Cat Tales Part II

Sakinah was initially fiercely angry with me the first two days after Jessica's arrival, oh my! Al-hamdulillah, by the end of the third day, was warming up to momma again, and by the fourth day back in my lap purring. *smile* Momma happy. *lol*

Around the third day, after being chastised numerous times for biting Jessica a little too aggressively, Sakinah decided it was okay to play nice. Al-hamdulillah. Today they have been playing like best friends - what a relief!

Another observation. The first two days I had to feed Sakinah and Jessica from separate bowls. On the first day Sakinah even tried to run Jessica off from her own bowl, but I was sitting nearby on the floor monitoring all eating activity, so Sakinah learned she wasn't going to get away with any nasty business. Then, subhan'Allah…last night I could not believe my eyes! I prepared a fresh dish of IAMS dry kitten food with a little bit of tuna fish mixed in. When I had the tuna blended in nicely, I decided to spread the mixture out onto a plate; hoping maybe Sakinah would let Jessica share. Subhan'Allah, subhan'Allah, tuna fish smell and all, Sakinah sat down on the floor to the right of where I was sitting, and let Jessica eat first!!! Wallahi!!! Talk about being a proud momma!

The other day I bought a cute, padded traveling case for my pair of sweeties. Jessica already knew what that was all about, but to Sakinah it was like a foreign object to be eyed with the utmost suspicion, for sure! To help alleviate Sakinah's discomfort, I left the travel case out on the floor with the front door open - to be freely investigated at whim. In the first two days Jessica used the back end of travel case to hide from Sakinah - *lol* - which worked, because Sakinah wouldn't dare to enter! Ha! But, subhan'Allah (again!), this morning, Sakinah is dashing in and out of the case playing hide-and-seek with Jessica!

Commercial Break: Jessica learned today not to put her little nose into anything that smells like coffee…Ouch! Hot! *lol*

She is also learning the house rules; a sharply spoken "La!" unequivocally means "No!", and any of the numerous cords dangling in the vicinity of mommy's desk are off limits for nibbling. *smile* Wallahi! This morning my astonished eyes actually witnessed Sakinah making Jessica get away from the cords! Wallahi! After the first time, it happened a second time, and all I could do was sit here thinking, "Subhan'Allah..." (It's just been a Subhan'Allah kind of morning, sa?)

However, despite the fact that Jessica is learning not to nibble on electrical cords, she still enjoys nibbling on my fingers. *smile*

I initially set out a secondary kitty toilet box considering that it might take Jessica a little while to learn the lay of the new land, so-to-speak, and I am happy to report that it seems she is taking the lead from Sakinah in using the main box, Al-hamdulillah. Why Al-hamdulillah? Because I've accidentally hit the back-up box with the toe my foot twice, sending loose litter scattering all over the floor. Grrrr! Double that 'grrrr' when you add the pain factor... I will happily retire said box.

Jessica got a bath last night. She squirmed uncomfortably for a minute, before deciding to relax her upper body in my left hand as the warm water flowed down over her back, along with the shampoo. Apparently she decided the warm water felt pretty good. *smile* I wrapped her up in a towel for a little bit, gently rubbing out the excess moisture from her furry little body, before letting her finish the grooming job herself. I purposely did this around bedtime because I felt sure she wouldn't mind snuggling up next to me for extra warmth, and before long all three of us were fast asleep.

Sakinah has worn Jessica out this afternoon racing up and down the hallway, so she is now curled up on a chair in the sitting room. Another observation; Sakinah has never fancied any of the furniture in that room, but I find Jessica perched in the middle of a chair cushion often.

The Jummah shout-fest between the mosques has commenced and Sakinah is protesting by meowing and bouncing off the furniture here in my office. Can't say as I blame her…I want to turn the sound off, too! Astifurgallah Al-Azeem. And Al-hamdulillah that I am not a man, as Muslim men are required to attend Jummah services, whereas for women it is optional. Having to sit toe-to-toe on the floor in a crowded mosque subjecting myself to the abusive noise coming from the lecturer is not my idea of a pleasant way to spend Jummah.

Sakinah says it's a good time for a nap. I agree.