Cats and Such

Early morning with Khaki
Originally uploaded by Elizalou.

Khaki woke up this morning, ate breakfast, and jumped up onto the window ledge, which is what Khaki does most every morning.

Though you probably can't see it on her face, she's pretty excited about the Democrats taking the House, but the fact that seven more states passed same-sex marriage bans makes her want to puke her guts out.

My parents' cat is a cat they've had for twelve years. He was actually my kitten that I got against my dad's rules (he was my landlord at the time) at age 19. He became flea-ridden and tore the apartment apart and I pleaded with them to take him off my hands. They did, and he's been chilling on their brick wall ever since. I've always thought he's lived a pretty charmed life for an outside cat despite a few scrapes with things like racoons. He's always seemed really fat and happy. Lately, not so much. He's thin and dirty and it makes me so sad that I can't even be around him. I know I should take him to the vet but I am scared to. It's weird. I haven't felt any ownership or responsibility towards him since dropping him off at my parents' house twelve years ago, but I feel like I owe him something now that he's not doing so well. I feel guilty and sad about him.

My brother's girlfriend looks after my pets on occasion. She likes the dogs (or claims to) (she's nice that way) but admitted she feels like she doesn't know the cats very well. I told her, "Oh, the cats are perfect. They are the sweetest girls." Which was the barfiest thing to say, but I mean it.

I feel like so many people are driven so crazy or even terrorized by their cats. But I must have lucked out with mine. Sure, sometimes they puke on the rug and they manage to track cat litter into every nook and crevice of the house, and sure, they scratch things and shed and meow annoyingly like they are being starved to death and act like I'm murdering them when I trim their claws, but they make up for it in so many leaps and bounds with their cuteness, their sweetness, their spazziness, the way they wrestle in the bathtub, and the way they cuddle up on the couch with me always when I need them to. I love them. It's true.

I've decided all I'm doing tonight is petting my animals, watching last night's Veronica Mars and Friday Night Lights, enjoying the smell of my pumpkin candle that smells so good it almost makes me feel drunk, eating breakfast for dinner (eggs and grits), and waiting to see who takes Virginia.