SPARKY READS
Sparky Tabasco has joined the Mary Jo Putney fan club! Living in a book-loving house, it was only natural that she start reading at an early age. The above picture shows her reading Mary Jo's latest, Sometimes a Rogue. The picture has gone viral on Facebook, and Sparky is suddenly a minor celebrity!
FIGHT CLUB
Sparky has entered the Irrascible Stage. She pounces on anything that moves and if you try to pet her, all she wants to do is fight and wrestle and play-bite. Fortunately, at 4 months of age and 4.5 pounds, she inflicts little damage. Her main target is the long-suffering Christopher, my other cat, as the below pictures attest. Christopher has a world of patience, but even he has his limits. In the 4th picture Christopher is growling at Sparky, who blithely ignores his warning and continues tormenting him. When Christopher's had enough and leaves the room, those beady kitten eyes go looking for other mischief to get into. And she usually finds it. But there is hope on the horizon. There are glimmers of good sense, hints of weighing the consequences, and even moments of peace where she seeks out my lap for 5 minutes of quiet time before the demon bug hits her and she's off on another adventure. Let's hope pictures like the below will become fewer and fewer as Sparky matures!
POLYDACTYLS RULE
For you kitten owners and former kitten owners, did your kittens go through hellion stages and did they ever grow out of it? Did you ever own a polydactyl, and if so, did you find them using their front feet in unusual ways? Sparky not only picks up things with her front paws, but she turns them palm-up to inspect them. She also uses her front paws like human hands. One day, my carpenter was taking a coffee break and had one of his hands on top of his head. Sparky reached up with her clever paw and pulled his hand down until it rested on top of her head. When he tried to pull his hand away, Sparky immediately used her paw to return his hand to her head. Now that's one smart kitty!