Pets

Anyone who knows my cat, Sammy, knows that she is an extremely vocal cat. Sammy screams for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s when she wants to be let into her room where her food and litterbox are so that she can do her business. When the dog gets too close for her liking (usually within about 1 foot) she will scream and smack. She screams as she runs into the room to announce her presence. This is especially hysterical because the running scream becomes a staccato noise. Mah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. When Sammy is hungry (which is all the damn day) she screams and it gets louder and louder the closer I get to the food bowl. maaw, Awww, AAWWWW, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!! If you enter a room which Sammy has already occupied for the purpose of sleeping or self cleaning, then she will scream at you to let you know that she was there first. Pick her up, Scream. Pet her, Scream. Look at her, Scream! The noise sounds like a baby banshee crying in anguish.

Anyone who knows my dog, Koda, knows that she has OCD. She has a severe obsession with her tiny tennis ball from PetSmart (henceforth to be known as “Ballie.”) Ballie is the source of endless amusement for Koda. Throw it for her and you will be her best friend. She never, and I repeat never gets tired of that game…even if you do. Spread out a blanket on the floor and Koda will carefully fold ballie into the covers and then search for the buried treasure. Ballie can be hidden in Koda’s toy box and she will remove every toy in search of the precious thing and then parade it around the house with pride to show us how she retrieved it. Her most beloved game (and most hated by us) is playing “Risk.” Risk involves nudging the ballie gently towards the couch/bed/dresser (anything it could get stuck underneath) and trying to catch it before it goes under. If she is unsuccessful it has to be retrieved in other ways (i.e. barking at it until we get it out.) Koda will even take Ballie to eat/drink with her, which means that ballie waits patiently IN the water bowl while Koda drinks. The result is that eventually every ballie turns into “ugly ballie” and must be surreptitiously replaced with a new one.

This past weekend I took Koda out for a walk around the back of the condo and I noticed a ballie laying in the grass like a fuzzy neon Easter Egg. Apparently a game of Risk ended in ballie rolling off of the deck which is a frequent issue (which has recently been resolved thanks to crafty Cristy.) I led her over to grab ballie and while I was trying to help Koda sniff out the now nasty thing so she could carry it in all of a sudden I hear from above me “MMAAWWWWWWW!” I look up to see Sammy’s chubby cheeks staring down over the railing off of the deck. So I can now add to the list in the top paragraph that Sammy also screams when she can look down on you in disgust.

Anyone who knows my pets knows that they are so weird.