On Thursday morning, my dear friend Mary came over for breakfast. We're both students with a lot on our plates, so early mornings before class seem to be the only time we can get together and chat. We had tried to do breakfast at my place a few weeks ago, but The Real Grey Moggie wanted none of it. When Mary walked in the door, TRGM's tail expanded to three times it's normal size, she started hissing and scratching, and then let out the most terrible screams. I had never seen her like that before. I was concerned about the cat, but it seemed better to leave her alone and we grabbed bagels a few blocks away.
After my morning class, I wanted to check in on TRGM. Feeling bad that she had been so distressed, I picked up some peruvian chicken (a food the whole family, including TRGM, endorses) and brought it home to share with the cat. She sat next to me on the couch and we munched happily, she on a few nibbles of chicken and I on bigger pieces of chicken, coleslaw, and the tastiest of french fries. After we were full, she curled up on my lap and purred, and I closed my eyes for a few minutes before having to head back to school to do homework and attend my afternoon class.
This week when Mary came over, TRGM ran to the hall and began hissing through the door before I'd even let Mary in. Since the bathroom is the only room in the apartment with a properly latching door, and TRGM enjoys playing in the sink and the tub, watching the birds in the nest outside the window, and staring at the crack in the wall (no joke), I put her in the bathroom and closed the door. Mary came in, we had a nice breakfast of cheesy grits, eggs, apples with cheddar, and flowing conversation. Near the end of breakfast, TRGM grew impatient and let out periodic meows from the bathroom. Mary left a few minutes later and I let TRGM out. She ran into the living room to hiss at the spot where Mary had been sitting minutes earlier (again, no joke). It's very strange, since Mary used to be one of her favorite people, but she's a very fickle cat.
I knew that I shouldn't "reward" TRGM with her favorite treat when she had been such a brat (she scratched my arm quite nicely when I let her out of the bathrom), but I was reminded of our chicken lunch from the last time she had been so anxious and distressed. And I needed that kind of quiet moment on Thursday. So after class, I again picked up some chicken to share with my kitty and we sat and ate and both forgot about the stuff that makes the hair on the back of our neck stand up. Peruvian chicken: it's like our Calgon.
