Zena and Pandora

Zena and Pandora went outside to play. Along came a blonde-haired boy with thick glasses. He asked me, “Do these kitties bite?”  I said,”Only Pandora.”

He said, “Which one is Pandora?” and I said, “the skinny one.”

He started to pat Pandora. She ran away. Then he patted Zena. She rolled over on her back and let him stroke her tummy (a very big, fat tummy). Then he got on his bicycle and rode away. “Good-bye, Mrs. Champion,” he called out.

The next day he came back. He said,”Do these kitties bite?”  I said, (quite patiently)”Only Pandora.” He replied, “Which one is Pandora?” I said, (quite patiently)”the skinny one.”

He then patted Pandora and Zena.

A few days later, he came back. You guessed it! He asked, “Do these kitties bite?” I found out he had a bit of a problem with memory. His mom came over to my house with him yesterday selling things for a fundraiser. She explained that he had a major memory problem.

Zena and Pandora don’t care about that! They just adore to be patted!

Zena and Pandora had a wonderful summer playing outside. Pandora even spent one night outside all the way until morning. She lost her collar and had to have a new one. Zena gained weight (of course) even though playing with the moths and rabbits in the backyard.

One day there was a loud thunderstorm and the lightning cracked right over the house. At that point, Zena and Pandora were in the bushes, afraid to come out. As soon as the rain cleared a little bit, they raced into the house looking like drowned rats.

Zena and Pandora are happy their mommy is going to be out all summer so they can play all day outside (although with two coats of hair, Zena really sweats through her tongue). Last week Pandora chased a rabbit 2 blocks down the street. Didn’t catch it though. Thank goodness! Have a safe and happy summer and more tales of Zena and Pandora in the fall.

Today is the official first day of spring, and Zena and Pandora have already been enjoying the good weather. They don’t come rushing inside right away as they did when it was 45 degrees out. They always noticed the squirrels, but now they’re crouching in hunter position for as long as 20 minutes to snag themselves a tasty squirrel.  Pandora even ran halfway up the pinoak tree to tree to get one–but, too bad! The squirrel was faster.

The little boy next door, about two years old, plays outside with his mom and yells, “Cat! Cat!” –a new word, when he sees Zena. His mom says, “Yes, cat, and what do cats say? Meow, meow.”  He just repeats, “Cat, cat!” Zena runs away, spooked by a two-year-old coming at her.

Zena and Pandora love the stray grass and assorted papers that blow through the yard. They go chasing them like a cheetah chases an antelope. “What fun!” they think. Eventually, they each stretch out in the sun like Serengeti lions with the light breeze blowing their whiskers. The joy of a spring day overcomes them, and if not really dozing off to sleep, they lower their eyelids a bit in the pleasure of the moment.

Yesterday the weather was beautiful so Zena and Pandora went outside. They sniffed at the broken tree branch that had been on my power line until a friend pulled it off the roof and threw it on the ground in front of the house–really big branch from my really big tree. Then they chased the squirrels up the tree. Then they jumped! The Jack Russell terrier next door had found a hole in the fence and poked his nose and shoulders through. He barked very loudly as Jack Russell terriers tend to do, but he couldn’t get the rest of his body through. Zena and Pandora were still on the alert, but they seemed relieved. They didn’t bolt for my front door as usual, but the hairs on their backs were up.

Then 2 little dachunds from around the corner came and the kitties were under my car in a hurry. Somebody coming down the street scared them away, but it was close! Who knows if we would have had a cat-dog throwdown in my front yard?

Last week, it was time for Zena and Pandora’s annual exam and SHOTS! They always run away when they see their cat carriers, so it takes some trickery on my part to get them in to the carriers. After they place their claws and paws on the little cat door, refusing to go in, eventually I get them situated and into the car. (in the pouring rain!)

They yowled all the way in the car. When we got to the examination room at the vet’s, they were allowed to get out of their carriers and explore the room. Pandora, of course, the tree climber, jumped up on the counter and was sniffing the outlets and the doctor’s tray. I had to remove her from the shot tray so she wouldn’t knock it on the floor. Zena, the brave one, was huddling in a corner under the bench. She is obviously not brave when it comes to the veterinarian.

Then the doctor came in, examined them and gave each one her shot That went pretty well, no scratching! Then they were each weighed. Pandora is 8.3 pounds and Zena is 11.5 pounds. On to the cat carriers and home we went, the not-so-excellent adventure over!

This is the time of year that makes everyone think happy thoughts, especially Zena and Pandora. I got them some catnip for a treat, and they went wild–rolling in it and attacking it. Then when I put up the lights on the Christmas wreath on the front door, they were so happy chewing on the wires until I pulled them off it and pushed a chair in front of the wires leading to the outlet. Now I only light the Christmas wreath when they are in their bedroom at night. No sense in the kitties getting electrocuted in time for Christmas! I don’t know what I am going to get them for Christmas yet. They really love to chew on waterbugs, though. Maybe a dead waterbug. Nah!

Yesterday afternoon, I let Zena and Pandora out the front door (which I don’t usually do because they are fraidy-cat indoor cats). They were playing and along came Blacky, the next-door-neighbor’s cat. He chased Zena into the bushes and Pandora under my car. Then out came Pandora ( the braver one) after him. I made the mistake of jumping toward Blacky at that moment, and he chased both of my cats away.  When Zena (whose second name is Warrior Princess) came back, Pandora disappeared. Blacky and Zena went into the bushes in the neighbor’s back yard. For about 15 minutes, all the cats were gone. I went into the neighborhood calling “Here, kitty, kitty!” Nothing. Then Pandora rushed from under the car through the open front door like a bullet!  I saw Blacky and Zena creeping through the neighbors’ bushes and later Zena came into the house with a big scratch right across her nose! What an adventure!