The Slammer

My 10-pound beast, Zoe, is nuts. Certifiably.

This morning she's been somewhat busy... playing soccer with her ball, playing on the balcony, watching birds out the window, scampering around the kitchen while I made breakfast. One of her most annoying habits is to freak out when she thinks I'm getting ready to leave the house. She hates being left, so she yowls threats at me, runs alongside or behind as I walk around more quickly, and attacks the backs of my ankles. She also does this sometimes when I wear heels. My parents used to say I was being held hostage by that trick.

Anyway, this morning Zoe squeaked to be allowed out on the balcony. After a little while out there, she suddenly flipped out, came racing in the door, ran to the front door and slammed her front paws on it, followed by two or three typical yowls, as if something really exciting and important was going on that I needed to know. She came up with this game of slamming the front door and yowling last summer, and I'm sure it drives the crabby downstairs neighbor nuts. Thankfully, I have no control over this and she knows yelling at me about it is pointless.

Slam away, Cat.

Slamming and yowling completed, Zoe then jumped on the couch net to me, snuggled up in a ball and rested her chin on my hand. After that, she got bored again and switched to the wing chair across the room, where she can now both look out the window and maintain surveillance on me.

What a total wack job. But she has her fans. When we were in Brazil she was a celebrity. Here her local admirers include the handyman, the next door neighbor (retired sailor and WWII fighter pilot), the furnace installer, and several of my girlfriends. Zoe generally digs men and goes bananas with delight when there's work being done in the house that she can watch. But when Barbie came over a couple of weeks ago, Zoe offered instant admiration: she parked herself on Barb's lap and sacked out. Even I was rather amazed.

Zoe's latest triumph has been to win over one of my best friends, who until now had zero intention of ever getting near a cat, let alone befriending one. They have worked out a sort of grudging mutual divas' agreement of respect, and are inching closer to friendship. Or hostage-taking.

Stay tuned.