Pebbles and Swat! Swat!

You guys are thinking -- Fred Flintstone -- aren't you? But, yo, Gilham? The other kid's name is Bam! Bam!

I'm not talking about Fred; I'm talking 'bout Tallulah and Keats, the Royal Cats of Gillham, aka. the owners of the house.

From the beginning of her kitten hood, Tallulah fetched. She retrieved stuffed mice, stuffed birds that go "peep" when she touched or squeezed them , and wads of paper.

Indefatigable. The Energizer Cat. Cat Favre.

We threw them; she'd go get them and bring them back. Sometimes she would get so stupid with the game that she would bang into the baseboards, the chair legs, and the coffee table trying to get at 'em. Then she, shaking her head to get the small concussion out, would bring them back and drop them for you to throw once again. That's totally Cat Favre.

David swears he has a rotator cuff injury.

Whatever.

Tallulah: Look!!!! *salivate, salivate* Paper wads! *pant, pant, pant* Let me at 'em. *purr, purr*

Then all of a sudden. Eh.

She quit.

Tallulah decided that -- "hey, fetching is dumb -- I think I will just carry and drop. Much more advanced cat. More quality points."

She began to just carry them and leave them odd places -- under the dining room table, by her food bowl, under the bed, and in the tub -- yes, furry stuffed things, but inanimate, and paper wads ...... all kinds of places in the house.

Sometimes I would step on them and panic for just a second that it was live, but then my heart rate would slow, and I would go "whew."

Then last week, Tallulah discovered rocks.

Blog readers: I thought Tallulah was an inside cat.
Me: The rocks that we have on the top of the dirt in our houseplants .. those rocks.
Blog Readers: Uh, why do you have rocks there?
Me: To keep the indoor cats from digging ... I know, you think it's a dog thing, but no, Keats and Tallulah have both been known to dig.

What for?

Just to be annoying... and to let us know what they do while we are gone or asleep. Evidence of the adage .... "while the owners are away[or asleep], the cats shall play."

Not only does Tallulah get in the plants, but she now has taken to picking the rocks up in her mouth and carrying them around the house and dropping them.

Some of these are pebbles -- but some of these are small rocks --- and yes, they are throughout the house.

Guess what?

Not only does she drop them places, but she likes to drop them where they make noise -- ie. the tub, the hardwood floors, and now her favorite -- the tile in the bathroom.

Monday, 2:45 am.

*ping, ping, ping*

David: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Me: David. {pushes him} What's that noise?

*ping, ping, kaplonk, ping, kaplonk*

David: Pfft.. snort.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Me: I think Tallulah is dropping pebbles on the bathroom floor.
David: ZZZZZZZZ...

So, I get up to go remove her and her rock from the bathroom, and she picks up the rock in her mouth and runs under the bed.

Tallulah: Oh goodie. Night Games! I love games. I also love bird meat!!! Here comes my human! Chase me!!!!! Look a hand under the bed!!!! I can move. Rocks. I love rocks. Look another hand. YOU can't get me!!!!! Wait. There's Keats. Yay! More fun!

So, this is Tallulah's new game. Rock dropping.

And Keats, what is she doing?
Swatting and hissing at Tallulah every time she passes by....

Thus, my new names for my cats.... Pebbles and Swat! Swat!

BTW: Tallulah has done this every night this week --- and she does it more than once.

Oy.