Dusty has always been lovable on his terms. He goes through periods where he hides under the chair and doesn't come out except to eat and use the litter pan. When he comes out he's all over me like a dryer sheet and can't get enough love. He follows me everywhere including to the bathroom and to bed. He especially likes to lay on my chest and be held so he can fall asleep. There are times when he's a little drowsy and he looks at me with his tongue sticking out. So cute.
Dusty has been demonstrating some weird behavior lately. I first noticed it when I was kneeling down by their food and he jumped up onto my shoulders. I thought it was another one of my cats so imagine my surprise when I saw it was him. It was easy to tell him to get down and he did.
The next time was when I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. I was bent over at my stomach and he jumped from the floor onto my back. Now this was silly because he could have jumped onto my very long counter but instead he decided my back was better. Again, I turned around, asked him to get down and onto the counter - no problem, he jumped.
Another time I was standing at the front door and he jumped from the floor onto my shoulder. Not only did it scare me but I had a t-shirt on and his nails hurt. I grumbled his name at him and told him to get down. He eyed the top of the bookcase so I walk toward it and he jumped on top of it.
These jumping incidents have been going on for quite sometime. I've thought about buying football shoulder pads but instead I've been hoping he stops. That's not happening which brings us to this morning.
I'm in the kitchen at the counter and he jumps onto my shoulder. I'm about to have a fit when I look at him and he's looking up at the ceiling. If you have a cat you know what I'm about to say. Cats see things that we don't always see. Whenever my cats look at something and stare at it, I look and stare at it, too. It's usually a bug or a flying insect or something else I don't want in my house. If they're not showing any signs of getting it, I get it.
However, almost directly above my head, was a little spider. Dusty was balancing himself on his two back legs with his two front legs stretching up toward the ceiling trying to get the spider. So, what do I do? Exactly. Every mom wants to see their children succeed so I stand on my tip toes, careful not to disturb Dusty's balance as I lift him closer and closer toward the spider so he can get it. His paws reach the spider, swat it off the ceiling and it falls.
Dusty looks at me as if to say, "Did you see where it went?" No, I was busy watching your balance. Now we have a problem. Dusty doesn't see the spider, I don't see the spider and by now his brothers have come over and they can't find the spider. For all I know the spider is in my hair or on my clothes.
Dusty has now jumped off me, he and his brothers have moved onto another project and I stand there still wondering where the spider is. I decided if I can't see it, it will turn up someday. And if it's on the ceiling next time there will be a different plan.
I will take the cat off my shoulder and I will kill the spider myself.
