Wednesday, January 07, 2009

my pets drive me crazy . . .

As I attempt to write this blog, I am surrounded by a sea of fur. Scout, who just had a flea bath, is primping on the bed next to me, flicking dead fleas onto the comforter. Chairman Meow is draped around my neck, kneading my exposed flesh with his needle-sharp claws. He's purring triumphantly in my ear--he knows I'm busy with the computer and won't be as quick to hurl him--and his painful kitty paws--across the room. And he has really bad breath . . .

I've come to the conclusion that you must be at least a little bit daft to be an animal lover. Sure, they provide companionship, unconditional love, cheap entertainment and an excuse to take walks. But they are also costly, demanding and time-consuming.

And at times, disgusting. I caught Scout feast once again on fresh kitty crunchies tonight. I suppose I could consider it the ultimate act of recycling (I do live in Portland), but I just think it's gross. But at least I don't have to change the kitty litter as often . . .

Our critters do crack me up, though. If you've followed my blog for a while you know that our dog Scout is, well, special. Since her near-fatal illness last year (we are still paying off the vet bills), Scout acts more like a crotchety old wolverine than a three-year-old sheltie. We actually got Chairman Meow for Scout. with the hope that the kitten's playfulness would help our neurotic dog mellow out. Other dogs can make Scout grumpy, but she's always liked cats.

And our ploy worked--Scout adores the kitten! And Chairman Meow waltzed into our house like it owned the place, acting like he'd been raised with our deranged dog. The two of them tear around the house for hours, with Scout trying to herd the kitten while Chairman happily resists with his razor-sharp claws. Scout gets winded pretty quickly, but it has been fun to glimpse the puppy in her again.

And I know "they" say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But last week, Chairman Meow taught Scout how to fetch!

I am not making this up! For Christmas, I gave the kitten a catnip mouse. Chairman did the usual kitty things with the mouse--stalking, attacking, tossing, gnawing. But one day, he picked up his mangled toy, trotted over to where Greg was sitting, dropped the mouse in his lap and waited expectantly. Greg absent-mindedly tossed the mouse, only to have Chairman happily fetch it and plop it back on his leg.

The kitten never tired of this activity, and we got a kick out of it too. Scout, who's puppy brain has never grasped the concept of fetching, watched Chairman's antics for a few days and then decided she wanted in on the action too. So one night when we were playing fetch with the kitten, Scout dashed after the mouse and beat Chairman to it. She then picked it up gently in her mouth and marched back to Greg where she deposited her prize triumphantly in his lap.

And so the fetching game was born. The kitten will drag her mouse all over the house to get a round started. While I'm reading my Bible in bed each morning, I can expect a slobbery mouse (or sometimes a jingle ball) to be deposited on my pillow. Both Scout and Chairman watch expectantly for the first toss of the day. And it doesn't end there . . . I've had the mouse dropped on my feet while I'm cooking, on the paper I'm reading, on my lap while watching TV . . . my life has become one big game of fetch!

So, my pets drive me a little crazy at times. But they make me laugh, too.

And I'll take all the laughs I can get these days!

2 comments:

Stephanie Anderson said...

Your cat taught your dog to fetch! Hilarious! I can't wait to meet this little munchkin.

CarJax said...

Hi Shawn, Thanks for your sweet note on my blog. Hey, are you coming up here any time soon? We'd love to see you again. Here's the info I have on the nifty blog backgrounds: Go to www.cutestblogontheblock.com for a free background. You don't have to give them any of your info. You just copy the html code from your favorite bacground, then paste it in an html/java script widget (or gadget) under your blog layout. Just make sure you change your template to minima first. Hope that helps. :D Big hugs, Jax

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