About Kaboom

I was thinking about my cats yesterday and thought I'd regale you with cat stories rather than continued tales of "Whoa! I'm still sick!". Way more fun for all involved.

Domino has become the external face of Hatchet House: outgoing, friendly and looking for snuggles. Kaboom, on the other hand, is the cat you'll never see: nervous, paranoid but extremely snuggly with pretty much just me.

He seems to be a combination of previous cats - Pixel's skittishness, emotionally sort of like Xerxes, definitely her looks (although without the white tuxedo highlights) and his fur is pelt-like the way Dart's was: thick and rich. He is a great contrast to Domino, who will lay about with his belly exposed (he's confident and happy), but isn't really interested in you petting it. Kaboom never lays about with his belly exposed (Domino would probably attack), but when he hangs out with me in the bathroom, will stretch himself out so that he's an extra foot and a half long and will let me pet his side and tummy as long as I like. With my foot, even. Domino will put up with foot petting for about 2 strokes and then complains and walks away indignantly.

"I knew that you were part monkey but...Gah!"

I don't know about you, but my cats trained me long ago that I should never go to the bathroom alone. Started with Xerxes banging the door with her claws: bang-a! bang-a! bang-a! with her paw hooked under the door until I let her in. How could I possibly be safe in the little room with all the water alone? Then Pixel got in on the act and it's been all over since then. By the time Caitlin was born, the whole concept of having privacy in the bathroom was a foregone conclusion. So now the cats guard me while I shower. Or, maybe they just like saunas. Who knows? But when your hands are wet and drippy and a cat needs petting, that's where the foot petting comes in.

Kaboom is also a great masseuse.

No, really!

Late at night, after the umpteenth trip to the bathroom (And this is only the first trimester!), when I return to bed, I tend to pet the mostly sleeping Kaboom as I lay down again. He then goes into Snuggle Mode. He doesn't just walk up to my chin, lay down across my throat and get petted like Domino does, oh no. Instead, he walks up behind me, between Eric and I and I have to pet him over my shoulder (I like to sleep facing outwards). I scritch him and he purrs in my ear, then he settles down behind me and kneads my lower back, or my side if I'm flat on my back.

Knead, knead, knead. Ahhh!

He keeps his razor sharp claws sheathed and kneads away happily. It puts me back to sleep, knowing that I am well loved and kneaded by my cat. Hee!

He's pretty well mannered and never hollers about needing breakfast right now! in the mornings, but is the first to chase Caitlin downstairs once she starts moving. Unfortunately, since he's not top cat, he has to wait for Domino to choose which bowl he's going to eat out of first. After that momentous decision has been made, then Kaboom can eat.

It's tough, but he's well loved. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a cat in a house like mine.