Little Helpers

Little Helpers

christmasKitties

My little helpers, Coal and Tobi, are the rascals pictured above. Lisa bought these ridiculous outfits for the cats which made for some good photo ops. I don’t know what is funnier, the way they look in them, or the reaction they have, trying to squirm out of them the instant they find themselves looking like Rudolph. Coal really cracks me up, he truly looks like the Grinch here, always has that contemplative look like he’s stormin’ up something evil in his noggin’.

Like all cats, they have their quirks. Being brothers however, these… quirks… are compounded. They “help” around the house in their own unique way, typically via entertainment for us. Tobi, aka “Attention Whoreus Maximus,” will find new and odd ways to get your attention for a good rubbin’. Lisa has pretty much desensitized the cats to cameras by taking so many pictures of them, which makes my job easy. They could care less when I push a giant camera in there face now. Tobi won’t even lift his head for the camera anymore, but if you are lucky he might slightly glance your way. This, of course, if he doesn’t have to move, ya know… wouldn’t wanna burn a calorie…

Coal is much more of a particular cat. He will ONLY sit on my lap and only when HE wants to. A lot of the times I’ll be loungin’ on the couch, working on my laptop, and he’ll come and try to squeeze in and lay between my laptop and my stomach for attention. If I try to ignore him he lets out a very slow, high-pitched meow that could best be described as sounding like a balloon leaking air. It’s his “hey, buddy, pay attention or you are gonna get this treatment ALL night” meow. He’s got a very human-like quality about him when he looks at you, you really can see him thinking.

A disturbing discovery we’ve made over the past few weeks. Tobi will eat anything that is not nailed to the floor (and if it is, he tries to find a way to pry it lose). He doesn’t even take the time to smell, taste, or feel it before he’s trying to swallow whatever it is. The first couple times you see him pick up some random thing in his mouth, say some tape off a box, you think he’s just gonna play with it. Before you know it he’s made a meal out of it. This fun discovery of course after you look around the general area to try and find the tape, and all that is left is a fat, lazy cat looking up at you like “what?! I didn’t do nutin’.” He’s so bad that we have to tackle him and pry whatever it is out of his mouth to rescue him from a sure death. He’s getting smarter with his acts of stupidity (wait, that doesn’t make sense…), and he will watch you out of the corner of his eyes from across the room as he tries to claim his next “meal.” Once securely in his mouth he’ll make a run for what he thinks is a spot we can’t get to him, so he can enjoy his “food” in peace. I bet Tobi’s one regret in life was not being born a snake, them having unhinge-able jaws and all… think of the possibilities…

The topper was yesterday evening. We have a slew of toys for these spoiled brats, one just happened (notice I say “happened,” meaning no longer existing) to be a little fishy thing on an elastic string. After using the toy to amuse them for a few minutes I left the toy in Tobi’s care. I kid you not, I look down not 5 minutes later and a good four inches of the elastic string was “missing.” The little dork ate the elastic string, chewed it clean off! I for one haven’t ever eaten elastic string, but I have no doubt it’ll be the highlight of Tobi’s day tomorrow when he goes to take a number 2, and to find he just made a festive beaded necklace…. tis the season…