SWEET & SPICY PICKLES

“Pickles” is Zoë’s nickname. She taught herself fetch, despises milk, loves peanut butter and tomatoes, and runs to the window whenever a truck, school bus or large vehicle drives by. I had to kitten proof the house because she was more destructive than a two-year old child. She even chewed on the dining room table. She is just over four and half years old and still seeks chaos.

She has gotten herself trapped behind a stack of boxes, stuck under a radiator, crawled into a box with a closed lid and many more misadventures. Luckily, I was usually nearby to rescue her each time. Zoë cannot sit still for very long. I call her thunder-kitty when she rushes through the house. Her sharp nails have scratched the linoleum tiles. She loves to jump on one area of the dining room wall. She rushes to the spot, jumps up about three feet from the ground, makes a happy sound, and springs off in another direction while making small scratches in the paint. Heavy sigh.

Pickles hates being alone so she is either shadowing Mo or I. At least she will venture to the basement to use the litter box and eat without us. When I am on second floor for too long (the door is closed), she will stand at the top of the landing and mew for me – loudly. She even follows me into the shower – not to get wet but to sit in the same room and wait for me to wash off the dirt. When I am outside during warm weather and the windows are open she will mew for me through the screen. She is very vocal so I have learned a lot of her communication cues “Mew-lish.”

Since we reside in town, the cats do not venture outside. Too many dangers exist in an urban environment. Mo is neither very bright nor fast. Zoë is bright and fast but naïve. My grandmother had farm cats and many of them perished due to the perils of living outside. Happiness is when Momo & Zozo are sitting on top of me and purring. Aww.

Gotta clean the zoo.
© 2010

THE STORY OF ZO

Mo had been Princess for about a year. She always played aggressively but it started to be a problem when she would bite me through heavy leather garden gloves. CAT-HINT: Never play with your cat when your hands are bare – the cat cannot differentiate between playtime and petting when they are energetic. Gloves will save your hands and patience. Remember, cats have a brain the size of a walnut; they don’t understand the abstract. Their teeth are sharp daggers intent on puncturing weak human skin. Use this hint with dogs, too.

I decided that she needed a pet, another cat. I searched a couple shelters when a co-worker mentioned that his cousin had some kittens to give away. I was happy. Eliza dropped off the wee kitten that was known as Dani, the day before Labor Day. Little did I know that I had just brought two pounds of dynamite into the house. Mo was beyond anger. I had to place Dani on the front porch for her own safety. I was afraid that Mo would kill the six week old ginger & white bandy-tailed kitten.

A few days earlier, a hurricane named Katrina caused utter devastation. I’ll fume about that at another time.

Thankfully, Dani loved the screened-in porch. She had furniture to crawl under, toys, litter box, food and water. She was content to be out there while I was at work. I would come home and visit her. We made a trip to the veterinarian and she was pronounced healthy. The weather was very mild so she was able to stay on the porch for a whole month and double in size.

I still provided affection to Mo but she would hiss every time I brought Dani into the house. The weather was turning towards autumn so Dani (who never responded to the name) was spending time in the house when I was home. Mo wasn’t happy but was learning that when she hissed at the kitten, water would come rushing her direction. Mo hates being sprayed with water more than she hated the kitten.

I procured a baby names book and started reading the list out loud. Dani didn’t respond until I said Zoë. I kept reading names and said Zoë again; she came running over. That is how she chose her name. The story of Zo – to be continued.

Gotta chase the cats.
(c) 2010