got anything because the windows were closed.

[ November 15th, 2007 at 12:44 pm ]

An interesting development: Molly has partially reverted to kittenhood! Years ago, she used to visit the bathroom after I’d taken a shower and drink some of the soapy leftover water. She stopped doing this when she was about a year old, for reasons I never understood, and since then has taken very interest in bathroom activities of any kind — until now! Who knows what triggered this change. Has she been affected by some sort of trauma? Did the addition of a pet water fountain (highly recommended by the way!) dredge up a long-lost memory of the joys of drinking running water?

Whatever the case may be, Molly now runs into the bathroom in excitement whenever I turn off the shower water. However, because of its very tall sides, my current bathtub does not permit easy access to a small kitty, and Molly is stymied every time. She meows once and then leaves the room. I’m curious to find out how long she’ll keep doing this before giving up.

[ November 11th, 2007 at 10:21 am ]

If I could change one thing about Twinkie, I’d change her wet nose. I’m not sure if she has allergies (perhaps, like me, she’s allergic to Molly’s long hair) or if her nose is just naturally wet. But that’s neither here nor there. The fact is her nose is sopping wet all the time. And, unfortunately, Twinkie likes to use that nose of hers to show affection and get attention. She tends to seek me out and rub her nose against my knuckles or the back of my hand. It is unbearable, and ultimately it damages her cause. I’m guessing that since she hasn’t figured that out by now, however, she never will. And this is why, if I had one cat-related wish, I’d make Twinkie’s nose soft and dry like Molly’s.

[ September 19th, 2007 at 1:59 pm ]

Lately, when I get up in the mornings I’ve noticed Molly sitting quietly on the couch, gazing out the window. Her chill body language suggests an uncharacteristically meditative mood, which contrasts sharply with Molly’s usual high-strung self. I think mornings must be Molly’s time to just sit and contemplate life. She’s watching the outside world wake up — the sun rising, the birds splashing around in puddles, the construction workers yelling obscenities. I hope she’s learning something about her place in the universe.

[ August 28th, 2007 at 4:18 pm ]

We all harbor secret fantasies about our cats’ activities while we’re away at our jobs during the day, working to keep them comfortably fed and housed. I’ve always imagined that my cats essentially party all day while I’m out. Now, I don’t mean the kind of partying where they stand up on their hind legs and dance to United State of Electronica, but I do usually assume they watch the seagulls and construction workers through the living-room windows, or perhaps play a bit of soccer with a stuffed carrot.

Not so. I can attest, after two days at home sick, that Molly and Twinkie do nothing during business hours but nap.

For a while this morning Molly say on my lap while I read the news, but it wasn’t long before her eyelids started to droop and she became crotchety. Next thing I knew, she was on the bed, passed out cold. She’s been there ever since — about six hours and counting.

[ August 25th, 2007 at 10:42 pm ]

Molly loves human food, and she has a habit of hovering around whenever food is being consumed in the house. Thankfully she’s not very aggressive. A typical mealtime sees me sitting on the couch, watching bad television with a plate of food balanced on my knees, and as a response to my habit, Molly’s version of begging involves one of two behaviors. Sometimes she sits on the nearby footrest and watches me eat from a distance of about six inches. Other times she paces back and forth in front of my feet, rubbing against my shins on each pass, her tail flicking dangerously close to my plate. Apparently she must believe these behaviors are ingratiating, and since I do not tend to discourage them I suppose I must in fact be encouraging them.

Oh, and also, I always give her my leftovers.

If cheese, milk, or meat are involved in even the tiniest of amounts, she’s sure to devour whatever human-food handouts I offer. I should mention that the milk is usually rice milk and the burgers are usually veggie burgers — but Molly loves ‘em all.