Cat as Cat Can

I'll take a break from TED - inspired musings to catch you up on Rex, the cat, who lies curled up beside me just now in one of his many cozy beds, this one primed to catch the mid-day sun. So far this week he has trapped himself in the pantry and in the narrow space between our front screen and wooden doors (really only wide enough to fit a large wreath). Both times his piteous meows and scratching claws alerted us to his plight within minutes. We removed his bell due to sleep deprivation but never have to look far to find him as he gallops to the door when we return after an absence and never plays or rests out of sight.  He's adopted us as his family and like a small child will come to my feet and meow when he wants to be held.

I've read that holding a cat or dog can lower blood pressure and I'll attest that holding a sleepy, purring cat can restore my faith in the world, or at least in a family gone crazy with back-to-school scheduling. The children vie over who gets to hold or play with him, so their blood pressure tends to go up - at least until Rex picks a lap to fall asleep on and then the lucky lap-ee soaks up the love like a movie star in Cannes.

Rex strips the leaves off my house-plants and finger-paints with the water from his bowl. He disrupts the kids at 4:00am with a desire to play and tracks litter through the office. Do we regret adopting this little snow-leopard kitty? Not at all. He does need to stop climbing the sliding screen door and wandering around the kitchen table, but aside from that he's a keeper. I finally understand what the cat video sensation is about - but I promise to spare you ours.