[ March 31st, 2002 at 8:58 pm ]

There is a trick to cutting Molly’s nails. You must sneak up on her as she slumbers and grab her tightly. Bleary with sleep, she’ll agree to sit upright on your lap (in nail-cutting position) — but only for a few moments, so work quickly.

[ March 29th, 2002 at 7:28 pm ]

I can say one thing about Molly with absolute surety. She does not enjoy the spicy foods. Just now I came home with Pad Thai (vegetarian, with tofu). To justify doubling the price at dinner, of course I was given some little noodle snacks and a cup of soup. The crunchy noodles are difficult to become excited about. However, the cup of soup was remarkably tasty. It was the standard Thai soup fare but with some cilantro and hot peppers thrown in to give it that proverbial kick. And the kick — now that, I can get excited about, so I slurped it up. Molly appeared to find the soup enticing as well. I believe I mentioned her begging ways, so that was not surprising.

Unfortunately Molly herself did get a surprise when I let her lick the soup bowl. She sniffed it in anticipation and I could tell that she was unsure about its palatability when directly presented with the soup. Still, Molly will not turn down food. Not ever, to date. Well, she was definitely nervous but became brave enough to taste a smidgen of the Thai soup. It upset her greatly. She yelped a little kitty yelp and bounded off the couch. Offended, she sat underneath the chair for over 20 minutes licking and licking and licking.

I think perhaps Molly learned a lesson at dinnertime today. Meanwhile, Twinkie just sits on a plastic bag that is wet with rainwater. (Perplexing.)

[ March 28th, 2002 at 10:21 pm ]

She is a queen of beggars. H & S arrived with pizza, and Molly freaked out at the smell of meats and cheeses. She sniffed, mewled, and looked cute. She made various pathetic sounds and gestures. She was very persistent in her begging. One might say that Molly’s persistence is nearly legendary in proportion. When food is in sight, she will never give up until fed a sample. So I gave her a tiny sausage, which she devoured, and which apparently satisfied her because after that she mostly let us be.

[ March 28th, 2002 at 2:49 pm ]

Molly is not allowed in my bedroom nor my computer room when I’m not home. This is for her safety and my sanity. She presumably would dislike electrocution; I dislike shredded clothing and broken blinds. Oddly, Molly displays little to no interest in exploring the computer room. Perhaps because it has been off-limits longer than the bedroom has been. Perhaps the very existence of the computer room has slipped her mind.

Now, I just recently decided to block off the bedroom during the day when I’m at work, and Molly is fighting my decision with all her might. And she has quite a store of might.

This morning I closed the door behind me as I went in the bedroom to floss and brush my teeth, just before leaving for work. I knew Molly was elsewhere. I figured that it was a smart thing to do. I cordoned off the bedroom in advance of leaving, since I was sure Molly was not around and therefore did not need to be chased and caught and deposited in the living room, meanwhile allowing my other cat Twinkie to take the opportunity to rush into the bedroom while she still could. You see, it can get complicated. In the mornings I am in no state to deal with complications. So I closed the bedroom door and went into the bathroom (its door opens off my bedroom) and took care of my teeth. I was flossed and happy. I was ready to leave the house. I opened the bedroom door and saw a streak of white headed toward me down the hallway at top speed. I’d like to know what the top speed of a kitten is, honestly, because before I had time to react she’d launched herself over my feet, between my calves, into the bedroom and under the bed. I have no idea what gave her the idea that she must get into the bedroom at all costs, but once there she had no desire to budge.

I chased her around the bed a few times, finally resorting to blocking her escape route with a wadded-up clump of laundry. Her face registered surprise and disappointment as the dirty clothes stopped her short. I grabbed her shoulders; she growled; I removed her from the room.