
I’ve mentioned my cats several times in this blog but I really haven’t told you anything of interest about them. So I thought I’d do a series of posts about them. The idea is that I post a biography of sorts on Saturdays until I’ve written about all of them.
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Miya the Merciless
Miya is the oldest of the “indoor” cats. Husband and I adopted her from the animal shelter in 2004.
She sat in a box with her sister and two brothers looking at the two of us as if we were aliens from Mars or something. Each one was pure black. We would have taken any of these four little fur balls, which made the decision impossible for us. Our solution was to let the four of them decide who was going to go home with us. We played with them in a room that had the carpeted juggle gym , cat nip, and cat toys. That is we tried to play with them. All four didn’t want to have anything to do with us at first. This isn’t to say they were feral because they weren’t. They were just indifferent to us.
It was Miya who finally decided we were worthy of her time to investigate. She sauntered over to where we sat Indian-style on the threadbare indoor/outdoor carpet. She sniffed all around us, giving special attention to our backsides. Coming back around to the front, she eyed the shoelaces on my jogging shoes. She went for one of them, pulling and tugging.
Soon she was tired. She didn’t go back to the box where her siblings were though. She crawled into my lap and snuggled down.
Like any other cat, she has her own personality.
She’s afraid of anyone who doesn’t live in the home. We don’t have people come in often, which may be half the problem. When someone unknown does enter, she escapes to one of the bedrooms and scoots underneath the bed or dresser.
She hates to be picked up by anyone. There are times when we have to, but fortunately it isn’t too often. It’s a good thing too because she’ll complain the entire time.
I know cats shouldn’t be given milk but husband started giving it to her anyway and now she’s addicted. She expects just enough to cover the bottom of a cereal bowl and she has us trained to give it to her twice a day. She’ll go as far as coming to get one of us, complaining of course, until one of us relents and gets her milk. She prefers the bowl be on the side-table in kitchen. She’ll stand on a chair, put her front paws on the table, and lap up the milk.
About her title, Miya the Merciless: When she plays with Marble, another “indoor” cat, she can get ruthless. She’ll arch her back, put her head low, and give poor Marble the evil eye treatment. Before a couple of seconds have past, she’s charging for him. Poor Marble doesn’t have a chance. Yet, he usually come back for more.
She’s gotten too big for laying in laps, but she’ll scooch next to one of us while we watch TV.
(One of her brothers was adopted by a good friend. His name is Murphy.)
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Any questions?
“Never try to outstubborn a cat.” ― Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
Awwww, that’s a wonderful story. Miya certainly picked the right couple for her, and good thing she trained you quickly to serve her favorite treat. Looking forward to next Saturday’s Cat Tale.
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Glad yu enjoyed the post, Sharon. 🙂
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You were chosen to serve. I think that’s how it is with cats. Soil da Miya chose well.
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Well, she does have her duties too, like keeping my feet warm at night. 😉
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I think Miya and our cat Oscar would have got on. My wife could pick him up but no-one else. He would also come to get you to give him food. During the night that was my job even if he’d just finished eating, he had some very novel ways of waking me up and considered me his servant, good enough to fetch and carry but not good enough to converse with. He got his own book in the end. Miya definitely sound the same sort of character
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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LOL I don’t have it as bad as you, David. Miya lets me sleep at night. Still, like your Oscar, she believes she’s the ruler of the house, and, of course, she is. 😛
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Isn’t it fascinating how cats choose us? Miya sounds adorable. I don’t understand why black cats at the animal shelters are the last to go. Black makes a beautiful cat! A house isn’t a home without a cat. ❤ ❤ ❤
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When she was still a kitten, we had to attach a bell to her collar because invariably, one of us would step on her in the hall.
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I must add and without books.
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What a sweetie. Even though I’m a dog person, I think I’d love Miya.
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My mom is a dog person too, but she makes lavish exceptions for Miya. 😉
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Your writing made Miya the Merciless come alive for us. Thank you.
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Wow! Thank you so much!
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Myia is beautiful. I loved how she picked you.
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Thanks 🙂 She’s twelve now and her coat hadn’t changed. I wonder how long she’s live.
I think pets will choose their adopters if giving the chance. 😉
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I believe so too. They certainly pick their person once they get used to your home. We have a little one that tolerates me because I feed her, but her favorite person is my husband.
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Miya is beautiful. My childhood cat Rubic had a similar look. It’s amazing how much personality pets can exhibit. My sixteen-year-old Siamese mix had to be put down this fall, and he was so cantankerous. My other cat weighs almost 19 pounds and has recently started scratching the furniture instead of his cat stand, which is odd because I’ve had him since 2005.
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Sorry to find out about your Siamese mix. I know that I have to keep thoughts like that in the back of my mind so when the time comes, I can handle it. Always be prepared.
About clawing furniture: Miya was periodically doing that. We think we’ve hit on a solution though. Basically it’s just giving her more attention through petting and brushing. Also, every time we see her using the scratching hump(yes, hump), we praise her. Once in a great while she’ll still try to get away with clawing the furniture. We quickly scold her and walk away from her. She seems to understand that if she wants the attention, she can’t do that.
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