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The Breakfast Tortie
Posted by whisel on May 17, 2008
Today was turkey quesadilla day for breakfast, or so I thought. Having coffee and a small food in front of the computer is a grand way to start my day. So as usual, I carried my repast into my room, set it on the side table and began the ritual of preparing for computering. Then my daughter called and I jabbered with her for awhile, popping my vitamins between swallows of coffee and perfunctory “uh-huhs” into the phone. Turnng to my plate to grab a small bite of sustenance, I notice: no quesadilla. What ho! Where is my turkey?
There she is… skulking out the door is the resident tortie-thief with my breakfast in her mouth! I yell, I call her name, but alas, she has gone deaf! I am yodeling, my daughter is hysterical and the turkey-nabber is nowhere to be found. Eventually, my kid and I wrap up our phone call. I follow the trail of raggedy tortilla remnants into the parlor where the cat is curled into a soft snuggly circle, having ingested a tasty, protein meal. I say: Ok, you little cat-burglar! Where’s the meat? I bend my head to hers and she purrs contentedly, as if to infer: “A delicious morsel, eh? Good of you to be distracted.”
She continues her snoozing and I paddle back to my bedroom to have my coffee. In comes the second tortie, a little older, wider and slower. She sits insistently at my feet, looking up with moist eyes, inquiring: “Ya got anymore of those turkey tacos?” I pick her up, hold her, rock her and pet her. She pulls away, glares at me, shoots her tail straight up like a whip in the air and marches out of the room. She is showing me that she’s been deeply insulted and consequently, I’ll be snubbed for an hour or two. Torties have high standards and particular rules of intereaction, which I, as a fallible humon, often fail miserably to reach. And there’s no more turkey in the refrigerator. I’m in for it now.
They will forget this little interchange in awhile, though I am racked with guilt…. and will probably open up a can of tuna for lunch. I was never any good at being alpha-dominant, even with my own species. Life with cats ~ precious, funny and wonderful.
Here’s a photo of the scoundrel. She’s mostly black with a light tortie pattern and a white chin. She’s sitting in my computer chair enjoying some early morning sun. 
Any animal stories out there? Best wishes….. Whisel*
dianed101 said
How funny Whisel. I have brought home my groceries and sandwich from the store, dropped them at my door to go back for the rest and when I came back my dog was happily licking the remnants of the sandwich and paper wrapper. Yes those darn animals.
Lady my dog is only allowed in the house on rare occasions, so there is no food stealing going on in here, but she would if she could.
I’m alergic to cats, who I think are a lot more into those kinds of things. I bet Shirl has a few stories as she lives with her dog and 2 cats inside.
whisel said
They are stealthy scavengers, aren’t they?
Although I’m sure their principles of acquiring food are a whole lot different than ours.
If they can wrap their tongue/mouth around it, then it belongs to them…. easy decision
Is Lady the blonde dog that appears in your garden pictures? What’s her story?
How did you end up being companions?
Whisel*
dianed101 said
Yes that is Lady…my daughter Shanna found her as a pupply running through her complex and caught and brought her over to me, since I said I wanted a dog.
Now it’s nearly 8 years later and she and I are totally bonded. She’s a guard dog on this property, and she responds to my short claps to come to me (from 30 or 40 feet away, so that no one will no who or what is calling her. So I can stand in my trees, clap a couple times and she will soon come running to me from her usual post by the front fence.
She also responds to my hand signals as I do not care for people shouting at their dogs to do this or that.
shirlstars said
Ahhh, those stealthy animal friends of ours.
My calico, Mandy is usually pretty above it all, but does grab my hand with her paw to inspect what I am eating and consider if it is up to her high standards.
The orange tiger stripe boy cat, Banger, is sure that his extreme good looks and expansive loving heart is justification enough for him to insist that what I’m eating must be shared with him. . .very insistent at that.
Sundancer, the big white Great Pyaranees dog is so sweet that she is sure her demands could hardly be ignored and she has a very accomplished technique of placing her muzzle under my arm and nudging it upward in increasingly powerful thrusts. She is very capable of pushing my arm upward to the point of my arm flailing in the air. However, if I acknowledge her great desire to share in what I am eating and ask her to sit, she will attentively do so.
However, I have learned not to leave a roast or poultry cooling on a plate on the counter top. In what appears to be a very dainty and precise movement she can pick up a plate in her mouth keep it level in spite of the 2 lb roast resting there and walk with it to a spot of her choosing, set it down on the floor without spilling it, lie down in an appropriate place and begin taking her lady-like bites of this banquet of pleasure.
I don’t usually give in to guilt with these bandits as They are very well fed and and have special treats as well. If one succeeds at stealing a prize of human food, I just tell the others how wrong that is and there is no compounding the crime by giving them something too.
I talk with my animals all the time so we have some pretty good communication between us. They don’t always agree with me, but they do know what I am talking about.
They are a great addition to our lives aren’t they.
Hugs
Shirl