Jan 3rd, 2025 Friday Sunny
Cats are fascinating creatures. It is an amazing fact that even though they have lived with humans for thousands of years – and many of them are so adept at navigating urban life that they can manage to open doors and refrigerators – at heart they are still the wild animals roving around in the prairies, forests, and deserts.
Our kitties, Yuuki and Sesame, are no exception. They were well-socialized kittens, not afraid of human interaction or attention, and generally appreciating company of others (human or feline). Having been brought up by us, they even learned some very human-like behaviors.
For example, every now and then, when I was brushing my hair in the bathroom, Sesame would jump onto the vanity and stand up on his back legs, placing his front paws on my shoulder as if to hug me. He would then rub his little nose against mine and “kiss” me. Since he usually does this not during meal time or play time, there is no obvious explanation other than him trying to show affection for his mommy, which warms my heart. I always reward him with a tight embrace and a gentle “I love you too, Sesame”. While cats probably do not attach the same meaning to hugs and kisses as humans do, he must have picked up this from the thousands of times I held him close and lovingly petted him. “I guess that is how big cats (meaning us) show love. Then I will do this to Mommy.” might be what he was thinking 😛
Despite everything they have obtained from human civilization, they are kitties, and their nature craving for tall places to climb and hide in never goes away. As such, we have contemplated getting another cat tree for them, though we kept putting it off while tackling other chores. Finally, when I spotted a decent-looking cat tree on craigslist, I sent an inquiry and received a response within an hour. Then my husband was tasked to pick it up.
The mission was more difficult than I anticipated. I was warned that the structure is seven feet tall, but I mistakenly assumed that it could be disassembled to fit in the car. My poor husband had to drive out in the dark, go to a home store to rent a truck after efforts to take it apart were in vain, get rejected because it was near the store closing time, buy two packs of bungee cords, then tie up the tree on top of my sedan before heading home. It then took the two of us to carry the giant upstairs – it nearly reached the ceiling!
After a thorough cleaning, Yuuki and Sesame were let out (they were secured in the bathroom). It did not take them long to spot the new excitement in the space.
Yuuki was captivated by the many scratchable surfaces. She lingered at the bottom level of the tree and sniffed every corner. Sesame, the boy we thought was so laid-back that sometimes we are a bit worried about his boredom and low energy, showed incredible athleticism. He climbed up to the top of the tree in less than a minute, and was repeatedly jumping down and going up again with great enthusiasm. He even pulled himself up a couple of times!
When we all retire to bed, our two kitties often find a “cage” or a “tube” in this new tree, where they can safely nap the night away. Seeing these two enjoy their gift so much makes all the trouble of acquiring it worthwhile.
Merry Christmas, kitties!