It’s a Cat’s Life

I have a little feline friend. He and I form the testosterone axis in this household. Don’t let that fool you though. He’s really an old softie underneath the gruff, complaining exterior. He particularly enjoys sitting next to me on the couch while I write my blog post. He obviously doesn’t think he gets enough quality time with me.

Or, it might just  be that it is nice to sit quietly with a friend after the puppy has gone to the bedroom with my wife. It is the one time of day when he and I don’t have other fish to fry.

In the morning, it is time for breakfast. He usually eats his breakfast in his penthouse atop Kitty Towers next to the living room window. Actually, he prefers the penultimate platform. The penthouse is a little too high for his tastes.

Next is his morning birdwatching session. He stares out the window and makes those frustrated feline sounds that seem to translate as “If only there wasn’t this solid pane of glass between us, I’d have you for breakfast my fine feathered friend!” He is also fascinated by the garbage truck.

That done, it’s off to the spare bedroom for a nap in the office chair. It is a nice comfortable chair but I secretly suspect that the real attraction is the fact that the puppy can’t get past the baby gate guarding the doorway.

By the time he’s finished his first nap, it’s usually time for me to go to work. I give him a neck scratch and pet his back and long, luxurious tail. Then I’m off to work.

The evening is fairly busy too. When I get home, he is usually sitting on my wife’s lap watching television. Depending on what is for supper, he hangs around to get his share of nibbles from our plates.

After a little bit of TV, my wife retires to the bedroom to watch Rachel Maddow and I settle down to write my blog. That is when he jumps up next to me and sits close and purrs. We’ve had a busy day and now it’s time to unwind.

When I’ve finished my blog post I stand up and say, “Come on, Cory. Let’s go to bed.” He complains piteously about how he is comfortable where he is and that he doesn’t want to have to deal with the puppy. Truth is, he loves his adopted little sister. When she’s asleep he sits next to her and grooms her with his tongue.

That’s his day in a nutshell. At least the part of it that I have any insight into. He enjoys The weekend when I’m home during the day. But he still has to get in his quota of naps. It’s good to have a feline friend like him.


Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.

A Pixie has Stolen My Heart

We have a little Maltipoo puppy. We named her Pixie Woo. I think she imprinted on me. When we were at the breeders to pick out a dog, she stood up on her hid legs and and begged me to pick her up. I did. She rode home on my lap and by the time we got home, I was her human.

My wife tells me that Pixie cries for half an hour every morning after I leave for work. When I get home in the evening, she barks with glee and dances around on her hind legs until I pick her up and give her a hug.

And the affection goes both ways. I have never had a pet that I loved like her. She is such a smart girl. She has a large vocabulary and it’s growing all the time. She knows steak, chicken, and fish. She knows carrot and greenie. She loves carrots and greenies.

My wife plays a game with her where she gets her nose while saying “Boop!” She decided to be the “booper” and jumps up and tags our nose when we are playing the game.

When I call my wife to make plans for dinner, she asks our dogs what they want to eat. She goes through a list of possibilities. When she says something that they want, they high-five her.

I have spent a good part of my life studying computer science with the goal of creating artificial intelligence. Part of the challenge is coming up with a test for determining whether a program is exhibiting intelligence behavior or is just doing what it has been programmed to do. By all criteria I can think of both my dogs are extremely intelligent. But Pixie more so than Belle our older Maltipoo. One thing is for sure, I am lucky to be the human of such an intelligent, affectionate little dog.


Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.