Cairo and I have been through a lot, way more than I expected in the almost seven years he came to stay with me and never left.
We've survived everything from a troubling situation or two to moving, to me surprising him with a dog. He's seen me angry, sad, and everything in between. He has taken over the guest bed as his own (sorry, future guests, I promise I clean) but still manages to find his way to my feet each morning. He's even let me dress him up with little hats and stupid holiday accessories. Oh, and I taught him how to sit for a treat.
I love that sweet, chonky boi, but... man, sometimes he can be so clingy.
Take the past few days, for example, when I've been in an especially unfun, miserable mood that I haven't been able to shake off. Mr. Cairo knows just what to do, except to annoy the ever-loving sanity out of me at 4:47 a.m. He bats at the prints on the wall, causing the mirrored frames to wildly swing back and forth. At first, he only prodded the security system emergency control pad, but now he's taken to trying to chew on it, all while flailing and jumping around.
Typically, Cairo will allow Smidge to settle with me when I get home, as she prefers to sleep in her bean bag bed at night. But my sour mood the past few days has inspired Cairo to take charge, jumping over Smidge and getting defensive instead of sleeping in the Papasan (which Smidge can't climb in to,) or scaling the back of the couch to sit behind me. He's also taken to interrupting my video calls by standing on my lap, longways, so I can't see anyone, and no one can see me. As I said, he is a chonky boi.
He no longer greets me at the door with Smidge, instead choosing to lay at the top of the stairs on his side, belly glomped over onto the carpet, claws flexing in and out. I think that's partially because he wants to eat, breakfast was soooooo long ago, and when he ate all my food he tried to eat my cereal and then I had to eat around his chonky body the whole time.
My chunk of chewy nougat is my extra special little buddy. He's my first cat - not one I found in the neighborhood and brought home, not one I pet-sat while friends were away - no, he is wholly my cat.
I'll admit, I get jealous when I take a short trip and he (and Smidge) immediately snuggle up to my parents, the next-in-line food-and-pets givers. I know I've done a bad job keeping the bird feeder full for him to gaze upon and I threw away several of his cardboard boxes because there were just so many.
Sweet babe probably is also due for a bath or at least one of the silicone brush mittens, because his hair is getting everywhere. Either he, too, is stressed (probably) or I have found an eject button on his body that expels those fine little fur strands all over me every time I touch him. Keep in mind I have white linens, so I usually can tell where Cairo slept last night, and how long he spent there. It's almost an exact circle of fluff. Before you worry, he's not balding or suffering from any hair loss, I think he just knows I'm frustrated, and that the weather isn't behaving as it typically does this time of year.
Did I also mention Cairo has decided his litter boxes are no longer satisfactory? I had to move one right next to my front door. I tried to switch him to some fancy natural litter and he went AWOL, and now I have this weird set up, a litter box in my foyer and a barren desert wasteland upstairs in his old favorite spot. Again, don't worry, things are still operating. Just not the way I want them too.
Regardless of his antics, Cairo is a majestic angel who deserves a plentiful and lavish life, and I am prepared to give him those things, and I will be more prepared once I get out of this bad mood. But until then, I need my dashing and clever dream kitty to chill out.
Oh, little light of my life, please get out of my face just for a second. Please let me handle this Zoom call without having to apologize for your surprise blackout. Please stop trying to knock my phone out of my hand while I try reply to a text. And don't look at me like that when I leave for work, I'm giving you a treat! And I always share my midnight snacks with you and Smidge, even though neither of you needs people food. Please, if you don't do anything else, stop waking me up at 4:47 a.m. by trying to redecorate the bedroom, and also please stop trying to call the cops for kitty abuse because it's not time to eat yet.
Really, I intended to vent on Cairo's invasive habits, but the more I typed the more I decided maybe he wasn't being that invasive. In fact, as I've been a Grumpers McGrumpyson, he's only been trying to make me feel better. Sure, I want him out of my face for a second, but really only for a second. I really don't want my compassionate, caring, intuitive pal to go anywhere else anytime soon.
