Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Animal Interaction

I've only started to notice this as of late, but as I've taken notice I realize that it's been happening since about the time Kristin left until now. When I'm at home I have managed to develop a much more personal and close relationship with my pets. I'm not talking about anything sick or bestial, so don't even let your mind wander in that direction. No, what I mean is that I've started to cultivate individual relationships with each animal instead of treating each animal the same, as just a pet.

Stitch, mine and Kristin's baby, has received a lot of attention and a lot of conversation during the last couple of months. I suppose it helps that it also appears as if he's developed a feline attachment to me as well. Whenever I am home alone, you can bet that Stitch is going to be following me around the house. At night before I go to bed, you can often find him wandering into my room and jumping up onto my bed clamoring for attention. He'll rub his head against my arms as I sit at my computer or jump on my lap if I'm sitting down. When we spend long portions of a day together you might even catch me talking to him. It's weird, I know, but it's nice to have someone to just listen and give an occasional meow of assent to what you are saying.

Sammy, the fat cat of the house has been spending a lot more time sleeping with me at night. Both Stitch and Sam will usually be in my room when I got to bed, but when I lie down to go to sleep Sam will nuzzle up right next to me whereas Stitch runs off to play. The relaxing (and very loud) purring of Sam helps me to get to sleep at night. Knowing that there's someone else there next to me, even if he's not human, is reassuring.

Mystique, the oldest cat of the house, is also the most talkative to me. She's pretty shy, but when the other cats aren't around, she'll gladly keep me company. One thing that I can always depend on Mystique for is tv watching companionship. As soon as I lie down onto the couch in the living room and flip on the tube, she'll jump up on the couch next to me and either lie on my stomach or curl up next to me.

Karma, our crazy house dog, who has actually been spending more time outdoors lately since it's been relatively nice out, is easily the most playful of all the animals. As soon as I pick up her blue clown toy, she knows it's play time. She is also the most intelligent of our pets and has a great knack for reading moods. On the days when I feel lonely, you can be assured that Karma will be my shadow which means a lot, even if it's just coming from a dog. For a while Karma would stay with me at night as well, but she's defected to staying with my mom upstairs. I know that will change with the first thunderstorm, however, because Karma gets totally freaked out at even the smallest of storms.

I don't know if I've grown closer to my animal companions because Kristin has been gone or I simply have grown more attached to them, but either way I feel a lot more comfortable at home by myself because of it. Usually I would hate being at home by myself since I detest that feeling you get when you're completely alone, but with the relationships I've formed with my pets, I know that even though no other humans are around, I've still got a few fun friends keeping me company.

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