Feline Affection

I've mentioned this before, but Leo is such a kisser.

No, really. I mean he will lick you like a dog would.

I'll come home, scoop him up in my arms and there he goes, straight for my nose.

*lick, lick, lick*

*kiss, kiss, kiss*

"Oh yes, thank you for the nose kisses," I'll say, "I love you, too, Dude."

Recently I read that cats who lick may do so because they associate it with what feels good to them. When they were itty bitty kitties, their mothers would lick and groom them as a show of affection. In turn, cats lick us to show their affection toward us. It felt nice to them when they were babies with mom, so it must feel good to us, too. Plus, when we pet them it gives them that same sensation.

Actually, that's rather sweet, isn't it?

Just like we grow up with hugs and kisses from loved ones, our kitties grew up with kisses, too.

So, when I scoop up Leo into a big hug and smooch his head—like I was taught—he purrs and licks my nose in affection back—like he was taught.

I guess it's true; love knows no barriers.

— E & L

Cute as a Button

As a first-time cat owner, not to mention a self-declared "dog person," I have been surprised by how attached I have become to this little, orange mass of fur.

It's not just how playful he is, or his many sleeping positions, nor is it even his fetishes. These things all endear him to me, and make up his unique personality. But, it is also the little things that I find myself stopping and smiling about.

One thing that I found oh-so-cute from the get-go was listening to him drink water. Um, what? No, really. There is something about that little "lap, lap, lap, lap, lap" that I find so delicate and soothing. Almost like listening to the rain drizzle outside. Plus, at the time I first noticed it, it seemed like such a contrast to his crazy kitten behavior. I still find myself pausing to listen to it.

Then there are those adorable kitty whiskers. I just love those long, white strands. The way they contrast against his orange fur is so cute to me. The fact that they remind me of a walrus or overgrown nose hairs are just pluses.

Lastly, I give you the foot-tuck. As I mentioned, Leo really likes to sleep all spread out. But, when he is just sitting around, he will often tuck his front feet under his body. This is sometimes accompanied by the tail-wrap where he wraps his tail around his body. He becomes a perfect oval. This pose exudes feline satisfaction. I feel that when he sits this way he is telling me he is content with life.

It must be true love when even the simplest of things bring me joy and smiles.

Sorry pups, but perhaps I need to get myself a subscription to Cat Fancy...

— E & L

Leo: The Foot Fetishist

You read the title right.

Leo has a foot fetish.

I have already explained how Leo is a licker in a previous post, and you can reacquaint yourself with that post here if you'd like.

It's true; he's just a licker. Leo licks arms, fingers, and — perhaps most often — feet.

Toe Licker. Yes, I staged this photo.

I'm not proud of what I've done, but there it is.

He will lick your bare feet.

He will lick your shoes.

And he will even lick your be-socked feet.

Why? I have no idea.

It is a little unsettling when you are sitting down or standing around, and all of a sudden here is this rough tongue sliding across your big toe. Even more unsettling when you have somewhat-ticklish feet!

"Leo! That tickles!" I'll exclaim. He'll look at me, but pay no mind.

Lick, lick, lick.

I suppose I should look at it as another one of his unique takes on showing affection.

Unless my feet are really always that dirty, and this is his plea for me to wash them more than once a day.

I think I'll go with the affection thing... yes, I think I like that better.

::sniff, sniff::

Yeah, they're fine...

— E & L

Let Sleeping CATS Lie...

"You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense." — Jane Pauley

Cat nap.

It's not a phrase that has leaked into our lexicon by happenstance. Cats sleep. They sleep a lot. Naturally nocturnal, they tend to spend their days lazing about having one long, afternoon snooze after another.

As Leo has gotten older, the nap has become more and more his "thing." He gets up in the morning, has a bite to eat, plays a little, gets a little wild, and then BAM! Out like a light for the entire afternoon.

I cannot say I really mind. Like the quote from Jane Pauley observes, there is no stress involved when you watch a kitty sleep — they just look so peaceful. And the way that their eyes turn up at the sides when they close them makes them look so happy.

Of course, Leo wouldn't be Leo without some sort of little eccentricity. That includes when he sleeps.

When he was smaller, he used to jump up onto a cushioned chair, curl up into a ball and snooze. He will still do this, though his new preferred snooze spot is on the bed.

 

Now, from what I can tell, Leo has two sleeping positions he favors:

The Stretch

— AND —

The Death Pose

He is almost at his seventh month of life, so he is already a big kitty. Sleeping on the bed gives him the chance to strrreeetch out all he likes. Oftentimes when he stretches out he shifts his head so that his chin is toward the ceiling. This then metamorphosed into the all-out laying flat on his back with his feet in the air pose I have dubbed, The Death Pose.

The Death Pose can happen anytime, anywhere. On the ottoman, the bed, the kitchen floor. Anywhere.  And it never ceases to put a smile on my face and a chuckle in my throat. For me, this pose equals the epitome of feline relaxation and comfort.

I must mention, that while he certainly prefers the bed, Leo is apt to fall asleep anywhere. In a rather Seussian manner, here are several examples:

LEO CAN SLEEP...

in his kitty condo,

on a window sill, 

on the computer,

in a basket,

in a box,

against the chair's arm,

against MY arm,

against my leg,

against the wall.

Yes, I must admit that I am convinced little Leo could muster up a nap just about anywhere.

When he crawled into that shoe-box-turned-drawing-box I asked him, "What are you, a cat?" He answered by promptly squeezing his head inside and napping for more than half of an hour. Ah yes, I can't wait to see what else he might be tempted to squeeze into and take a nap in the time to come.

Wow, all this talk about snoozing makes me a little tired myself. I think I'll just... maybe... lay my head down, right over here, and...

::Zzzz::

— E & L

Ain't Worth a Lick

One of Leo's little eccentricities is that he is a licker. I have not known many cats in my life thus far, but I have only been licked by one other cat. And that was only a couple of times. Literally twice.

At first I thought it was just because