barb - 0; cat-o-bloggo cats - 2

once again, the cats have managed to dupe me into giving them a second breakfast.  i was fairly certain that Brian had already fed them, but when i woke up yesterday, they followed me around, meowing their chorus of "feed us!  feed us!"

if Angelo were human, he would make a perfect bouncer as he’s so good at guarding doors, especially to the bathroom.  the only time he does this is when Brian or i are inside it when he’s hungry.  if either of us decides to shower before feeding them, he’ll guard the tub by sitting on the tub mat and won’t move so we end up having to step around him.

Hopper and Hee Seop follow me around, mewing plaintively and stretching their necks towards me as i tower above them.  Hopper’s expression is one of desperation–eyes wide open, head cocked–an expression she knows is hard for me to resist.  and she’s the only one to whom i always cave in.  Basil croaks at me in his deep Siamese voice, flashing his eyes, blue as sapphire.

and i bought the act.  will i ever learn?

over summer vacation a few years ago, i brought the cats home to Chicago with me, from Columbus, OH.  at the time we only had Hopper and Basil.  while Brian and i visited his folks in Iowa, the cats remained at my parents’ house.  my dad was going to take care of them because my mother doesn’t like animals and doesn’t believe they belong in the house.  (keep in mind that she’s from a culture/country where this is the prevailing attitude.)

when i came back, she told me how funny the cats were:  whenever she sat down to eat breakfast, they would go to their bowls in the breakfast nook as well.  she was so delighted by this that she made sure they had food.

she routinely woke up before my dad and was already gone for work by the time he came downstairs–to feed them again!  he had no idea that my mother was also feeding them because remember–she doesn’t like animals.  sure, she doesn’t.