Written on April 8, 2010 – 1:24 am | by maxine |

 

You might know the song, “Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone, oh where or where can he be?”  Well, around here, Princess is the subject of the song.  You can never tell just where that silly cat is going to be “living” if you can call it that.  Just like people, cats and dogs can be REALLY quirky.  In case quirky is not part of your regular vocabulary, it means: a peculiar behavioural habit, or strikingly unconventional.    Princess is really, REALLY, REALLY QUIRKY! 

You have to have patience with a quirky individual, whether they be four leggers or two leggers and that is certainly the case with Princess.  Perhaps  you have a quirky pet in your family, home, or as we say around here, our Ark.  Mrs. Noah spent considerable time today trying to accommodate the quirkiness of Princess.

Let’s back up a bit and give you some history.  For about six years or so Princess was an indoor/outdoor pussy who didn’t get along well with the other thirty or so felines living with Tom.  She loved Tom and missed him terribly when he died in 2008.  She spent about a month at a foster home and then came here to the Ark, where she spent about two months living in the basement with Gracie.  Since moving upstairs a year ago last Thanksgiving, she has “lived” all over the house – in only a few square feet at a time!  You see, she will stake out her territory and that’s where she stays for two or three weeks, perhaps four at the most.  Then she moves on to the next spot.  She has lived exclusively at various times on a kitchen chair, on a shelf, under a desk, behind the dishwasher, on a small cat tree, on a larger cat tree, on a filing cabinet . . .   Currently she lives on the windowsill of the living room, hiding behind the curtain!  Today she decided that after about two weeks living on the east end of the sill, she has decided to move to the west end of the same sill!  She’s making a scratched up mess of the sill as she keeps falling off when she is asleep, so Mrs. Noah spent time rigging up a wide shelf to stand beside the sill so Princess won’t fall off.  Does Princess appreciate it?  Nope!  Will she stay more than a few weeks on the west end of the sill where there is no shelf?  Nope!

The aggravating thing about this whole situation is that once she has “lived” in a spot for whatever length of time she has chosen, none of the other felines dares to take over the spot after she has left it!  It is REALLY weird, wouldn’t you say?  I think they all figure you never know when Princess will show up to reclaim her territory and she can be a hissy little piece of business to be sure.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I did not share all of this with you to throw stones at Princess and make you think she is weird – well, she is, but don’t tell her I told you!!  Oh no, quite the contrary!  I just wanted you to know that you can’t say all cats are . . .   or all dogs are . . .  because no two are alike.  We are all individuals.  When choosing a cat or dog to live in your home, take the time to study their personality or ask their current care giver about them.  Some, like me, need lots of others to play with.  Some, like Princess, are best to live in a home without other animals or small children.  Nobody wanted Princess so she ended up here and Mrs. Noah tries to accommodate her quirkiness.  She doesn’t force Princess to live with the rest of us.  She allows her to enjoy her privacy as a loner.  But I gotta tell ya.  Ya gotta wonder about what goes on in Princess’ mind.  She thinks she’s hiding and all the while her entire body is on display to the world outside the window on which sill she is sitting or sleeping!!

Enjoy your “quirky” pets!  I have to admit, some believe I am quirky because I play like a cat, even though I am a dog and I “mother” the other cats, even though I would be a daddy if I could be!

Now, “Oh where, oh where has that quirky cat gone, oh where or where can she be?” 

Love, Coby