How can something so cute and cuddly be so evil?
You see, I think I'm mildly allergic to cats. So, while I can't help but love those cute little balls of fur, my nose and eyes tell me I should stay away from them.
It's not so easy to stay away from cats either. Several of my friends have cats and my mom has a cat too. In the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure (and pain) of spending time with four different cats. They are all very different. They look different, they sound different and their personalities are completely different.
First, there's Agamemnon. He is my future sister-in-law's cat and he's staying with my future in-laws right now. Agamemnon is a short-haired tabby cat with a loud voice. Although he's small, he knows how to get someone's attention with his "meowing." And, I know he's around when I start sneezing or my nose becomes stuffed up.
Recently, he discovered he loves the outdoors. He had been a house cat but has been introduced to the great outdoors in a St. Paul suburb. While exploring in his new backyard, he has discovered how to catch grasshoppers and intimidate squirrels. He could care less about the indoors now and refuses to go inside sometimes. If he's stuck indoors, he tries to gnaw on the molding around the door to get outside.
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He is determined, I'll give him that. And he's a sweetie, unlike the second cat I visited this weekend.
His name is Zorro and he is evil.
Zorro lives with a friend of mine and I've had several run-ins with him. He doesn't like me at all and lets me know it. Whenever I get too close to him, he starts out with a low-pitched howl that turns into a high-pitched hissing sound. It is seriously frightening. Plus, he's all black.
The last time I stayed at my friend's house, I was getting ready to sleep on the futon when Zorro decided to emerge suddenly from under the bed to scare me. He began hissing and whining and wouldn't let me get near the futon. I don't know what I did to him but I'm told it's not just me. He has other enemies as well.
Zorro shares the house with another cat who is the complete opposite. Tulah is the sweetest cat I've ever met. She purrs and loves to be petted. She even likes to be picked up and held like a baby. I don't know many cats that like to be held like a baby.
And, she's a glutton. When Zorro isn't looking, she steals his food, which I think is great. Maybe I'm just a little bitter toward Zorro after our run-ins.
There are a lot of reasons to like Tulah, however, she also makes me sneeze. I guess it's just a small price to pay for hanging out with a cute cat.
The last cat is Mia, my mom's cat, who thinks she's a dog. Mia likes to play "fetch" with a pencil. She even looks like a dog when she plays because she picks up the pencil in her mouth like a dog picks up a bone and brings it back to be thrown again. I get such a kick out of this odd behavior. She also fights with my mom's dog. The cat and the dachshund roll around the house and play quite rough. This also seems like odd cat behavior. But, again, I get a kick out of it.
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I'll never have a cat of my own because of the sneezing and stuffy nose I experience being around the fur balls but I do look forward to spending time with cats once in a while. They are interesting creatures with such unique personalities. I just wish my nose liked them a bit more.
