Through a Cat's Eyes

In preparing for our recent cross-country move, I wanted to bring bits and pieces of our everyday life to the new house in order to create an instant sense of home. Little things like favorite coffee mugs, certain pieces of furniture, musical instruments, books. But as it turns out, one furry individual more than all else combined, has given pleasure and continuity in a place where everything else is new. So this post celebrates Miss Moppet, aka "Toots".

Relocating halfway across the United Sates seemed rather extreme. Extreme and decidedly disruptive, from a cat's eye view. Sulking seemed to be the obvious way to deal with such an event--lots of sulking combined with lurking about in the far regions of the moving vehicle, punctuated by sulking and lurking in strange hotel rooms and hiding in the box springs of hotel mattresses.

There is something about her tail-waving, silent-pawed presence that lends a timelessness to the place in which she dwells, be it Missouri or California. Her wide-eyed acceptance of  change has helped blur the edges of our relocation, lending a sort of haven't-we-always-been-here quality to every day. With a cat's usual disregard for boundaries and time, she prowls about in exploration, spends inordinate amounts of time in what could be called catnapping (if it didn't represent solid hours of oblivion) sprawled upon whatever ledge, bed, or if at all possible, forbidden surface she favors. Nocturnal habits and an addiction to cheese aside, she is a pleasure and a joy in our world. Indispensible.

A new house is a place of wonder. There are ladders to climb. Vines to ravage and spread in little bits over the carpet. Plants, of course, make very good hiding places, and if they, too, loose a few leaves or begin looking a bit bedraggled, who can blame such a face?



Should all those other activities begin to lose their appeal, a cat can always read or journal, activities at which Toots show great skill, as you can clearly see...

Now where was I? Ah, yes. Journal-
ing by osmosis. A rare skill. I stare off into space as I ponder the uni-
verse. Perhaps it trans-
fers to the pages upon which I lie. 
Or not.
Either way, I am fine.