Meet my little friend

Now that I'm home more, I'm discovering little things about my street such as a cute group of finches that hang out in the olive trees across the street. The most entertaining thing I've come across is my neighbor's cat. S/he's this cute orange, striped cat with a white underside. I knew they had gotten a couple kittens late last year because we noticed them looking out from a bedroom window. I suppose the cats finally got big enough to be let outside.

Every morning I typically head out around 10am to run errands. Almost every day, he comes running over to play. He and his shy sister explore the front yard clawing anything that moves, chewing whatever smells interesting, sharpening their claws on the tree trunk, and exploring the hidden treasures in the bushes. I'll play with him by grabbing one of the overgrown vines in the bushes and dangling them in the air or pulling on the ones that are wrapped around the branches. He is completely intrigued by the sounds and movement.

There are days when he clearly wants attention. When I walk near the car, he'll hop on the hood in order to get my attention. The first couple of times he tried, he missed hopping up and I'd pick him up. With practice, leaping onto the car and onto fences has become a piece of cake. It's been interesting seeing his skills develop. He has no fear.

I'm not sure the cats have quite figured out cars. They have a confused look on their faces when cars go by. They are intrigued by the movement but scared by the sound and size. It'd most entertaining when he's been on the car as I start to leave. I can't convince him to get off so I inch back slowly. It takes a few gentle starts and stops before he realizes it's best to hop off.

His curiosity is incredibly entertaining. He'll bite anything. He tried biting the rubber bad of the newspaper and it was like he was plucking a banjo. When I watered the plants once, he repeatedly tried to bite the stream of water. Crazy cat!

The only downsides so far have been his minor destruction of the big jade plant, digging in potted plants, and chewing of things such as our door mat. His climbing and clawing lead to branches of the jade plant breaking off. If jade plants are supposed to represent money in Chinese culture, could he be causing me bad luck? ;)

We finally ran into the neighbor and learned the cats are Loki and Thea. Remember the Norse god Loki? It's a very appropriate name for the cat. I've learned that Loki often plays fetch like a dog. It's funny to see cats that will repeatedly chase after things like a dog. After being nine months of living in the same household with the family, Thea is still very cautious about allowing humans to approach her.

I'm allergic to cats so I can't have one of my own. I have to say this is the ideal arrangement. When I feel like some pet therapy I call out to Loki and get a little love and play time. I don't have to feed or clean up after him. Not having a pet growing up, this is really fun.