Noodleman and SpiceGirl are perhaps two of the most curious kitties anyone could have. If something makes a noise, they have to check it out, and if it smells strange, they simply MUST take a sniff or two...or three... before deciding whether or not they're truly interested.
The other morning I arrived home with several bags of food, soda, and the usual essentials that we buy every week. Leaving everything in the bed of the pickup truck, I went and quietly unlocked the back door, tiptoed down the back hallway to the kitchen entrance, and...QUICKLY SHUT THE DOOR BETWEEN THE KITCHEN AND THE HALLWAY BECAUSE TWO FURBALLS HAD STARTED STREAKING TOWARDS ME!
"Hold on, guys," I said reassuringly through the upper glass window. "I'm just bringing the bags in...give me a couple minutes, and the door will be opened up again."
Both cats simply stood on the other side and looked up at me. Although I could be mistaken, they didn't look very impressed with my words.
When all the bags had finally been deposited onto the hallway floor, and the back door was once again locked, I opened the kitchen door...
And SpiceGirl, being the 'leaner' that she is, fell into the hallway. Noodleman simply jumped over her on his way to being the first cat to get to the first bag.
"Smooth move, girlfriend," I laughed.
But since no kitty likes being publically embarrassed, SpiceGirl salvaged what dignity she had left and pounced onto Noodleman's head while he was sniffing out some ground beef. Both cats ended up inside the bag, scrapping with each other while I stood helplessly by, praying that the hamburg would survive.
The three-second-tussle ended with Noodleman's jumping out of the bag and going over to where the six-pack of soda was.
Dignity and reputation restored, SpiceGirl felt she could now give the groundbeef her full attention.
I, however, felt differently. "Come on out of there, little girl!" Picking her up, I deposited her next to Noodleman, and proceeded to lug two bags into the kitchen.
Both cats followed me and, as I turned to go get two more bags, both cats stayed behind to look over a large package of toilet tissue.
Oh no...the toilet tissue! I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around, and grabbed the top of the bath tissue just as Noodleman picked up a paw to swipe at it. "Oh no, you don't", I told him. "Just once, I would like to pick up a roll of paper without it looking as though it was made for a player piano!"
After finally carting all the bags and soda into the kitchen, I put the perishables...being the most interesting...up on the countertops and out of the reach of inquisitive cats.
Sometimes my dumbness even amazes me. Out of reach? Ha!
While SpiceGirl was 'helping' me put the soda into the refrigerator by trying to get inside, herself, I was busy with trying to keep her OUT of it while stuffing Mountain Dew bottles inside as quickly as possible.
Noodleman decided that this was the perfect opportunity to check out the sliced roast beef which...of course... was up on the countertop. In one graceful leap, he killed the 'out of reach' theory.
I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye at the same time that SpiceGirl decided to obey my directive of "get out from in front of this door!"
She sprang across the floor and took a flying leap, intending to get up next to Noodleman...and the deli meat.
However, Noodleman could never be the Poster Cat for a 'Save the Children' organization...Weight Watchers, yes. Starvation, no.
His portly body plus the fact that there was only room for one cat among those bags meant that SpiceGirl's plan was going to fail...immediately!
She no sooner reached the top of the countertop when she bounced against Noodleman's side, lost her balance, and started heading back where she came from. Unfortunately, as she grappled for a footing, one of her claws snagged a bag of toiletries which then fell to the floor with her.
Toothpaste, Q-Tips, and hairspray spilled out across the floor while the bag, itself, stayed stuck to her foot.
It's really hard to help a little scared kitty when she's jumping all around, shaking her paw frantically, and trying so hard to free herself from a scary plastic monster...especially when you're laughing while doing it.
Finally freed, I held her while murmuring soft words of "it's okay...ha ha...the plastic monster can't...laugh...get you now."
She looked over at Noodleman who was now simply sitting and watching the whole show, and the look on her face seemed to say, "Noodleman, you bum...lose some weight!!"
When once again on the floor, SpiceGirl decided enough was enough, and meandered towards the bedroom, stealthily picking up a squeeky toy mouse along the way.
NOODLEMAN'S squeeky toy mouse!
Like a shot, he was off the counter, and after her!
While they raced through the house and down the back hallway's stairs, I finished putting the groceries away...
...knowing that next week we would get to do this all over again!
