Alli Cat

No, that's not a typo. That's our 7-month old kitten. Well, when my daughter named her Alli, it didn't take us very long to nickname her Alli Cat. Of course, she's anything but. I understand that there are so many people who just aren't cat people, but I'm not one of them. I completely relate to cats. I get it...pay me attention when I want it...leave me alone if I don't. And they are SO EASY to take care of compared to dogs.

Alli is VERY attached to Avery. We adopted her from the SPCA in January when she was just three months old. My kids both think she loves Avery most because she's the one that "freed" Alli from the box (the cardboard pet carrier that the SPCA gave us to bring her home). Frankly, I was worried about a 1997 repeat when Michael surprised my 2-year-old Avery (and her mother) with a tiny kitten for Christmas. I didn't have a problem with the surprise, but it was very apparent that Belle (Christmas Belle was her full name) didn't care too much for 2-yr-olds and much preferred to sleep on top of my head or on my feet. I kind of felt sorry for Avery...because she has been an animal lover since she was born...not afraid of ANY animal...which can be scary for mom.

Well, Alli loves Avery. Each night as Avery goes to bed, Alli just trots right behind her, ready to settle down for the night. She's more than content to hang out in Avery's room when she's reading (which happens a lot). Which provoked this post...a few minutes ago, Alli comes trotting into the family room...right up to the window. It made me wonder if she was thinking, "There's rain in my window [in Avery's room], so I'm going to get a better window." I wouldn't doubt it. She has so much personality...playing fetch and hide and seek. She continues to find and adopt new stuffed animals to wrestle with...much to Avery's dismay because she's VERY attached to each of her stuffed animals. But how can she really get mad at her Alli Cat?