I woke up at 3 am this morning. Someone was crying. My husband told me once it must be mother's ears because I can hear the kids crying, laughing, whispering (you name it) and sometimes he doesn't hear them. It's just years of experience. It's been a long time since I was awoken in the middle of the night for crying though. At least from a child's cries. So what was the crying I heard in the middle of the night that woke me from a dead sleep? The cat. Just like I've trained my ears over the years to hear the slightest whispers from my children, I think I have trained my ears to NOT hear the cat meows in the middle of the night. Most of the time I instead hear someone yelling "Shut up Sammie!" but his meows don't bother me. Except for last night. He had something serious to tell me evidently because instead of just roaming the hallway seeking attention, food, petting..who knows...he decided he was going to meow loudly whilst standing on my chest and putting his nose right in my face. Really Sammie? Really?
He used to like to cuddle at night. He'd crawl up in bed with me, usually lay on my legs, kitty patty cake himself (and me) to sleep or clean himself which also has the same effect on me. It's like he's rocking me to sleep. Now it seems as though he is becoming a night owl. He sleeps most of the day and just as I'm getting up in the mornings, he chooses that time to hop in bed with me and cuddle. He's great for my procrastinating self. What does he do in between? He wakes me up in the middle of the night. Meowing. Right now he's laying under my desk on his not so fluffy anymore pillow cube. And sleeping.
Zoe used to not meow much. In fact, it's pretty safe to say we could go a full day without hearing her meow at all. She would purr. Loudly. She finally found her voice after she reached a year old. It was the cutest little meow I had ever heard. It was one of those moments where everyone in the house would stop and say "Awwwwwwww!" Those were good times. Sammie has taught her his bad ways. The little chirpy meow she started with is still there. It's only slightly louder but the frequency..man oh man. Sammie talks to birds. He sits at the window and chirps at them. Zoe never shown any interest. Now? She's usually the one that initiates bird talking moments and Sammie runs to see what's going on.
Sammie spent the first half of his life around a dog. My mother had a dachshund and I've said before that I think Sammie picked up some of his habits from him. For example. When a dogs owner leaves or goes outside, I've seen dogs bark at the door wanting, begging, to go along. Well, when my kids go outside, Sammie goes to the door and meows his overly loud obnoxious meow. Zoe used to sit quietly on the windowsill and watch the kids outside. Sammie has taught her his bad ways. She now goes to the door and not only does she sit and meow wanting to go outside, she also scratches and paws the door hoping it will magically open.
We moved to Kansas recently at the request of Mr. Army. I didn't know until we got here how bad the flies would be. You know that movie The Birds? In Kansas it would be called The Flies. Don't leave the door open too long because if you do, many flies will join you inside. I thought about buying a fly trap but those things emit awful odors even if they are effective. Turns out, I don't have to because Zoe is my fly catcher. It's almost macabre. Sometimes she kills them swiftly but sometimes she injures them slightly and then proceeds to stare them down, taunt them and paw them around the house. I usually intervene and put the poor fly out of its misery. This teaching thing though works both ways. Sammie used to show zero interest in flies. Zoe has now taught him her wicked ways and we have two fly catchers in the family. For the most part, they keep our house a fly free zone.
For some, all the aforementioned are merely annoyances meant to drive them insane. For cat lovers, it's like an endearing hug. It's your loved one saying I love you. It's a conversation (admittedly sometimes two ways. Yes I talk to my cats). I'm not a dog person but my cats are my world. My cats mirror the love I have for them. People that say cats are dumb or mean, don't love cats. Because my cats learn. They learn everyday from me, from my children and from each other. They learn good things, bad things, funny things and they learn to love. Happy Caturday!
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