Growing Up to Be Just Like Thompson

I'll admit that I live in fear these days that someone will call the SPCA on me. It's gotta be considered some type of animal abuse that the only time my cats, Thompson and Diego-san, see me now days is when I'm asleep. I come home at night, plop some food into their dishes and go upstairs and get ready for bed. A few hours later the alarm clock goes off and after a shower and a pot of coffee (that is a poor substitute for actual sleep) I'm off to the office.

And yes the boyz are acting out showing their displeasure with my dropping the ball on being a vital third wheel in the household. My couches have been shredded, and many of my screens bear holes from claws ripping through the mesh. When they do see me they are as cuddly as can be but I have to think they're thinking, "Where's that goofball to entertain us with his annoying banter and odd behavior?"

But it's not like I don't look out for my Boyz. Diego-san has an annoying habit of swatting all the water in the water dish on to the kitchen floor (ruining tiles in the process). Part of me sees this and sez, if he doesn't want to drink and he just wants to play, let him do that. But it seems a tad unfair to Thompson to have to live with an empty water dish because of the actions of another.

So I was reading one of the many advice columns in the Star Tribune and a question that was asked was about a cat who displayed the same water dish swatting behavior as Diego-san. The expert responded saying the cat may be far-sighted and thus was pawing at the water to find the top and thus avoid dunking its head in the bowl. The suggestion was then made to float something in the bowl so the cat could determine the level of the top of the water.

I finally got around to testing this with Diego-san. I placed a plastic ball in the bowl. He promptly spent the entire evening batting the ball around the bowl, emptying water on to the floor in the process. Thompson just watched, as he often does.

Diego-san does enjoy drinking straight from the tap (running water seems to fascinate him) so every time I go near the bathroom it's a race. He leaps on to the sink and squeals until I turn on the water. You would think he runs this household.

The times I actually get to be home I must admit how I continually marvel at Thompson and how he gets by with his handicap having one leg amputated after getting it caught in a trap. Yes he has trust issues (and probably always will) running away and hiding on the rare occasions we have a visitor, and jumping at every semi-loud noise that occurs. But he is a great napper (an outstanding one at that) never leaving my chest when we nap together until I move. He loves to lick and it is during those times where his affectionate nature really comes out.

Getting around is hard for him. If he doesn't keep moving the lack of a front limb causes him to lose balance. But he does what he needs to do to get by and I haven't found a thing Diego-san can do that Thompson hasn't found a way to do also. (Thank God Thompson is willing to drink water from a dish.)

The other day the Photographer was over to snap some pictures for a holiday card. Diego-san who is so affectionate towards the Photographer whenever she visits that she has threatened to slap a restraining order against him was his usual suave self. But it was Thompson who really got into the spirit of the project this sunny afternoon.

He primped and posed and the end result were a couple of remarkable photos that truly caught his charismatic presence even though it is on rare display from anyone other than me. The record will thus show (for the future archives) what a sweet sweet boy Thompson really is. And this fellow boy is extremely happy about that.