Before last Thursday night I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to write a “thankful” post about my cat.  I mean I love her enough.  She’s a good cat, more or less.  She’s been part of our family since the weekend after we returned from our honeymoon in September 2003 so I feel a certain sense of attachment to her.

Keoki is a fluffy black and white kitty.  She sheds, I’m not gonna lie, but it’s not terrible shedding.  The dog is actually worse with the whole shedding thing than the cat. 

Thursday night hubbie had to work overtime Thursday night into Friday morning so I was home alone with the animals and Li’l Foot.  While hubbie slept from 7 until 10 I hung out on the couch downstairs.  When I was making dinner and puttering around at first the cat was laying on a blanket strewn on the floor.  As soon as I plopped myself on the couch with a comfy blanket on top of me, I could see Keoki’s eyes widen and fixate on my lap.  As soon as I had officially settled in, she hoisted her rearend up off the floor, hopped up on the arm of the couch and chirped in my ear and rubbed her body up against my head.  She settled in pretty quick and then hubbie came downstairs.  We stayed on the couch until he left and then I picked the cat up still wrapped up in the blanket and transplanted her off my lap and onto the couch.  It was then that I realized…hubbie was not going to be home so I had a brilliant idea.

Keoki is not normally allowed upstairs.  We have a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs preventing her from going up and finding a cozy place to pee or whatever.  Well I figured, hey, hubbie is out for the night and how nice would it be if she were to cuddle up next to me and sleep on the bed next to me for the night.  So I picked up Keoki and the blanket she remained spraled out on and carried her up the stairs as if she was a knocked out toddler from a long car ride.  I grabbed the remote control, curled up under the covers and tehn plopped Keoki and the blanket down on the bed next to me.  She did that weird stance for a moment wondering what the heck just happened and then skulked around the perimeter of the bed to investigate things further.  She jumped when I made the slightest move and while normally I would capitalize on the moment I could spook her into jumping 5 feet into the air, I actually wanted her to stay put so I just remained as still as I could.  At one point she did jump down on the other side of the bed but then realized that’s where the dog was camped out on the floor below and changed her mind real quick.

She settled in right on the blanket I brought her up on and slept the entire night right next to me.  I know I slept through it but just knowing she wanted to lay there next to me made me thankful to have her.  There’s nothing like cuddling up to a warm kitty.  She is not particularly cuddly, never has been so when she does it makes me feel special.  And then as I laid there last night I remembered, she cuddles for selfish reasons.  Come November 1st or so the cat knows the change of seasons and until mid March or so cuddles up next to any warm body she can find.  Although she has yet to discover the dog’s hot body.

So that is why i am thankful today.  I am thankful for my cat keoki who has been there from the start of our marriage…and for cuddling up next to me and making me feel warm and cuddly and special.