Home for Christmas!

When I blogged about cat dreams last week, I had no idea my own dream was so close to coming true: I got a forever home!

I'd had my eye on the Cat's Cradle treasurer for sometime, but Peggy was already an eight-cat woman. Getting into her home required some tactical maneuvering. I mean, you have to be super-adorable to become the ninth cat. The first point in my favor was that she had a weakness for longhairs, so I always kept my fur fluffy and soft. But the deciding moment was during the last board meeting when I made my intentions blatantly clear by curling up on her lap for an hour. I guess this proves that the wiggle-worm-of-love approach is irresistible.

One advantage of moving into an eight-cat household is that the human is already so well trained. They have the right food, the right beds, the right toys, and a smattering of cat language skills. You can't expect them to understand all the complexities of the meow dialect, but it's important to have some interactions on a higher cognitive level. It's going to take some time to break in the other cats, but I know they'll be compelled to appreciate my charms eventually.

I got to meet Peggy's family the other night at a Christmas celebration. I was nervous about being around so many new people, but it turns out she comes from a long line of folks who know how to appreciate cats. Good breeding always shows.

The other good news is that my best bud Benny is back at the Adoption Center, much improved after being pampered back to health by Ashton. Now that my own dream has come true, I'm going to put my feline dream skills to work to find Benny a forever home, too.

But before I return to work in what might appear to be a luxurious holiday slumber, Merry Christmas to all – and to all a good cat!

Freddie Returns!

This is Freddie and I want to tell you right off the bat that it is not my fault this update is late. I was going to write as soon as I got back to the Adoption Center but heavens to murgatroid! From the moment I entered the door I couldn't get a moment's peace. The staff was all over me, picking me up, petting me, scratching me, and talking, talking, talking. It was exhausting.

And, of course, they wanted to know everything about my best bud Benny. I told them he sent his purr-regards and would be back as soon as his skin gets better. He's a sensitive fellow, you know, so we have to be extra careful. For now, Josie and the staff will just have to make do with me as the center of their universe. I must say they're doing a pretty good job.

I'm also happy to report that they did an excellent job taking care of the Adoption Center while I was gone – with one glaring exception: no one stepped up to the plate to assume my responsibilities. I know they're only human, but really, they could have made an effort. Was one catnap a day too much to ask?

Okay, I understand that humans don't have as much stamina for sleeping as felines. In fact, it does me proud to say there is not a mammal on this planet that works as hard at sleeping as cats. We are the masters! And for goodness sake don't bring up hibernation. That's practically a coma AND you have to forgo eating AND, well, have you ever tried waking up a hibernating bear? Talk about grouchy. Now when I wake up, I rise and shine, sweetly, daintily, a symphony of luxurious stretches, every move a work of art. One reason is because I know that while I slept, the Adoption Center humans were able to bask in the presence of my majesty. It's what you call a symbiotic relationship, least that's what Benny says.

And believe me, cats don't spend two-thirds of their lives sleeping for nothing. We are very busy in the dream world. I can't tell you any more until Benny returns. He's the studious one and can explain it better. I'll just say this: if we didn't dream so much, this world would be very, very different. Nuff said.

Well, it's time to get back to work. Usually, I put in thirteen to sixteen hours of shuteye a day, but obviously I have some catching up to do so I may go pro for a bit and hit twenty. A cat's gotta do what a cat's gotta do.