Friday Fun #3 – Pretty

Meet Pretty Kitty Little Bits…

(or Pretty for short)

Pretty adopted me in 2009. She showed up in the middle of the night, crying, starving, and terrified. But with a lot of patience and 3 cans of cat food (stolen from Coal’s stash), she finally agreed to come inside to take over Queenship of the cabin.

Timid by nature, Pretty spends a lot of time hiding. But after 3 years, she began to grow in confidence…and around the mid-section too.

She’s not particularly fond of other animals, but usually avoids confrontations by running away or seeking my protection. If cornered, she will growl and hiss, even offer a gentle swat at times, but she is just too sweet to fight.

A little too intelligent…

As with most cats, Pretty is not concerned with following rules. She mainly does as she pleases, but on the rare occasion when she gets in trouble, she gripes at me in her old lady tone, clearing telling me I should mind my own business.

Her disposition is that of a snooty little princess with just enough sweet innocence to get her way, most of the time. Especially when she smiles at me.

She has a knack for opening doors, and loves making nests in my kitchen cabinets. I finally installed latches after she went through all of my boxed goods, taste-testing everything. Apparently, she likes dried egg noodles…a lot! I found 1 bag completely empty, and another one she had been snacking on. But who doesn’t like pasta, right? Although I prefer mine cooked.

Pretty is also very sneaky and has a talent for stealing. At mealtimes (for the humans) when we say grace, we do it with our eyes open or we cover our plates, as Pretty will not hesitate to help herself to whatever she can grab. Like me, she has a sweet tooth and cannot resist chocolate, so we’re both on diets now.

One year at Christmas time, my son Christian and I built a gingerbread train, complete with a little caboose filled with M&M’s. The next morning, I noticed some of the icing had been scraped off. As I was questioning Christian about it, we heard a noise and turned to see Pretty scooping out the M&M’s and eating them. She also had icing stuck all over her whiskers.

She’s also athletic…(sometimes)

Pretty is also a high-minded cat, meaning she loves to climb up the outside walls and get up on the roof. Even though she is a small cat, she still sounds like a buffalo running around up there. Her way of getting down is sliding down the support post on the front porch, like a little fireman, but with claws, so she gets stuck sometimes. The first few times I rescued her, she dug her claws into me from fear. But eventually she learned to trust me, so I’m no longer used as a pin cushion.

As you can see in the video, Pretty likes to play in water. She won’t go outside when it’s raining, but she’ll play in the fountain all day long. She also thought of it as her personal water bowl, and drained it dry a few times. I’ve since moved it, as I wasn’t fond of getting sprinkled as she slapped the water stream.

One of Pretty’s favorite places is on the chair in front of the woodstove, where she waits patiently each morning in the winter. Once the fire is going, she begins rolling around from side to side on the chair, perfectly content and cozy. Unless she sees a squirrel or a bird outside. Then she sits in the window chattering like a chipmunk, with what I suspect is a barrage of threats describing what she would like to do to them.

All in all, Pretty is a sweetheart, liking nothing more than to snuggle up in comfort, while being hand-fed bon-bons. I’m thankful to be included in her clan (enslaved).

Well, Pretty just broke into the office, telling me it’s time to give her a food offering. I’ll be back next week with more of the cat clan.

Until then, enjoy your weekend! – Amber