On Cats . . .

If any of you have a snoozing cat, i would mosey on over there to just take a gander and a short(which turns into a long) belly rub.

INFO: Cocoa is our almost 9 year old male black cat. he's about 17 pounds, likes his fancy feast and is afraid of anyone but myself, my mom and my dad. he is sweet and easily purrs and runs around after he uses the litter box. we can't get him to like wearing a collar and he likes to eat ham every so often. I LOVE HIM. we picked him up on Saturday, September 29th 2001 in Petco when they did their weekly ASPCA cat shelter right by the registers. every week my father and i would go and look for the cats and i picked cocoa (originally "Simba") because i was afraid no one would pick him because of his black fur coat (bad luck?). Him, his brother and his mother were found in an abandoned paint shop in paterson so we paid the 50 bucks and brought him home. well, several years, too many emergency visits to the animal hospital and thousands of toy mice later ... he is sleeping on his side infront of the window.

Let me paint you a picture. The windows are dripping with the sudden and pounding rain that had stopped not too long ago. There is a make-shift - and unintentional - cat perch made out of plastic clothes bins and an old blanket, this spot was not supposed to be like this but it stuck once Cocoa repeatedly went back (you see its on the 2nd floor and cocoa likes to look at "his territory" from above). Cocoa is lounging, with his eyes 1/4th open making sure everyone is still there, he is streched out and looking comfy.

I am biased and Im telling you how I think it is. Cats are wonderful. and if you dont think so, well, too bad! Just laying there, cocoa looks like he could do a lot of damage. he is mostly muscle and yes he has a pouch of giggly fat on his belly but he has a slight waist and that is good. He can run and enjoys sticking his claws into carpets and sofas and the stack of water bottles by our door. he is a very very small tiger but he has more brains, im sure! domestic cats are amazing creatures. they can still climb the trees and need grass and watch birds and pretend to hunt but they know that we (the family) are part of the pack and they dont kill us in our sleep. its amazing because they trust us. so many times, as im rubbing Cocoa's belly he willingly goes on his back and gives me access to his jugular and his weak underbelly. this would never happen in the wild! the act of cleaning themselves infront of us shows that their guard is down and that they are taking a much needed cat bath. and when my cat and i play fight or when i bother him - i have to sometimes! - he will hiss and show his fangs and will clench my arm in his claws and will place his sharp teeth around my hand and will look up at me like "uh, yeah, i could totally make you cry...do you SEE my teeth? they are already in place! my claws and willing to just slip down your arm .... remember when i was a kitten and would do this to you? REMEMBER? ... yeah i knew you would stop bothering me. oh, i love you." - thats exactly what happens. he stops himself when he could just tear up my arm. i still have scars from all his attacks when he was smaller but then he stopped and i guess its cause he knows that im not endangering him, just playing the good old fashioned im-going-to-see-how-long-until-he-fights-back-after-i-touch-his-paws game.