the boys

Did I mention I have cats? Once upon a time they were nearly attached to me. Loving and playful they followed me around all day and slept cuddled against my feet. But enter pregnancy induced allergies, the arrival of babies and the move to a quieter neighborhood, and they now live outside.

Today they sat at the back door begging for attention. My little girls and a visiting friend saw them and went wild. They pressed themselves to the glass to admire the cats and cooed and squealed at them. Finally I relented and went outside.

Apollo came eagerly, always ready for some love. His shiny black coat is a dramatic contrast to his white feet and chin (marked with another tiny spot of black, his "soul patch"). More canine than feline, he loves to play fetch, acts as the guard dog and chases anything that moves. He has even been caught chewing on my shoes and drinking from the toilet.

I carried him into the house and three excited little girls surrounded me, ecstatic for the chance to pet him. Next I brought in Simba, our beautiful orange cat with tiger stripes and gold eyes, a rare and remarkable combination. Less social and more skittish, he clung to me but relaxed as the girls gently pet him and talked to him. He began to purr, his whole body vibrating happily.

Then I dumped them both outside again to finish their dinner. Those three happy girls continued to play, each pretending to hold a cat and argued over who held who. They pet, coaxed, tickled, fed, cuddled, sang to and cooed at their imagined furry friends and insisted I pet them too.

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