Dave and I were dog people from the start. I had to give up a kitten as a little girl due to severe allergies (which, apparently, come out depending on the type of cat.) We both owned and adored our family dogs and always figured that we'd follow in the same footsteps. And we still may, some day.
But, then Beardslee came into our lives and it was a slippery slope from there. Winston was just begging to be our "second (in his mind ONLY) cat." Then, Jasper just showed up on our doorstep on my birthday and our trio was complete.
The cool thing about Jasper is that I had always wanted a lap cat. Someone to snuggle with, to allow the use of my lap for a nap, who wouldn't mind being picked up. He totally fit the bill, 100%.
As time went on, though, I realized that he was so much more than just a snuggle buddy; he was the family dog.
Since it'll probably (okay, definitely) be a challenge to handle Hadley + 3 very "unique" cats + any pups, it looks like the part of canine will be played by Jasper for the foreseeable future. And we're totally fine with that. He's freaking awesome.
- He chases his tail. Seriously. Catches it, then does it again. Falls down the stairs trying to catch that darn thing. (The sick joke? His tail is by far shorter than his two brethren. Winston stares at him like "That's not hard. I could do that. I just don't want to.")
- He seems to think what Ricky Gervais (and many others, I'm sure) says that dogs think: Everything humans do is WONDERFUL. His huge eyes show a constant amazement at how awesome we are. The other two? Meh. Big deal, Mom. You made dinner. Whatever. Jasper? In awe.
- He lays underfoot. I'm sure other people have cats that do this, too, but Winston and Beardslee have a tendency to lay where they won't be bothered; ie not in the middle of the room. JJ, however, tends to lay on his side, comfortably watching me put dishes away and prep food. He's always nearby. Must. Know. Everything.
- Y'know that dumb stare? Totally a dog thing. The others have stares but they either mean that they're juuuuuust about to doze off or are plotting evil revenge. Jasper's stare is completely, utterly blank. Devoid of any thoughts whatsoever. Total "dumb dog." (Remember: I love dogs! Dumb can be an awesome trait. And, no, not all dogs are dumb. But Jasper is totally a dumb dog.)
- He gets low grades for natural cat behavior. Jasper just isn't great at BEING a cat, the poor thing. He has mastered going to the bathroom in the right spot (um, most of the time) and TRIES to cover it up, but he really...sucks at it. Beardslee used to sit by him as he went just so that he could hop in afterwards and give it a proper cleaning. And clawing at stuff? Definitely does it wrong. Oh, and he's not skittish AT ALL. Two-year-old kid running straight at him? Doesn't flinch. Doesn't move. Just lets it happen.
- Food beggar. He doesn't always do this, but when it's a food item that he adores, he's ON it. When my father-in-law comes, he always sits nearby in hopes that he'll get some table scraps. No kidding. He'll also eat pretty much anything you hand over. (That said, Winston loves Chinese. So, the one-to-two times a year we get it, he comes running.)
What about you? Do you have a pet that has some "weird" behavior? Does it make you love them all the more? Or just scratch your head?
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