Day 79: Update on Halley

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 79: Update on Halley

Halley has been with us a little over a week and it’s been … how shall I put it … exhausting. Kittens are wonderful, but kittens are all trouble. Trouble with a capital T.

When Halley wakes up, she bounces on the bed like she’s on a pogo stick and buggers the other cats (Charlotte, Gabriel, and Holly) until they agree to get up. If they comply Halley is happy with the result, if they don’t she proceeds to nipping their tail, their legs, feet or even ears. Eventually, they all give in and get up.

Her next victim is me. Sleeping in in the morning is a thing of the past. At a certain time, Halley seems to think that I’ve slept enough and starts trampling all over me. If I ignore her and turn over, she goes on to rubbing her cold wet nose against mine or even softly biting it. That usually has the desired effect, but if I want five more minutes she moves on to something else … purring directly in my ear. When she practiced that trick for the first time yesterday morning, I thought a helicopter had landed next to my bed. I couldn’t believe that such a small kitten can produce so much noise.

When we’re all up and about it’s time for breakfast. Kitten food for Halley, regular food for Charlotte, Gabriel, and Holly. While the latter waits patiently for their plate, Halley follows me wherever I go and weaves between my feet in the process.

When everyone is fed and watered it’s time for my shower. Holly always joins me in the bathroom but ever since Halley came on the scene I now have an audience of two.

While I get myself ready for the day, Charlotte, Gabriel and Holly do much the same. They have a wash and then go in search of a place to nap. But not Halley, sleeping is not on Halley’s agenda. Oh no, she’s going to help me with the daily chores.

Making two beds used to take between five to seven minutes, now it takes … I don’t know, a lot longer. People who have or had a kitten will know exactly what I’m talking about. People who never had a kitten just have no idea how much trouble making a bed is with a kitten around. It takes forever to get the sheets and the duvet smoot, because kitten jumps, bounces, claws, bites, and generally messes things up.

Putting groceries away … OMG, that’s just a nightmare. Storing stuff away in the upper cabinets is no problem, but storing things in the lower cabinets …  well, that goes something like this …

Open cabinet door – remove the kitten from the cabinet. Reach for bathroom tissue. Remove kitten from bathroom tissue. Remove kitten from the cabinet. Hold kitten with one hand while storing away bathroom tissue with the other. Repeat this any number of times.

When putting stuff in the fridge I have to stay alert too. While I’m putting away butter and cheese on the top shelf, Halley is checking out the lower shelf. I guess she got that tip from Holly, who was an expert in fridge inspection.

So far vacuuming has not presented a problem because the noise seems to scare Halley, but sweeping … well, if you have any kind of an imagination you might have some idea of how that goes. I no longer sweep the floor with a brush, but with a brush with a kitten attached to it. I tried to remove Halley a few times, but she hangs on for dear life. And does she mind getting dragged all over the hardwood floor? Not at all. On the contrary, when done, Halley looks at me with her little face that seems to say … are we done? That was fun.

Doing dishes is also no problem because Halley is far too small to jump on the counter, so instead she sits next to my feet, giving an occasional meow for attention. It’s hard ignoring those pleas that translate to ‘Pick me up’ but no, no way, Halley walking on the counter top is way too dangerous. She might a) fall into the dishwater or b) fall off the counter. Not that there’s no danger on the floor. As I dry the dishes and put them away, I move around and so does Halley, so I have to watch my step.

With the chores done, it’s time to go on the computer. By now, all the cats are fast asleep, but not Halley. Oh no, she’s like a Duracell battery, she just keeps going and going and going. At times, she just sits quietly and watches the screen, more of than not though she tramples all over the keyboard, at one time even switching the computer off.

So, sweet as Halley is, she’s also a packet of trouble. I don’t know how mama cat does it with five or six kittens. The poor cat’s nerves must be in tatters.

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