Our Dog Teddy

I wrote last week about our wonderful cat, Teddy. I still swear he is actually a dog stuck in a cat's body. God does not make mistakes, but Teddy is proof that He has a sense of humor. As I type, Teddy is on my lap, chewing on my necklace. He just finished giving my hand a good cleaning, and while cat's tongues are drier than a dog's, they are rough and not as pleasant on the skin. Yesterday, in classic dog mode, Teddy decided to follow me everywhere I went. Yes, to the bathroom where he jumped on my lap while I was peeing(I have no peace in this house!) and outside to the garden where I went to get carrots, weaving between my legs the whole time. I (accidentally)kicked him a few times, but he won't go away.

This all reminded me of a funny thing that he used to do, before he was banished form being in our bedrooms. In the morning, the kids usually join me in my room and watch a show while I shower and get ready. This was before the boys were in ultra-destruct mode and I could trust them to be absorbed in the boob tube long enough for me to scrub the nastiness that accumulates on your body on a daily basis when you have a lot of young children. Anywhoo, one morning I finished my shower and went out into the room to see everyone lined up on my bed, eating cheerios. Emma had Teddy pulled into her lap. Teddy was sitting on his rear like he was one of the kids, with Emma's arm under his front legs to prop him up, which of course, made his legs stick straight out. It was a sight, I still don't know how he puts up with all of the abuse. They were all sitting peacefully,watching TV, and slowly, Teddy leaned over a little and ever-so-gently bit Emma on the arm. I was wondering how she was going to react, so I just watched. Emma reached into her cup and fed him a cheerio. Seriously? The cat eats cheerios? I stood there a while longer to see the cat finish the cheerio, go back to watching TV a while, then bite her arm again. At this point, I could stand it no longer. "Emma, why is he biting you?" "Oh, he's just saying he really wants more cereal." To prove it, she fed him another, and he ate it happily and went back to cartoons. At least in this house full of insanity, our cat fits right in.