Can I take a moment to gush about my cat?

This is Missy. I’ve talked about her plenty, but I still can’t shut up about her. I mean, I love her in ways I can’t even describe sometimes. Is that crazy? Maybe. Will I become a crazy cat lady? Only if I suffer some major trauma in my life. For now, I think I’m safe. It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t get enough of her though. Ever since I first picked her from the shelter and brought her home, I’ve been super attached. It all started when she happily took a nap in my lap at the shelter – that’s when I knew that I couldn’t let this one go. Over the months and years since, she and I have only gotten closer. We now have a variety of rituals:

Every night when she’s ready for bed around 9 or 10, she’ll come find me and hop on up. I’m usually sitting in bed on the computer, so she’ll snuggle next to my legs. She won’t just lay down and sleep though. Oh no, she’s got to do her purring massaging routine. Whether it’s a clump of blanket or Rupert her boyfriend or a pillow, she has to find something to knead. Then she’ll purr and stick her nose in whatever she massages as her paws press one at a time, claws coming out to grab at it. If I’m already close to sleeping myself, she’ll sometimes come knead me (often my bare arm or leg – ouch!), especially if she crawls under the covers between my legs. As long as it’s something squishy, it’s fair game (and my inner thighs and armpits seem to qualify every time). After a good 10-15 minutes of this, she’ll finally decide she’s done her work for the night and plops her butt down to rest.

If she ever wants to be fed (generally around sundown), she’ll come meow and meow at me with her little crackly voice until I get up. I try to placate her by meowing back and talking to her, but she’ll have none of that! She keeps trying to lead me out of the room and when she sees me finally start to move, she bounds down the hallway to show me where to go. At the end of the hall, she’ll look back and if I’m not close behind, she’ll come get me and run off again. Then she’ll practically float down the stairs, skipping three steps at a time. As I get out a can to feed her and Molly, she’ll impatiently pace back and forth on the kitchen counter until I start serving. At that point, she knows not to try to eat on the counter and she jumps down to sniff Molly and wait for the plates to be put on the ground.

After eating a hearty meal, she’ll generally find me sitting eating my own dinner. At that point, she’s full and content, so she jumps up to my lap and spins around until she finds the perfect spot to settle in. I usually put one arm down for her to lean against, since my legs aren’t wide enough for her to spread out without falling. When I finish my meal, I can’t bear to move her in her slumber, so I sit… for hours until my butt falls asleep or I need to go to the restroom, I wait there with her and enjoy her company. For whatever reason, when I try to carry her up to bed to continue sleeping, she always gets up. I’ve learned that her dinner nap is sacred and if I don’t appreciate it, she’ll leave me to spend her time elsewhere. The only way to get her to stay in bed is after a play period following the dinner nap!

I happen to be an excellent scratcher, with nails that are just long enough to give a nice deep scratch. Missy loves it when I scratch her neck, back, ears, and face. The look of pure joy on her face is freakin’ amazing. I tried to capture it at Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s usually an even more pleased look. She closes her eyes, tilts back her head, and puts her weight into it to get the best results. She’ll purr gently and push her head against my hand if I stop before she’s ready.

We have a special bond that nobody else has with me or with her. I could spend an entire day just lounging around with her, letting the hours melt away. In fact, I’ve done that before. I really wish I could bring her back east with me, but I don’t feel settled enough for that yet. Plus, snow might freak her out… she can get scared of her own shadow sometimes. For now I’m milking every moment with her and I look forward to a time when I can raise her in my new home.