I’m going to pander today and write about cats. This would be even better if instead of cats I had members of the genus Ailuropoda; then I could pander about pandas.
Now that I have the lede I can work my way into this. Sorry I didn’t write yesterday; I somehow didn’t have time before I had to leave to see my psychiatrist. Today I have to get out of the house more than an hour earlier, I get my infusion, but I woke up much earlier. The night before last I made the mistake of not putting on a breathing strip before I went to bed. That means I didn’t sleep as well, so I woke up and went right back to sleep. I didn’t get enough sleep last night but I’ll take a nap while I get my infusion.
I have a new psychiatrist, I like her. I almost always like my mental health professionals. Her voice seemed very familiar. After I left her I pinned it down; she sounds just like Star, Dan and Noah’s mother. That means that Dan can do a spot-on impression of my psychiatrist who he never met. In my effort to figure out why she sounded so familiar I asked her where she grew up. I thought it might be near me and I was reacting to her accent. That wasn’t it as she grew up in Pearl River. That forced me to ask if she were Irish, everyone know from Pearl River is Irish, very Irish. It’s a hot bed of Irish culture. She is and she’s leaving for Ireland this week. Turns out she listens to the Irish programs on WFUV and even volunteered once. That means we almost certainly met as I have missed very few Irish show member drives in the last 20 years.
I’m having trouble writing, because there is cat on the top of the chair I’m sitting in demanding attention, using my head as a bed, and putting her tail in my face. This is my life now. I originally moved in here as a cat sitter while Beruthiel was away teaching at summer camp. She has two cats, Lefty and Dusty. Lefty warmed to me pretty quickly and would get daily petting. Then she discovered the top of my chair and started visiting me there. Dusty on the other hand was slow to accept me. It took more than a year. Then a month to six weeks ago a switch flipped. Lefty was in her official loving spot in the kitchen. She liked sitting up on the counter and jumping down onto the table where I prepare food. I would speak sharply to her when she did. I then started rewarding her when she sat on the chest near the counter by petting her there. As I was giving Lefty love Dusty walked into the room to see what all that purring was about. I am very good at petting dogs and cats. I think it’s about being responsive to their reactions. Dusty decided that I might be a big weird looking guy but that she wanted a part of that petting. She joined Lefty and now I was petting cats with two hands. Lucky there are no more cats.
The training has gone well. Lefty now never goes on the food prep table and rarely on the counter. You can train cats.
For a while Dusty only approached if I were petting Lefty and would avoid me otherwise. Then another switch flipped and Dusty decided that her favorite place to be was with me. I now spend more time with her. When I make my way to my chair in the morning, the place I always write my blogs, Dusty joins me in very short order and finds her way to the top of my chair. Lefty comes later. For a while they vied for my affections at the top of the chair. If Dusty was there Lefty would try and join her. Now Lefty waits for her turn. If Lefty is up there first Dusty will jump on an arm rest for petting. She will sometimes come down from the back of the chair to the arm rest even if Lefty isn’t around. I can more actively pet her if she’s not behind my head. Then comes the dance. She goes from the top of the chair to the left arm rest. When she’s had enough scrootches she jumps across my body to the right arm rest and from there goes back on top of the chair.
Both of them purr when they are on top of the chair whether I’m petting them or not. Of course they are often in contact with my head when they are up there so they still feel me.
All this would be great if I weren’t allergic to cats. I have to avoid touching my eyes or nose until I wash my hands. They don’t like when I get up to do that but it’s them or me. I need to get hand wipes to keep near the chair so I can keep my hands clean. I take allergy meds every day but I decided to start making it a regular part of my morning routine instead of taking them when I start itching or sneezing. They are going in my weekly pill box along with my Prozac.
I am still very much a dog person. But I don’t have a dog to play with so I make do with the hot and cold running cats that I have. If you have a cat and I visit I may or may not pet it. If you have a dog I will. Dogs and children are the people I’m most comfortable with. As long as Dogs, children, and yes, even cats, love me, I know that I’m worthy; It’s like Thor and Captain America being able to lift Mjolnir. You take your self-esteem where you can find it.
Wise Madness 