Oh how I’ve missed cats who sit or splay all over me. Smokey only likes to be pet and still can’t stand being held, much as she rubs against us. But Missy and Molly sure make sure of my body as their personal pillows/perches!
Oh, and I’ve missed hilarity like this.
Happy Turkey Day! I’m thankful to be home. 🙂
It was a strange feeling yesterday to show up to work with half the office out, then work a short day. I left around 4:30 and ended up taking a nap when I got home. I woke up about two hours later and tried to get some work done. Between attempting to blog, chatting with Panda, and getting distracted by the news, I had a busy night. Before I knew it, the night had passed me by and Panda was settling in for some shuteye before our flight. I kept working and at 3:30 I decided that it wasn’t worth it to try to sleep, so I took a shower and started to get ready. I pretty much had nothing to pack since I’ve got everything I need at home, so I decided to treat myself by bringing my sherpa blanket with me. Panda got up at 4:50 and we were outside by 5:15, right as the taxi showed up.
Hello somewhere in Colorado.
As soon as we got on the plane, I settled in with my blankets and drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, I felt like we should be nearly there, but it was only 10:30 EST… we were flying over Colorado with two more hours to go. This is the first time I’ve actually felt hot on a plane ride, so I’m definitely going to try to bring my blanket with me for all future travel purposes, if there’s room. I hate having cold feet! After playing some games on my phone and catching a few more Zs, we started our descent. We arrived a good half hour early and got picked up by our respective families. My mom and cousin came to get me since my dad’s back is not doing so well. It was great to see my family again and I had a good time catching up with my dad. Soon after, I got a chance to do what I’ve been missing for months: play with Missy! She’s my baby and loves me the most – probably because I’m the only one who scratches her neck, rubs her face, and lets her sit/sleep on me all she wants. I took some time to go through my things at home to prepare items to move. Tons of memories to come! It’s weird being home; I feel different out here. It’s like my life out here is completely separate from that of my life out east. It’s surreal being back and I hope to really relax during this time. 🙂 And now I’ll some of my day in pictures…
I got home to find a sleepy, confused Molly. “Who are you again?”
Missy ran in and out of my legs for awhile as we played in the yard.
Pretty soon, she found her way to my lap and took a nap.
Eventually I went up to my room and Missy decided to join me for a nap.
It’s turkey time! My mom made a delicious turkey.
We always have a Chinese American turkey day, with turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, and random Chinese vegetable dishes.
Whenever I’m eating, Missy likes to come sit on my lap. I then end up sitting there for hours because I don’t want to move her.
Missy loooves being scratched – under the chin, behind the ears, along the neck, on her back… it’s all good!
She’s a naughty girl who likes to sneak a taste of our food! I eventually had to hide the turkey in the oven.
She loves to use pineapples as an after dinner mint/floss. Gotta keep that breath fresh!
In honor of National Cat Day yesterday, I thought I’d share some videos of my kitties. Missy is my sweet baby who sleeps with me at night, massages her boyfriend Rupert the giant bear, and has a crackly little meow. Molly is our old grumpy one who loves my mom, has no patience for me, and might possibly be bipolar.
This is how Missy chills:
cat swishing tail from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
This is how Molly chills:
cat on stairs from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
This is how Missy meows (adorable!! it’s like her first time every time):
cute little kitty meow from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
This is how Molly meows (sounds so cute, but oh she’s a fierce one):
cat purr-meowing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Here’s Missy massaging Rupert’s leg:
cat massaging upside down from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Here’s Molly rubbing the chair she loves:
cat rubbing chair from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
And finally, with Molly not letting Missy eat near her, I decided to intervene:
my new cat feeding strategy from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
It’s always interesting in the house with these two around! I miss playing with them daily.
Molly in one of her calmer moods.
I think about 10 days in is when Molly started to move around. She explored the house and I even caught her drinking from the toilet (aha! so she wasn’t dying of thirst). Soon enough, she was as spry as any cat and even went around the house acting like she built it, owned it, and ran it. While I was happy that she was totally fine and actually quite active, I discovered that she actually doesn’t like being held. So much for my lap cat idea. Sometimes she gets into these terrible moods, where she’ll growl at you for no reason. She’ll get mad because you walked by, because she walked by you, because you did this or didn’t do that, etc. I didn’t want to encourage this behavior, so whenever she got grumpy, I’d keep pushing. If she didn’t want me touching her I’d hug her. Sometimes I’d growl with her, or give her a stern finger. Unfortunately, this hasn’t worked and I think I’ve figured it out – we’re both super stubborn.
The more you push, the more I push back (and the more you push back). So, our little battles escalate until Molly gets so upset that she attacks or runs away. I can’t help it though; nothing irritates me more than backing down when she’s the one initiating the negativity. I was hoping to train her to see that when she got mad, I didn’t leave her alone, so trying to scare me wouldn’t work. But it seems that all she sees is that she’s not happy and I’m annoying. It’s a pity! I’ve never tried to start a fight with her, but that seems to be how it all ends up. And that’s what stubbornness can get you.
I’ve gotten to spend more time with my cats lately, since I’m working from home. One thing that has really proven itself time and time again is the fact that they don’t seem to think any position is uncomfortable. In fact, they often seem to prefer the most uncomfortable-looking positions… scrunched up in a tiny space, in a twisted position, or on top of hard objects (usually with sharp edges).
Check out some of the wacky positions I’ve found my cats sleeping in!
Take Missy for example – she climbs right on top of me and plops down, without a care in the world that my arm is pinned under her so her spine gets bent all weird. Or, of all the soft, comfortable, cozy sleeping spots I set up for her, she goes for the one place I didn’t prepare – bare, firm, and cold. She also loves to sprawl right on my laptop keyboard (meanwhile Molly prefers to sit right on it). Maybe it’s the heat? Oh, and don’t forget the times when it looks like they’re doing some sort of contortionist move.
It also doesn’t seem to matter if the position is tight and condensed, or more stretched out. You’ll find Missy curled up in a ball just as much as she’s belly-up, with her arms and legs outstretched. Temperature usually isn’t an issue either; one of her favorite spots is under the covers where she’s practically suffocating. Whether I sleep on my side or with my legs up, knees bent, she’ll mosey her way in if I lift the blanket, then settle in to a warm, dark corner.
Right now, Missy is laying half on me, half on the bed (she slid off me partly). Her feet are stretched out above her head and her paws are intertwined with her feet. Sometimes she’ll tuck her nose into that mess of limbs, and sometimes she’ll twist her neck so her chin is facing the ceiling.
Tomorrow I head off to Hawaii, and leave behind my cats. So here’s a clip of Missy doing her thing and massaging my childhood blanket…
Also not to be left out, a picture of Molly lounging in one of her favorite spots.
Check out the cats I got from the shelter today! Missy is a spunky gray and white tabby who has been getting into all kinds of mischief. Molly is older, black and white, and loved to find great hiding spots until she warmed up to being at the house.
