Is It Possible to Have Cat Overload?

C'mon. Could they BE any cuter???I think I'm experiencing working mother guilt. Cat sitting for a friend this week, I am constantly questioning whether anything I do is enough. I try to hang out at my friend's house at least a couple of hours each day, just so the cats have human company. The boys are all over me, purring, inspecting the computer in my lap, batting at jingle balls, and disappearing under the back deck (bad kitty!) when I let them outside. 

My cats must sense my attention is divided because they've both suddenly become all "We love you and need you and can't live without you," this week. Even our neighbor's cat, who never lets me do more than a quick pat on his head, has taken to flopping down on his back whenever he sees me, begging me to spend time rubbing his belly. 

I'd rejoice, but wow, this is a lot of time with cats. Everyone wants 30-minute combings and massages. No one seems impressed when I tell them I have e-mails to answer or that I haven't eaten yet today. Hurt feelings abound when I come home smelling of other cats. It's all very stressful. 

And yet, of course, I'm loving it. Cats everywhere! Little kitty paws and faces! I get nose licks from my friend's cat and everyone is purring. Everything and everyone is cute and round and furry. How can people not like cats? The very idea is simply beyond me. 

I was up before 5 today, over at the friends house to spend time with the cats before I head into Greensboro. Then I came home and combed my two girls. When I return around 10 tonight, I'll repeat the routine. 

Life is good. 

Feelin' the Cat Love

I'm taking care of a neighbor's cats this week. The cats come in between 10 and 11 PM so I walked to their house about 10:15. I was met outside my door by Snowball, a different neighbor's cat. Then I tended to the two cats I'm caring for. Then Spike, another neighbor's cat, showed up outside the door for some love (read: food) and finally, Grisabella showed up. I'd never met Grisabella, but the neighbor whose cats I'm feeding had told me there's a stray gray cat that shows up from time to time that they feed. Sure enough, a gray cat with some wear on her bounded up the stairs and meowed for some food. 

All the cats demanded I give them some attention and so I've spent the last 30 minutes getting my fill of kitty love and am now drenched in cat hair. 

To think, all these years I've been missing the free cat love that apparently takes place on our block AFTER my usual 10 PM bedtime. 

Petting three neighboring cats plus a stray plus my two girls: This has been a really good night.