True Love

This is a tale of two kitties (plus one). I met the man of my dreams and I am here to tell you two of the reasons why he is the man of my dreams. At the time we blended households, he had two cats and I had three. We have since lost his girl and mine and now we have three boy kitties. Boots owned the man before I and Boots is a fabulous cat who loves the hand-knits. What more could you want from a cat? Meeting a man who lived with cats was selling point number one. Boots is a very normal kitty cat. He likes high spaces, plays in a normal cat manner, bathes himself normally, talks to birds and other assorted outside critters who happen into view in windows. He enjoys the petting, but is not clingy. Now my two boys on the other hand...

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Toivo loves the loving. Toivo is a big boy kitty and a big boy baby! Toivo has never liked men until we met the man. At bedtime, he has taken to leaning into the man and demanding loving. Sometimes so demanding that he licks the armpit of the man. Ewww. The man tolerates this. Not only tolerates it, but situates himself just so. Every. Single. Night. He talks to Toivo and fusses on him and loves on him until Toivo, until the cat gets too warm and wanders to the end of the bed. Toivo gets just as much loving as he wants. From the man. Every. Single. Night. Heimo is a whole 'nuther story. He has two interests in life. His mama and his toys. He has a million jingly ball toys. He plays with them and part of the game is to put them under the couch and then talk to everyone (in his little insistent hum), whilst looking under the couch. If a human gets up and heads for the broom closet, Heimo falls right into step and then leads them back to the couch, waiting for the ball to come back out from its hiding place. Then, he expects the human to chuck the ball down the stairs, bouncing it off of the wall so that it skips and jumps in proper chasing fashion. If you happen to chuck the ball wrong and it doesn't, in fact, skip and jump in proper chasing fashion, he will watch the ball tumble down the stairs, watch it land and then look up at you and yell. Despite the fact that there are a million of these jingle balls in the house in only four different colors, he will have a favorite ball for the day and that is the only one he will chase. You can try to fool with him by picking up a same colored jingly ball. He will not be fooled. He knows which ball is which. He will pester and hum until you find that ball. You will immediately know you've found the ball, as he will perk up and run for the stairs in anticipation. (yes, people, I am describing a cat!).

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Why is this a reason I love this man of mine? He will talk to Heimo, get the broom, get down on all fours, retrieve the ball, chuck it down the stairs, and do that over and over as Heimo returns up the stairs with the ball. I've watched him, this man I love so dearly, set his laptop down, pick up Heimo's ball, chuck it down the stairs in proper ball chasing fashion and return to the couch to his laptop with narry a cross word for a goofy, obssessed cat!

I am one lucky woman!