Curiosity

Everybody knows what curiosity does to cats.  I'm reminded of this saying daily because since we've added Huck to the household he and Tugby are everywhere.  This morning I looked up from washing my face, and saw two curious little faces on either side of me on the bathroom counter.  Yesterday I was enjoying a bath when Huck decided to walk along the edge of the tub and check out what bubble bath meant.   We were both lucky that he didn't fall in because having a lap cat in the bathtub is never a happy experience.

I have to maintain a conscious checklist every time I leave the kitchen.  Have I remembered to put the lid on the butter dish and put it in the cupboard?  Did I close the cupboard door when I was done?  Did I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher?  Did I put the dirty pots in the sink and fill them with soapy water to soak?   Any cups or glasses with liquid in them are fair game for sniffs and sips unless I'm right there to discourage the attention.  I have no elastic bands because they are stalked and bitten into pieces as soon as they enter our house.  There are no pens on the counter beside our phones, because the cats are playing with them in the middle of the floor.  Most of my most fragile snowmen have been moved to a safer place, and I don't think we're going to make it until March without a casualty.

I keep a water squirter with me at all times (unless I forget where I put it) to discourage counter climbing, table sitting, curtain climbing and other heinous crimes.  Unfortunately Huck has a better imagination than I do and when everything is suspiciously quiet, I can't always find him.  It's easier when there's a rustle or a crash to catch my attention.   Every night after we're in bed with the lights out I have to get up at least once to check out the suspicious noises coming from the living room.  

Life was never this busy when Chester was around.  He loved to hide in places:  my lazy Susan, the pot drawers, the hall closet, the onion and potato cupboard.   I thought he'd escaped outside many times because he never made a sound when I shut the door. I'd run all over the house calling his name, and he'd just wait for me to figure it out.  But he never explored as actively as Huck does, and now Tugby has a buddy to explore with and a patsy to blame for any damage.  


It's been exactly a week since I picked Huck up.  He and Tugby are partners in crime, professional wrestlers, and love to groom each other and cuddle.  Huck adjusted to us very quickly, and Tugby adjusted to having another cat around faster than I expected.  I think we made the right decision, but I must admit it's a little unnerving to have two fuzzy faces gazing back at me unexpectedly.