Sunday Stories

Munchkin

    I just realized that last Sunday's post was supposed to be about Soot and Munchkin, and how we came to have them both at the same time.  That much was accomplished, but I'm afraid in my lengthy explanation of Sootsie's misfortunes, poor little Munchkin and her personality was sorely neglected.  Today's post will rectify that by giving Munchie her very own story article.  This is only fair, because, after all, it was Munchkin we had originally agreed to adopt, and Soot was a last-minute decision.

   Munchkin is, and always has been, a clown.  She is quite vocal, and has many funny and endearing quirks.  Some are less endearing, but you have to laugh, and think she is cute, in spite.   One such is her habit of insisting that we humans need company and/or assistance of some kind when using "the facilities."  

    She will jump up on the counter, and pat at our hair until she gets petted; or she will put her front feet down in the basin, and 'Meeooowwwr" demanding the water be turned on to a trickle, so she can lap right from the tap.  They have a very nice water dish with a bottle of water automatically dispensing refills as needed, but somehow Munchie prefers the tap.  "Nice,"  I thought one day, as I was getting ready to brush my teeth...."how many 'cat cooties' are all over this faucet?!"  So, the next time, I watched her carefully...she doesn't actually lick the faucet...she laps from the stream below, somehow managing not to get her face wet in the process.

   One of her less-appealing habits is thinking it is funny to awaken us in the morning by sneezing in our face! UGH!  Bad kitty! Yuck!  But, should the tables turn, and she somehow is the recipient of a direct sneeze...(this usually happens if she is underfoot while I am preparing food...naturally, not wanting to sneeze on the food, or in my hand if there is no time to grab a tissue, I will bend over and sneeze at the floor)...and, oh, my, the look we get!  Double standards abound in the kitty lane!

   When she was a kitten, she would curl up in our pants...while we were occupied using "the facilities"...  the little pervert!  I actually have a photo of this...but you'll be relieved to know I will refrain from posting it!

   Munchkin is the timekeeper.  It is she who will set up a fuss, and 'get in our faces' if their meal should be tardy.  "Tardy" being defined as anything from "I don't care what the clock says, I'm hungry now," to us humans deciding to sleep in an extra hour.  It is a duty she shared with Soot, but has fully taken over as her responsibility.

   Toys?  Did you say toys?  Munchkin is the toy hog of all toy hogs.  Sometimes, she will let Tigger and Jigsaw get in a swipe or two, but she will take over to the extent that the other two will just go away and lie down.  In order to give them their own playtime, Munchie must be shut out of the room!  She doesn't care what toy it is, either...they all get hogged equally.  Including any in which she is normally not interested...just let one of the others start to play with it, and all of a sudden, whatever it is has become her very favorite toy!

   She does not understand the concept of the shower, and when we step out, insists on 'helping' by trying to lick our legs dry!  And did I mention, she has the roughest tongue in all of catdom! While I am bent down to dry my feet, she rears up on her hind legs and attempts to 'comb' my hair with her claws.  Mostly, she just gets hair, but now and again, she will catch scalp.  At that point, she gets 'the boot.'

   She is the consummate licker.  She licks everything, and everyone, including all the other cats!  Pet her, and she is liable to grab your arm, and start licking you to death with that rasp in her mouth! 

   Munchkin, like her sister Soot, loves her food, and has managed to pack on a few extra pounds.  When she sits in a formal sitting pose...her front paws do not quite come together, and she has 'cleavage.'  Hmmmm... racy kitty mags, anyone?

   We named her Munchkin because when she was a kitten, she was such a tiny little thing, with great big eyes.  In fact, she almost got named "Gizmo" after the character in the movie "Gremlins."  However, we went with her overall size, hence 'Munchkin."  It is hard to tell from just her photos, but seen in person, she is a study in proportional mis-match;  she still has a very tiny head, but needs a 'wide load' sign at her other end.  If it were not for the extra weight, she'd really be quite a small cat.  Nonetheless, I still call her 'tiny girl' now and then, just because she has such a cute, tiny head.

   Smart?  Yes, she is a smartie.  She has figured out all kinds of things... not all good.   If she gets into the laundry room, she knows how to paw open the bottom cupboards;  she knows where their food is kept, and will attempt to open that door...but it is a bi-fold door, and not so easy for kits. 

   When she was a kitten, Tigger was guilty of teaching her how to scratch and paw at the office door to be let in.  Tigger doesn't much bother anymore...Munchkin is quite expert at this trick.  Actually, I got tired of being interrupted, or of the noise if hubby was asleep..so I rarely even close the office anymore if I am in here...hmm... who's running the house??????

   She loves to snag my ponytail holder and make off with it.  I am normally very careful to put it in the drawer overnight, but the other night, it must have fallen beside the drawer, and I did not notice.  Hubby caught her chasing and tossing it all over having a great time.  The look on her face when he took it away was priceless...and pathetic.

   She and Tigger are best buddies...even more so since we lost Soot.  They will walk around the house together, nap together, and play together.  Their latest game is batting at each other through the fabric wall of the 'kitty cubes.'  Sometimes, though, Munchie goes into 'herding' mode, and side-shoves Tigger away from the direction he was heading.  It is quite comical.

   I'm not sure what is up between her and Jigsaw..she will chase him and antagonzie him...but not always.  I guess they are playing in their own way, but Jiggy seems nervous of her much of the time.

   Munchkin is not as much a 'people cat' as the others, at least so far as lap-sitting is concerned.  She likes her pets, but is a much more independent cuss...and while getting petted will often start playing the 'rabbit-kick' game.  She'll also grab onto your arm..and hold tight...she's a strong little dickens.  In our laps, she will sit only if it was her idea...and she'll sit down toward my legs where I really cannot reach to pet her.  It is rare that she is actually in our laps! 

   She's a rascal, and often gets called a "Skeeziks."  (A ne'er-do-well character from an old child's board game, "Uncle Wiggly" ... I'm no doubt dating myself badly with that reference!)

   And that's our little Munchkin.  We adore her, as we do all our fur children.