Peep, our little angel

Peep came running out through the cat door as though she were being chased by dogs. She didn’t even look to see if Fuzzy was around, she was in that much of a hurry.

“Where’s the fire, Peep?” Rudy was lying in her usual spot on the lawn, enjoying the sun and looking beautiful.

“Those monsters in there stuck wings on my back!” Peep shuddered and started grooming herself aggressively. “I hate it when they do things like that. Mommy almost never does things like that unless the yarn lady is around. I’m sure it’s all HER fault. I’m never talking to her again, even if she begs to brush me or wants to pet me for hours on end.”

“Wow, you are mad, Peep. What do you mean, they put wings on your back? I don’t see any wings.”

“Mommy grabbed me and put elastic around my legs that held the wings on and then the yarn lady took PICTURES of me. It’s not bad enough that they torture me, they have to document it on film???” Peep was so angry that she was yelling.

“People are odd that way. They like to take pictures of all sorts of things. Things that look pretty, things that are funny…I wonder which one they thought you were – pretty or funny?”
Sometimes Rudy wasn’t very sensitive, and this was definitely one of those times.

LT came sauntering around the corner. “The yarn lady just took my picture too, but I was just sitting in the Adirondack chair. It’s a good thing she didn’t try to put something on me – I would have scratched her silly.”

The thing was, Peep just wasn’t the kind of cat who would scratch someone over something like this. She’d put up with it, and then be miserable. She might complain to the other cats, but never to the Mommy or Daddy, not that they would understand her anyway. Sometimes for a cat, claws are the only way to say you really don’t like something.

“So what happened, Peep?” asked LT.

“Well, the yarn lady started following me around, but I didn’t want to get picked up, so I kept moving. She sat down on the couch, and I thought I was safe. I jumped up on the coffee table, figuring she just wanted to pet me. She does like me, you know. But then she picked me up, and I fought a little bit, so she put me on the sofa. The Mommy came in holding those horrible wings, and she grabbed me and put them on me and held onto me. They didn’t hurt, but I’m a cat, we don’t WEAR stuff.

“Mommy held me while the yarn lady took my picture a couple of times, and then put me down, and I tried to run away. Mommy grabbed me again, but then let me go again. The yarn lady was trying to get an action picture I think, but I moved to fast. So then I jumped on the floor, but those STUPID wings just felt so bad on my back, and I didn’t know how to get them off, so I just cowered there on the floor, trying to figure out what to do. Then Mommy took pity on me and took the wings off. I ran, believe you me. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Peep. Unfortunately, you’re just the cutest little cat. Even the man in Tibet said that. I heard Mommy telling Daddy that the new man there said that you were the sweetest little cat he’d ever seen, and that he wouldn’t stick you with that big, horrible needle.” LT wanted to be reassuring, but wasn’t sure what to say.

“You’re right about the man, LT. He left and came back and told Mommy that he got a tiny little needle because I was a tiny little cat. It didn’t even hurt at all. I hope that man is there instead of Doc next time I go. I like him a lot better. And I am sweet, aren’t I?” Peep was calming down. Somehow LT had said the right thing.

“I was going to come outside and run away for ever, but maybe I won’t. I can’t help it if I’m so little and cute, can I?” Peep struck an exceptionally cute pose and giggled a little.

“Don’t overdo it, Peep. We love you, but cute is as cute does.”