Some of you know about our cat, Jazie Miles Davis, also known as Bad Puss. He is sitting beside me now, purring and pawing me so I scratch him. It wouldn't be so bad if he enjoyed having his head rubbed or an occasional scratch behind the ears, but he likes his rump scratched. Now tell me, how can I write serious fiction when a spoiled tabby backs up to me and points to his bumm with a furry paw? I'm telling you, it can't be done.Jazie was nearly grown when we got him. He belonged to a friend of a friend, who no longer wanted him. Calvin insisited he go to the vet before we brought him home. Once the vet declared him healthy and free from ear mites and fleas, we brought him to his new abode, or would that be castle? Two weeks later we had him neutered, and he still hasn't forgiven Calvin for carrying him in for the proceedure.
He's added a lot to our household. There's just something soothing about a cat's purr. Or comical about the way a cat sees his universe. If one of the cats who roams our neighborhood has the audacity to step onto our back patio and look in our French doors, Jazie growls and makes a lip smaking sound. If he happens to be napping elsewhere when the visitor appears, all I have to say is, "I see the kitty-kitty," and Jazie comes barreling out, skidding to a stop at the doors, ready to do battle. To protect his turf and feed bowl.
Dare I mention the monster that lives in the DVD player? Everytime the door opens, Jazie is there, batting at it. One of these days he's going to slay that Drawer-Monster!
I spend a lot of writing hours in my recliner, writing on my laptop. Jazie curls up beside my legs and sleeps. When an empty tummy disturbs his feline slumber, he moves to the armrest, where he places one paw on my cheek as if to say, "Hey! Fill my feed bowl, oh, lowly servant." If I ignore him, he allows one claw to poke out on his paw and he gently biffs me on the end of my nose for a treat. Calvin has him on a diet, though, and Bad Puss is not too happy there are no treats to be had. For a while his tummy swayed from side-to-side when he ran, and we were concerned about his expanding waistline.I would not want to imply that Jazie is spoiled, but he does have his own Twitter account with forty-eight followers. The bad thing is I think he's been on Twitter begging for people to send him treats. Strange packages arrive here from time-to-time addressed to him. You can follow him @JazieMilesDavis. But under NO condition should you send him treats. He's still got a caseful sent here by SparkleCat. I bet if SparkleCat knew Jazie was neutered, she wouldn't be so sparkly! The hussy.
What about you? Do you have pets with attitude?
28 comments:
My dachshund is my writing buddy, lol she's 4 years old and loves to keep me company :)
Oh, I love dachshunds! I think they're the cutest. A lady in our writing group has one, and I think Ebbie--short for Ebenezer--is full of personality.
I have a dog named Chase, but he's not exactly what I'd call a writing buddy. He does lay by the desk sometimes, but I think it's because I'm in the corner of the dining room by the window where it's a bit secluded and the rug is new and soft. lol
But when he's around he's likely to interrupt my writing, if it's his feeding time or he wants to go for a walk.
Othewise, he ignores me.
I'd sooner lay where it's soft, too. I bet Chase enjoys your company more than you think.
Jazie sounds as though he has you and Calvin well-trained. ;-) I love cats. They've got such attitude.
Jasper is my writing partner. He'll be 10 years old in March. He and I have a lot in common, we're both getting a bit gray around the muzzle and when we first rise from a sitting position, we tend to be a bit stiff.
Even though he's a mere 9 lbs. of rat terrier/chihuahua fury, Jasper rules his five acre estate here in Kentucky with the ferocity of a well-trained doberman.
He's trained us well. When he yips, we hop and if I happen to ignore him while writing a story - he bounces his green squeaky toy off the keyboard.
We'd be lost without our furry owners. Wouldn't we, Vonnie?
;-)
Vonnie, I love this. I'm one of Jazzie's Twitter followers. Jazzie is beautiful. I love tabbies. Most of my cats have been tabby, including my beloved Sabrina, that one special cat that comes into our lives. When Jazzie said you thought he needed to go on a diet, I told him to tell you he's not fat, he's just large-boned. I now have a fat, black sweetie of a cat named Killer. She's afraid of everything, hence the name. She's also overweight but insists she's just large-boned. Killer is not a lap cat, but she loves to hang with my husband and me. She interrupts me constantly when I'm on the computer. She comes in the room and cries and cries until I get up and follow her to her food bowl to watch her eat. I'm thinking of setting up a Twitter account for her. She's prettier than me and is more interesting.
Ginger is my furry pal, but I wouldn't call her a writing buddy. When I head to the office, she gives me a sad look and lets out a sigh. Major guilt trip in the making! She'd be happy if I never wrote another word and spent my entire day taking her for walks. Spoiled? Better the dog than the kids! LOL
Maeve, you are so right. Our pets train us. There is no "dumb" in the word animal. I laughed outloud about the squeaky toy on the keyboard trick--too cute.
I have a new writing buddy. My 20 year writing buddy recently passed away but I had the fortune to have a new writing buddy show up in my back yard! She's a kitten and a hand full but hope the fact that she has six toes on her front paws will help me type faster. : )
Great post!
Cara, I'm tickled you're one of Jazie's followers. By all means get Killer a Twitter account. Just keep an eye out for SparkleCat.
You are so right, Jannine, a spoiled animal can be cute. Spoiled children are simply abnoxious. Our children need taught manners, respect, restraint and boundaries. We do them no favor by allowing them to run amuck--the kids or the pets.
Anne, I'm sorry to hear about your previous pet. How sad. I'm glad you were able to open a part of your heart to a new pet, especially one who needed you so badly.
We have 3 cats inside - Callie, a quiet Calico who sleeps on the arm of the couch as I write, A BIG black Tom-Cat, Bandit, who thinks he is the next Hemingway and tries to help write and little Midge -- he was the the runt of the litter and loves to sleep on my lap or beside me while I write.
Oh, Jennifer, your cat family sounds too cute. Their cuddling and purring has a calming effect, doesn't it. I like to think it helps put me in the writing zone.
I'm writing a synopsis today. Even Jazie's purring can't put me in the zone for that. I detest writing them, just as most writers do.
Furry writing buddies are the best. Mine is a spoiled rotten lop named Tim. I just posted a blog about him and other bunnies on my local RWA blog on Friday: http://diamondstateauthors.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/bunnies/
Great post!
Margaret, I read your blogpost. Thanks for leaving the link. Left a comment. I have a zillion plot bunnies, too. Oh, and your lop is adorable!!!
I have two furry writing buddies. Suki, our tabby cat who talks constantly and who knocks at the door until someone lets her in.
We also have a beautiful greyhound, Jazzy, who is my shadow and lazier than the cat!
They live together happily enough, as long as the dog never so much as glances at the cat. If that happens, Suki will tell her off, loudly, and Jazzy is quickly pulled back into line.
I think pets make a house a home. I wouldn't be without if I could help it : )
Hi LaVerne, thanks for commenting. I, too, think a pet helps make a home. I am a natural snuggler. With the kids and grandkids living in other states, I need someone to stand in. Poor Calvin can only take so many hugs and smooches in one day. I need an extra love-outlet.
I have three - two cats that like to help me type, and a greyhound that helps me nap when I'm done typing. The cats appeared in Animal Attraction and my grey, Asher, will make an appearance in my next novel. Can't imagine life without them!
I love hearing about Jazzy, Vonnie. We have a houseful. Really Hubby and I have four dogs as of Thursday when he brought home an abandoned little red chihuahua girl named Lucy. We already had two chis; my Cocoa, his Spike (the names fit them) and a jack russell named Molly we brought back from California a year ago. Molly has to be near (on) me at almost all times. Cocoa stays buried in blankets no matter the temp and grumbles if any other animal gets within hearing. I dub her Gremlin. There are times when I'm on the couch writing that she'll crawl up and snuggle in my lap. I'm not fooled- it's the heat of the laptop that attracts her! Hubby's boy is his little buddy. Big for a chi he's perfect for hubbs. But then there's Miss Trouble, my Himalayan tortoise shell Persian. Talk about a spoiled puss! But she's almost 12 and has earned the right. She butts me to pet her and cries for me to sit with her while she eats. She isn't a lap cat but she will try to help me write at times.
I've recently acquired a cat. Well, not my own, she belongs to my daughter. Or, maybe Coleen belongs to long hair Roxy. Anyway, Roxy doesn't like anyone...except me, for some insane reason! Until we moved here, she stayed outside except at night, when she'd slink in, hop up on the piano and curl up for the night. She still stays out of the way all day until everyone has gone to bed but me. Then she follows me every time I move, even into the bathroom. She wants me to turn on the faucet for her. Nevermind that she has a full water dish, she wants that attention.
She's the least of my intrusive furry friends, since my son-in-law has a dog. Rosco is a basset, and he weights in at 50 lbs. He tries his best to beat me to death with his tail every morning until I pet him.
And then there's Remy, short for Remington, and I think she's an offshoot from a kangaroo. She bounces four or five feet high until I yell at her several times to settled down! She belongs to my granddaughter who, bless her, drops Remy over the fence each morning on her way to work so Remy isn't cooped up all day alone, and to raise havoc with Rosco.
We weren't allowed pets in our condo in Florida. But like the cold weather here in Northwest California, I'll get used to them...eventually.
My husband and I (we're both writers) belonged to a cat rescue group in Key Largo when we wintered there. of course, we couldn't help but adopt one of these cats as ours and, when we lost our other cat, we went back to the rescue group, although we no longer wintered there, to find our second cat. the both came out of the same campground and we refer to them as trailer trash, lovingly, of course. The older cat used to type 55 and 89 on my computer, then she started on letters, but gave up apparently deciding to leave that stuff to me--much more interesting to snooze in the sun.
Such a wonderful post. Did you ever believe how many animal lovers out there are also writers? I guessthese furry creatures are indeed inspiration for us.
Lesley
Jenna, I'll have to read ANIMAL ATTRACTION just to find out more about your pets. How cute to include them in your story. Thanks for stopping by Vintage Vonnie
Hi Calisa, wow, you DO have a lot of pets. I loved hearing about the Gremlin. Pets add so many elements to our lives, don't they? Maybe animals are pack animals just like pups and kitties.
Joyce, sounds like you're running a day care center for pets. I bet at times you live in pet-pandemonium. Oh, the stories you could write!
Lesley, I've enjoyed every comment, hearing delightful stories about writers and their pets. My husband is a writer also. We had books released within two weeks of each other in July. Thanks for stopping by.
Lol Vonnie, I didn't even mention the two mixed breeds we 'babysit' on a permanent basis. One a chi mix (though Jetta is my granddaughters' baby really and both live with us) and the other is youngest dd's old dach/terrier we've had since she was three weeks old and her momma was murdered.
Calisa, you are a strong woman. How do you handle all those dogs? Right now 2 neighborhood cats are doing the "wild fandango" in our back yard, complete with caterwalling. Poor neutered Jazie is playing the voyer, getting more agitated by the minute.
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