Sunday, April 05, 2009

Small Is The New Big

I swear to you that I don't spend my entire life thinking about my cats, nor do I spend thousands of dollars on their comfort.  That said, there have been moments...

Back when the Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty was ill, I decided to get her a nice, soft, kitty bed.  She was having a hard time moving around towards the end and I thought it would be nice if she could have a place to sit in the living room and be part of the "family."  She was also in some pain and I wanted her to be comfortable.  It probably would have helped matters if she wasn't spitting out her pain meds, a fact I discovered later when I found fifty million of those tiny little pills secreted all over the condo...

I purchased the softest, squooshiest pet bed I could find and brought it home.  No sooner had I placed it in the living room than the Big, Fluffy Kitty, who was highly mobile and not sick at all, snagged it for her own.  Not to be outmaneuvered by a cat, I promptly went out and bought what would later be called The Nappin' Basket.  With extra padding added beneath the genuine, imitation fur liner, it was perfect for my poor sickly SLFK.

The BFK took over that one, too.

The SLFK went back to sleeping on the bathroom rug, which was really where she wanted to be all along and I learned a valuable lesson about my ability to meet the needs of my pets.  With two kitty beds in the house, I vowed to refrain from ever purchasing another.

So here's the thing...

Back in June of last year, I got this Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty.  He is huge.  Mutant huge.  He loves The Nappin' Basket, but it's getting to be a tight fit.  I hadn't planned on getting another kitty bed or anything, mind you.  He seemed perfectly happy wedging himself into the basket.  But when I found small dog beds on clearance at a local department store, I just couldn't resist.  Spending less than ten dollars wouldn't break the bank and maybe the AGK would like having a bed which, although designed for canines, would accommodate extra feline girth and let him sprawl a bit.

The new bed was installed in the living room and here is where we stand:







That would be one small kitty who looks big because she is fluffy resting in the gi-normous doggy bed and one gi-normous kitty who is, in fact, big with no fluff-illusions whatsoever squashed happily in The Nappin' Basket.  It is now official.  I have no idea what I am doing.  I should just hand over my credit cards and let the pets do the shopping.  I'll just drive and pay the bills.  That's all I'm good for.  

At least they can be near each other now.  That's an accomplishment of sorts...

In knitting news, small things continue to dominate.  Not long ago, Susie sent me the cutest little sample skein.  I'd participated in a contest on her blog and the prize was yarn in the colorway of my choice.  She thought I'd like to see the one I didn't choose.  While I believe I picked the best one for my sock wardrobe, I couldn't help but wish there was something I could do with that wee bit of yarn.  It was so soft, so bright and so happy-looking.  What might I knit with this in order that its beauty not go to waste?

Then I had it!  A quick knit, perfect for a weekend when I needed mindless stitchery to recover from a bad week and something useful that I can pull out next fall when the temperatures begin to drop:


A spiffy new headband!


Small baskets will hold very big cats.  Very small cats will prefer big beds.  And wee, little skeins can bring big ol' bunches of satisfaction.

SA

15 comments:

twinsetellen said...

I personally think you should feel proud that your cats have used any of your cat furniture - ours made it a point to avoid anything bought expressly for them. Of course, they did like the dog bed quite a bit.

I hope this week is peaceful.

Anonymous said...

Clearly, BFK rules the condo. It's nice that she lets AGK have the Nappin' Basket. But I bet you could scare them both out -- you look just a tiny bit scary in that photo...

sheep#100 said...

:: shakes head ::

Trying to understand the mind (or lack thereof) of a cat is something I just will not do...

Anonymous said...

sAt least your kitties are not leaving their fur all over your furniture like mine do.

Nice headband.

p.s. Kat's right; you do look a wee bit scary in that picture (cute, but scary).

Mouse said...

I've given up on trying to find a bed for Ms. Kitty.. MIL brought her a kitty tower and she sleeps on top of it instead of inside it where its warm. *sigh*

Kath said...

Yeah, I gave up on buying beds for the critters a few years ago. Now I just make up something cushy with an old bathrobe or towels and they love it. But BFK and AGK look very sweet and peaceful sitting next to each other like that - I'd call that a win!

I snagged a bag of my mother's sock yarn leftovers - she was going to toss them. I see headbands happening there!

Mel said...

We have easily twice as many beds as animals. Easily. So that as they follow us around the house through the day, there are ample beds available to minimize conflict and keep everybody happy(ish). Just be happy that they're both content, because they'll be trading places soon enough.

Mia said...

that's sorta how i feel when i see my cat in the dog's cage.. there are no rules apparently.

Donna Lee said...

But they look so peaceful there. My cats have started the spring shedding. Yesterday, one of them waited just off the rug for my daughter to vacuum and then rolled all over it. One needs a nice clean rug to roll on.

Anne P said...

Sigh. Yes. The 4-legged creatures have definite views on the state of the weather, the shape of the world, don't they? At least they both have something nice to sleep in or on, and really.... the AGK doesn't look unhappy with his lot in life.

Lorraine said...

Oooh, if the headband makes you look scary, maybe you can use it on the "hooligans" in the classroom.
(snicker)

Karen said...

As long as everyone is happy and you get the couch I see nothing wrong with the arrangement.
Lovely headband. It looks great on you.

Cathy said...

My cats are all presently sleeping on dog beds and dog afghans. Well, one is sleeping on my pillow.

Let that be a lesson to you. :-)

Cursing Mama said...

Yes, well I see that things at your house are much the same as things at mine.

Beth said...

Your headband is really cute!

The cats and beds thing reminds me of bringing in non-native plants and animals to solve a problem. It never seems to work.