WC: The Good Kitty

My kitties are my kids.  With how active we are, and with how much we love to travel, cats are the perfect companion, as they can survive a few days alone with only an ample supply of food and water and a clean litter box.  We don’t like to leave them behind, but we have the freedom to do so.  And they’re all the more lovey when we return.

They’re also the perfect photography subjects.

Much like children, they are so fun to photograph. They do crazy things and cute things, and there are so many opportunities, it’s hard to resist.

I realized I wrote a post about my sweet Zoe, and I wrote a post about the demonspawn Mochi, but I had yet to write about Holee (pronounced like holly) – probably because she’s the good kitty.

Holee came to us through a casual visit to the Humane Society – “just to look.” Yeah.. Her pleading eyes were irresistible as she silently meowed with all her might from behind the glass. She was instantly friendly upon bringing her into the visiting room – not skittish or shy – and we knew we couldn’t leave without her. Another couple inquiring about seeing her next only sealed the deal.

The only problem: Aaron’s apartment didn’t allow cats, and I was still living with my parents at the time. So we hid her. She was Aaron’s “illegal kitty.” We’d whisk her off to temporarily hole up at my parent’s house anytime maintenance paid a visit – much to Zoe’s dismay (and Holee’s) – to prevent her discovery.

It was an interesting time. Fortunately, Aaron moved shortly thereafter.

Since then, she has been simply the best kitty.

She’s an absolute sweetheart. She’s super affectionate, demanding our attention first thing in the morning and snuggling at night. She’s a talker (she has the cutest purr-meows), greeting us with a bright meow whenever she sees us, and she’s incurably happy – always apurr. The little sneak has even somehow managed to train me to pet her while I sleep (no exaggeration; Aaron has woken up to the purring and my unconscious stroking of her head).

We seldom ever have to yell at her. She doesn’t scratch what she shouldn’t (though she used to), she has excellent litter box habits, she has no interest in swiping our food, and she doesn’t go where she’s not allowed (that we know of).  She has a strong affinity for boxes.

She sends me off every morning, coming to the front door for last pats, and she’s a constant companion, nestling in my lap as I work on the computer (she’s there as I type this).

Holee is also incredibly healthy. She will hit her sweet 16 in February, and you’d believe me if I told you she was a quarter of that. Despite an age Zoe never reached, she is spry and energetic, arrested by wild bouts of energy that send her dashing down the hallway in a blur or possessed by the compulsion to chase her own tail. Her fur is rabbit-soft, and she can’t get enough petting, frequently even tempting us with her fluffy belly trap.

She has the most beautiful eyes, and she wins our hearts every day with her silly antics. Her expressions might sometimes border on cheeky, but they quickly dissolve into affection at the promise of a chin scratch.

I love taking pictures of that pretty face.

Holee really is a good kitty. I only wish some of it would wear off on Mochi-zilla.

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