LJ Idol Season 8: Week 14; Twitterpated
Cats and dogs. Peanut butter and jelly on a bacon cheeseburger. Some things just don’t make sense together. Then something comes along and shatters all logic behind these seemingly concrete notions.
Meet Miss Kitty, AKA the KiKi Monster. I’ve had Miss Kitty for about 8 years now. I rescued her from a high kill shelter when she was already mostly grown. I had gone in to snatch up a little white kitten; I was first in a line of many others who wanted the cute little guy. No one was even giving Miss Kitty a second glance. She was an adult cat in a shelter full of kittens. And she had short, patchy fur with no hair behind her ears. As I waited for the paperwork for the kitten to go through, she was rubbing against her cage and meowing loudly for my attention. Some man pointed her out to me and said "That right there is the cat for you.” I’m not sure why I listened... I already had claim on the baby cat. However, I saw this pitiful, sweet girl and decided I had to at least hold her. They got her out of the cage and placed her in my lap. It was love at first scratch. I didn’t choose her; she chose me. Another couple happily took the white little guy home since I could only have one cat at the time. And I ended up with the right cat for me. She is the best cat I've ever owned, so sweet and affectionate even though the people who brought her in swore she was feral and mean. The hair grew in behind her ears, and she doubled in size. Her thin, patchy fur is now thick and long. She’s a stunningly beautiful cat. I brought her home and she’s had a very happy existence ever since.
Well it was happy for her until I introduced her to a giant pup named Annabelle. Miss Kitty had lived with me for about 5 years before we picked up Annabelle. I knew I wanted a dog and not just any dog. I wanted a big breed dog. My ex was adamant that we needed a Great Dane. I found Miss Annabelle on petfinder.com and we made our way to a little shelter in Tennessee where we adopted another shelter baby for our family.
Bringing her home was interesting. She was 8 weeks old and already 12 pounds, which was more than what my cat weighed. I’d like to say that it was love at first sight, but that would be a lie. No, Annabelle walked up to Miss Kitty, tail wagging and ready for an introductory kiss. Miss Kitty didn’t take too kindly to the massive beast in her face and showed it with a hiss and a smack across the snout. Obviously, it was a friendly warning to maintain personal boundaries. It continued this way for awhile, and we thought that eventually Annabelle would learn her lesson and leave the cat alone.
But oh no... Annabelle absolutely loves her kitty. Today, my 12 pound puppy is closer to 100 pounds. While small for a Great Dane, she’s certainly a very big dog. And while she hesitates when Miss Kitty is angry, she still can’t resist giving her big slobbery kisses at every turn. The cat has determined that she likes the attention for a few minutes and basks in the glow of being petted by Annabelle’s giant tongue, but eventually Miss Kitty grows bored with it and smacks her away.
But you can tell that the affection is mutual when Miss Kitty walks up to a sleeping Annabelle and licks her face and ears softly. She even takes her tiny little tongue and gently licks her eyelids. Annabelle has learned that if she moves during these little sessions that she gets smacked and that even though her eyes are wide open, excitement clear as day in them, she can’t move a muscle. Well, except her tail which beats against the floor for the entire time she gets her kisses. Eventually, though, she can’t take it anymore and must return the kiss! She sits up, kisses the cat and usually gets smacked across the face. A cat’s love has boundaries.
Despite the smacking, Annabelle can’t help herself and loves “her” cat so much. I even realized by accident one day that she’s managed to learn what she’s called. One day, jokingly, I asked her "Annabelle? Where’s your kitty?” when I couldn’t find the cat. Annabelle jumped down off the bed; walked over to the closet; and stuck her nose on the cat. Then she looked at me as if to say, "Here she is, mom!”
Without any training whatsoever, I can ask Annabelle now "Where’s your kitty?” and she will look for her. Just today, I did this; she ran into the kitchen and looked on the table, then under the table and under the chairs before looking at me all worried like, "I can’t find her!” She kept searching for her... In the closet... On the bed... Finally, she ventured back into the kitchen where the cat had come out of hiding at last. She planted her nose on Miss Kitty and looked at me proudly. She found her kitty once again! Kisses and some hissing ensued as she enthusiastically greeted her tiny sister.
The care and concern painted on my dog’s face when something is messing with her kitty is unreal. Miss Kitty recently had an injury to her chin and sometimes when she cleans herself, it hurts enough that she meows in pain. Annabelle will run in from the other room, worry sketched across her face, and kiss her cat on the head softly as if to say, "It’s okay.”
I hear people say that pets aren’t able to love; that they’re just animals; and lack all emotion. They’ve never met my pets. Annabelle can hear my boyfriend’s car a mile away. Every Saturday, she gets all excited and cries at the door a full five minutes before he even knocks. As he walks up, her head tilts to the side as she waits for the door to open. When it does, she can barely contain her excitement and we have to snuggle with her goofy butt for twenty minutes before she finally stops wiggling and kissing him. When he leaves, we walk him out and she watches as his car drives away, refusing to go inside until she can no longer see him.
If this isn’t love, I don’t know what it is. Anyone who tells me otherwise is wrong.
She loves me and I can see it in the way she trusts me when she’s injured or scared. I can see it in the way she snuggles up next to me in bed when I’m lonely, her human sized body positioned perfectly next to mine. Or how she’s licked away my tears when I'm sad, as if she’s trying to make them stop and doesn't know how.
And of all the crazy things in life, she loves her kitty cat. And in her own twisted way, Miss Kitty loves her back. Miss Kitty loves her people too, of course. She shows it in her own cat way of kneading me with her claws and biting my hair and toes as I try to sleep. She’s known for sitting on my chest and burying her head into my neck, purring loudly and cherishing the attention.
You can always count on your pets to love you unconditionally and to show you that love on a daily basis. My shelter babies have truly taught me all about what it means to love unconditionally. No matter if you’re overweight or thin as a rail, rich or poor; they look past the exterior and love you for who you are. There are very few humans who can guarantee you that.
The video above shows Annabelle, my Great Dane, lying on the floor and my cat nibbling and kissing her playfully as my puppy tries to sit still.
Meet Miss Kitty, AKA the KiKi Monster. I’ve had Miss Kitty for about 8 years now. I rescued her from a high kill shelter when she was already mostly grown. I had gone in to snatch up a little white kitten; I was first in a line of many others who wanted the cute little guy. No one was even giving Miss Kitty a second glance. She was an adult cat in a shelter full of kittens. And she had short, patchy fur with no hair behind her ears. As I waited for the paperwork for the kitten to go through, she was rubbing against her cage and meowing loudly for my attention. Some man pointed her out to me and said "That right there is the cat for you.” I’m not sure why I listened... I already had claim on the baby cat. However, I saw this pitiful, sweet girl and decided I had to at least hold her. They got her out of the cage and placed her in my lap. It was love at first scratch. I didn’t choose her; she chose me. Another couple happily took the white little guy home since I could only have one cat at the time. And I ended up with the right cat for me. She is the best cat I've ever owned, so sweet and affectionate even though the people who brought her in swore she was feral and mean. The hair grew in behind her ears, and she doubled in size. Her thin, patchy fur is now thick and long. She’s a stunningly beautiful cat. I brought her home and she’s had a very happy existence ever since.
Well it was happy for her until I introduced her to a giant pup named Annabelle. Miss Kitty had lived with me for about 5 years before we picked up Annabelle. I knew I wanted a dog and not just any dog. I wanted a big breed dog. My ex was adamant that we needed a Great Dane. I found Miss Annabelle on petfinder.com and we made our way to a little shelter in Tennessee where we adopted another shelter baby for our family.
Bringing her home was interesting. She was 8 weeks old and already 12 pounds, which was more than what my cat weighed. I’d like to say that it was love at first sight, but that would be a lie. No, Annabelle walked up to Miss Kitty, tail wagging and ready for an introductory kiss. Miss Kitty didn’t take too kindly to the massive beast in her face and showed it with a hiss and a smack across the snout. Obviously, it was a friendly warning to maintain personal boundaries. It continued this way for awhile, and we thought that eventually Annabelle would learn her lesson and leave the cat alone.
But oh no... Annabelle absolutely loves her kitty. Today, my 12 pound puppy is closer to 100 pounds. While small for a Great Dane, she’s certainly a very big dog. And while she hesitates when Miss Kitty is angry, she still can’t resist giving her big slobbery kisses at every turn. The cat has determined that she likes the attention for a few minutes and basks in the glow of being petted by Annabelle’s giant tongue, but eventually Miss Kitty grows bored with it and smacks her away.
But you can tell that the affection is mutual when Miss Kitty walks up to a sleeping Annabelle and licks her face and ears softly. She even takes her tiny little tongue and gently licks her eyelids. Annabelle has learned that if she moves during these little sessions that she gets smacked and that even though her eyes are wide open, excitement clear as day in them, she can’t move a muscle. Well, except her tail which beats against the floor for the entire time she gets her kisses. Eventually, though, she can’t take it anymore and must return the kiss! She sits up, kisses the cat and usually gets smacked across the face. A cat’s love has boundaries.
Despite the smacking, Annabelle can’t help herself and loves “her” cat so much. I even realized by accident one day that she’s managed to learn what she’s called. One day, jokingly, I asked her "Annabelle? Where’s your kitty?” when I couldn’t find the cat. Annabelle jumped down off the bed; walked over to the closet; and stuck her nose on the cat. Then she looked at me as if to say, "Here she is, mom!”
Without any training whatsoever, I can ask Annabelle now "Where’s your kitty?” and she will look for her. Just today, I did this; she ran into the kitchen and looked on the table, then under the table and under the chairs before looking at me all worried like, "I can’t find her!” She kept searching for her... In the closet... On the bed... Finally, she ventured back into the kitchen where the cat had come out of hiding at last. She planted her nose on Miss Kitty and looked at me proudly. She found her kitty once again! Kisses and some hissing ensued as she enthusiastically greeted her tiny sister.
The care and concern painted on my dog’s face when something is messing with her kitty is unreal. Miss Kitty recently had an injury to her chin and sometimes when she cleans herself, it hurts enough that she meows in pain. Annabelle will run in from the other room, worry sketched across her face, and kiss her cat on the head softly as if to say, "It’s okay.”
I hear people say that pets aren’t able to love; that they’re just animals; and lack all emotion. They’ve never met my pets. Annabelle can hear my boyfriend’s car a mile away. Every Saturday, she gets all excited and cries at the door a full five minutes before he even knocks. As he walks up, her head tilts to the side as she waits for the door to open. When it does, she can barely contain her excitement and we have to snuggle with her goofy butt for twenty minutes before she finally stops wiggling and kissing him. When he leaves, we walk him out and she watches as his car drives away, refusing to go inside until she can no longer see him.
If this isn’t love, I don’t know what it is. Anyone who tells me otherwise is wrong.
She loves me and I can see it in the way she trusts me when she’s injured or scared. I can see it in the way she snuggles up next to me in bed when I’m lonely, her human sized body positioned perfectly next to mine. Or how she’s licked away my tears when I'm sad, as if she’s trying to make them stop and doesn't know how.
And of all the crazy things in life, she loves her kitty cat. And in her own twisted way, Miss Kitty loves her back. Miss Kitty loves her people too, of course. She shows it in her own cat way of kneading me with her claws and biting my hair and toes as I try to sleep. She’s known for sitting on my chest and burying her head into my neck, purring loudly and cherishing the attention.
You can always count on your pets to love you unconditionally and to show you that love on a daily basis. My shelter babies have truly taught me all about what it means to love unconditionally. No matter if you’re overweight or thin as a rail, rich or poor; they look past the exterior and love you for who you are. There are very few humans who can guarantee you that.
The video above shows Annabelle, my Great Dane, lying on the floor and my cat nibbling and kissing her playfully as my puppy tries to sit still.