The cat's meow

I'm on a cat kick right now. Oh, first, I have to tell you a sad story. There is this gal here at work - she is the neatest person in the world. Well, she has a pet squirrel. Actually, she has two pets squirrels. She rescued Mr. Chips (Chip) when he was just a baby and has had him as a pet for the past 5 1/2 years. She's become well known in these parts as "the squirrel lady" and people are always bringing her baby squirrels that have fallen from nests, squirrels that have been injured in some way, etc. She is currently nursing a baby to health who is just a few weeks old. She and I were talking about Chip, about how he lays across the small of her back when she's out gardening, about how she just holds out her arm and clucks to him and he comes running, about how much he is a part of her daily routine. She was telling me all this during a discussion about the new baby wherein she shared that Chip was not feeling well and she was taking him to the vet that night. That was Friday. I came in yesterday and was told that she had to put Chip to sleep. I was stunned and so sad. She came in today and I just hugged her and cried with her and told her how sorry I was. Apparently, he had cancer. His liver was just full of it. I am so sad for her. I wish I could say some magic thing and take away her sorrow, but of course, I can't. So I just visit with her and ask her about Chip and let her share her reminisces with me. It's just so sad and everyone here just hurts for her.

Now, on to Ali. She is the silliest cat. She's very polite. She doesn't meow hardly ever. She isn't annoying or messy or anything - until you have a bowl of cereal. I don't usually eat breakfast, but I'm turning over a new leaf since everything I read says people who eat breakfast have an easier time with their weight. So, for the past two days I've been having a bowl of Kashi Go Lean for breakfast. Well, Ali has always been a huge fan of cereal. You just get the box out of the cupboard and no matter where she is in the house, she comes racing into the kitchen. I poured my cereal under her watchful eyes, poured the milk on it, and sat down at the counter to eat. Ali positioned herself just 6 inches to my left on the counter. She tucked her feet under herself, closed her eyes, and started purring. She stayed like that the entire time I was eating. As soon as I finished, she opened her eyes as if to see if I had any leftovers for her. Now, this cat does not normally eat people food. She will lap at a bowl of milk for a few laps, but she never drinks more than a few tablespoons of it. She will, on rare occasions, eat tiny tidbits of cooked chicken, but again, people food is not her favorite thing. What her obsession with cereal is, I have no clue. I didn't have any leftovers today, but yesterday there was a bit of milk in the bottom of my bowl, so I gave it to her. She took a couple of dainty laps at it, then walked away. She's just so darned funny! When Jonathan is home and having cereal she will be much more agressive, going so far as to put her paw out and pull his hand to her so she can scrutinize the contents of his spoon, but she doesn't do that to me. She just sits, waits, and purrs. I wish I knew what she was thinking.