I have not determined which of these two does have the loudest purr. Calista is sitting next to my laptop with her paws resting on the Q and W watching as the letters appear on the screen. She is cranked up to full purr and is much louder than the clacking noise from the keyboard.
Astrid and Calista
I am doing some multi-tasking this morning and shredding old papers when I stop typing to think or when Calista is blocking too much of the keyboard for me to type. The shredder is about six inches from us and drowns out her purring; though, I think she may stop when the shredder starts up as she is fascinated with watching the paper disappear. (Mauricio has joined her in this activity.)
If you remember my previous post, “The Great Pussy Purr-Off,” you know that the current debate relates to whose purr is the loudest: Astrid or Calista. The jury is still out.
But purring is not the only thing these two kids have in common. They are both tortoise shell kitties; though, Calista is a dilute, and they both were adopted from Barn Cat Buddies.
Astrid caught in the act of shredding.
They both also have a case of pica. They shred paper. They may not do it with the precision of the cross-cut shredder, but they can create minute, un-matchable pieces and one heck of a mess. When we went to Tortola we left a lidded box on the dining room table for mail and newspapers. With it was a note to Maggie to keep the lid on the box so the pica pusses could not destroy the mail. Before we left the house Astrid was already tearing up the lid. She enjoys the challenge of cardboard. Maggie told us that the lid was always off the box and pieces of mail assaulted.
Notes of each visit are made by the caregivers so we can see what occurred while we were gone. Prior to our return, Maggie sent me a text reporting that an entire page of notes was missing but guaranteeing but that the kitties were looked after on the days outlined on that page. I found the page several days later. It had been nosed under the door to the living room but not before a large bite had been removed from one corner.
Astrid also is adept at removing a tissue from the box, shredding it and returning for a second, third, etc. until she is discovered and stopped by my turning the box upside down.
The good news for their health is that they don’t ingest the paper. Of course, that’s the bad news for us as we are left to clean up the remnants of a shred fest!
Currently both are enjoying the pieces from the shredder, I have dropped on the floor, by spreading them throughout the kitchen. I’m such a nice mommy!
Astrid and Calista
On Sunday morning they experienced a mutual “cat fit” with running, tumbling and chasing each other on-and-off, back-and-forth and all-around the bed for more than an hour. We suspect our turning the clocks back to standard time confused their body clocks.
I can posit a variety of reasons for them to share characteristics: They’re both cats, Astrid was the first of the resident felines to accept Calista and thus taught her everything she knows, both are the same breed or both were partially raised by Diane from BCB. I am in no way suggesting that Diane had anything to do with fostering the shredding habit!
Whatever the reason, I am pleased they have become buddies and enjoy spending time together. I am always worried when a knew kid joins our crazy cat caboodle that she’ll be rejected by more than just Lily Olivia!
P.S. Calista is particularly adept at turning on and using the “Insert Custom Character” as well as “Caps Lock.”
Astrid and Calista are so cute together! And I like the phrase “our crazy cat caboodle.” =)