...without posting a picture of Sam the cat, hm?
As it happens, tonight we have a short film.
When I was too sick to come up with my own material last week, you may recall that on one occasion I referred you over to Ms. Kitsa's Kitty Boutique on Etsy. Meanwhile, I visited there myself and bought Sam some Christmas presents.
Naturally, my plan was to photograph for you the lovely and adorable way Ms. Kitsa packaged the gifts, show you Sam waiting for us to open it for him, and then show you him playing with at least one of his new toys, all on Christmas morning.
Plans go awry.
What happened instead was that my true love brought in the mail yesterday while I was resting on the couch. As delighted and amused as I was by Ms. Kitsa's packaging, I set it aside on the coffee table 'til later. I was, after all, resting. And when I was done resting, I went off to do some chore or other in the kitchen, and left the package resting itself on top of a wireless keyboard on top of a stack of DVDs next to a glass of water. At this time, Sam was resting in the bed.
Objects at rest do not tend to remain at rest in my house. From the kitchen I heard a large crash and some crazed meowing. I rolled quickly into the living room, fearing the kitty had injured himself, only to find the lovely pink tissue paper wrapped around the package completely soaked with water and Sam pretty much smurgling everything within three feet.
Regretfully I tore into the wet, pink tissue paper and removed one smurglebag, with which my true love lured Sam away so that I could clean up. I put the other smurglebag into the not exactly smoothly opening top drawer of a rather formidable marble-topped Victorian hardwood chest of drawers we own, cleaned up the mess, and then rolled into the bedroom to see how Sam was enjoying his erstwhile Christmas present.
Now we all know how he was enjoying it, as documented above. Please remember that this footage was recorded at the end of a rather long smurgling session, so its brevity is not indicative of Sam's level of sustained interest. At one point, my true love had him dancing on his hind legs to get to it. Sadly, I did not have my camera handy for that.
Thank you, Ms. Kitsa's Kitty Boutique, for a well received gift, albeit a trifle too well received.
Was there ever a more pleasure-seeking creature than a cat?
Posted by: Leslee | November 23, 2008 at 06:51 PM
sam is definitely a keeper!
i gather that the fabulous smurgletoys contain primo catnip, as well as being smurgly, soft, and aesthetically pleasing? i'd keep an eye on that chest of drawers, personally. ;)
it's the weirdest thing, one of my current cats has no interest in catnip. she'll just sit there watching while the rest commit embarassing acts of blatant happiness.
Posted by: kathy a. | November 23, 2008 at 09:49 PM
LOL! I love watching happy kitties!
My friend Lindsi once told me that she had the padded mailer-ful of smurglebags in her hand as she let herself into the house. She was immediately attacked by a cat, who ripped the entire mailer out of her hand and took off with it to the bathtub for dissection.
I practically need a stick to beat my cats away from the materials closet. They all have to be locked up when I'm making the bags. Potent stuff.
Posted by: Amorette | November 23, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Tried to get some smurgletoys for my cats and my daughter's cat but sadly they don't post to the UK. I suppose there's too much danger of the Post Office cat getting into the sacks and killing all the other parcels!
Posted by: ScriptorSenex | November 25, 2008 at 02:52 AM
I'm sorry, ScriptorSenex! I wish I could, I just have so many problems when I try to ship overseas. Because dry catnip looks so much like marijuana, and because smurglebags are designed to shed some catnip here and there, it spells disaster in Customs. :(
Posted by: Amorette | November 25, 2008 at 07:57 AM
Leslee: I don't think so, no. And what's funny is how easy it is for us to acquiesce to their demands. This cat rules our house, just because he showed up.
Kathy: The chest of drawers is not wimpy like the leather chair. It'll be okay. (Famous last words...)
Amorette: I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Sam really is quite pleased. He doesn't play with it every minute of every day, of course; that would interfere with time already slated for eating, chasing the feather, and napping. But he's definitely been able to squeeze it in.
At one point I rolled into the bedroom and saw him crouched and staring, very still, eyes completely dilated. In the early '80s, when visiting friends at other colleges, I would sometimes walk into extremely fragrant (and smoky) rooms full of people with similar expressions on their faces. Heh.
SS: I am so sorry to hear that. I was going to advise that you take it up with Ms. Kitsa herself, but look: she has already replied to you below.
Amorette (again): I think this is hysterical. Thank you for explaining.
Posted by: Sara | November 25, 2008 at 07:08 PM
You know what else was cool about that? Hearing your voice.
Posted by: Ron Sullivan | November 26, 2008 at 11:28 PM
heh heh -- Thanks, Ron.
Just be grateful I'm not singing... ;)
Posted by: Sara | November 27, 2008 at 09:52 AM
late report: smurglebags received. one is safely hidden. the other has been mauled extravagently by the catnip fiends in residence -- most extensively by the 13-year-old senior cat, whose sense of dignity and imperial authority goes right out the window when catnip is involved. smurglebags, i must add, are hardy creations.
Posted by: kathy a. | November 28, 2008 at 09:33 PM