Kind of Best Friends

Kaylie with Jasper, he looks soooo happy!

Kaylie’s new favorite thing to do in the world for this week is to give our obscenely hairy maine coon, Jasper, hugs.  Granted it sounds adorable (and it is) and Jasper, the trooper that he is, deals with it with nothing more than an annoyed sigh and a “here we go again“ look in his eye, but you see my daughter‘s “hugs” consist of her dragging him by the neck and saying “awww” while shaking him back and forth like a ragdoll.  Granted she’s too little to understand he has feelings and bear hugs around the neck are not his idea of a good time, but as far as she’s concerned Jasper is nothing more than a really cool interactive hairy toy.  Why he puts up with it without much of a fight other than a whine here or there is totally beyond me.  He is a saint if you ask me with all the things she’s done to him!  She’s sat on him, laid on him, played on him, kicked him, hit him, pulled his fur, pulled his tail and the list goes on.  Gizmo, our torti won’t let her within five feet of her.

There’s also the fights over my lap.  Jasper will be purring to his heart’s content in my lap and Kaylie seems to think only she is allowed in my lap.  She sits on him, pushes him, kicks him if she has to in order to get in my lap.  Then Jasper, who doesn’t give up a fight easily, crams himself in the inconceivable space between her and me and purrs, rejoicing over his victory.  Then he and Kaylie’s eyes meet and it’s the look of death between the two of them.  Is it possible that Jasper is just a hairier toddler and this is cat/child sibling rivalry?  It’s rather comical the way those two fight like little kids over who gets my lap, heaven forbid they share!

Holding a kitten at the corn maze

Cats are by far her favorite animal at this point in life.  While at the Hayes Corn Maze, holding the barn kittens was about the only thing she wanted to do and was even trying to put them in her stroller to take home!  So far I think I have got it through to her that if she’s going to drag the poor cat around the living room, at least hold him under his arms so he can still breathe.  The funny part?  The dummy now purrs the whole time she’s dragging him around.  I guess I did well when I picked him out at the shelter three years ago.  If it was Gizmo (assuming she could catch her), she’d of packed her bags and left by now!  I’m hoping to talk hubby into us adopting a kitten this spring, maybe Jasper will get a bit of a break then :)!