By: Kali and Mateo
We haven’t posted in a while. Mom types up our posts, and she's been away a lot! We (the cats) are taking over Wild Western Wanderers this week. The dogs usually rule this Substack page, but we think it’s our turn.
Our parents’ last trip started much the same way it usually does – the dogs were whisked away to Camp Cody (Tessie’s foster family), and we stayed home. The neighbor drops by every couple of days to check on us, clean the litter boxes, and play with us for a bit, but she doesn’t stick around long. We love seeing her because she also gives us a little tuna. Our dry food is dispensed automatically three times a day, but the tuna is a nice treat. We get some tuna twice a day when our parents are home.
We were surprised when the dogs were dropped off after less than a week away. We were a bit confused because the dogs came home, but our parents were not with them. We spend plenty of time together when we’re home alone, so it was nice to have the dogs back for some extra stimulation. Mateo, in particular, loves hanging out with Tessie and getting her to chase him around.
The next surprise came a few hours later when a woman we had met a couple of times showed up at the house. She settled into the guest bedroom, and we realized she was planning to stay for a bit. We were in heaven when she sat on the couch. We immediately jockeyed for position in her lap. On one of their trips, Mom left us a makeshift lap on the couch by tucking towels into the legs of her sweatpants, but we didn’t use it. There’s no replacement for a warm human lap.
Mateo showered our new pet sitter with love over the next two days. She played with all four of us and gave us lots of attention. She left for a few hours one day, but we were happy when she came back later to feed the dogs dinner and give us more tuna. We were sad when she left again because she took all her bags with her.
Fortunately, the next people to arrive at the house, only a couple of hours later, were our parents! They came bumping through the door with their luggage. The dogs were barking like crazy (as they always do when anyone comes into the house), and we went to see what all the fuss was about.
Mom and Dad had been in Maine and New Hampshire all week, so they got to visit our grandparents and Uncle Keith. The dogs always get new collars from our uncle, and this time was no different. We haven’t been wearing our collars much since we are fully indoor cats, so it wasn’t a surprise that we didn’t get new ones. The good news is they didn’t come home empty-handed. Dad pulled two catnip kickers out of his bag for us. One was the longer style that Kali likes, so she could grab it with her front paws and kick it with her back feet. Mateo grabbed the smaller one with a Gremlin print and started licking it and rubbing his head on it. We enjoyed our new toys while our parents unpacked and ate dinner, but as soon as they sat on the couch, we abandoned the catnip and took our rightful places in their laps. It doesn’t get any better than that!
