The escapades of Shugie Lynn and Sweet Kitty (a.k.a. Gracie and Ginger)

We had left them alone in the apartment for 2 weeks while we were in Italy. A “feline caregiver” (named either Simone or Nicole, we can never remember for sure, so we call her Simone-Nicole) was coming by the apartment twice a day to feed, water, play cat games, and address the inevitable cat box issue. I doubt there was much cat-playing going on, because Shugie Lynn (alias for Gracie) and Sweet Kitty (alias for Ginger) look like they’ve packed on some LBs while we were away. And no real catastrophes to contend with upon our return. Either that or the evidence had been disposed of by Simone-Nicole.

We felt as if we'd put our trust in an almost total stranger to care for our girls while we were gone. I wondered if Ginger and Gracie thought we were coming back or if they remembered we’d even really gone anywhere. Either way, I tried not to think too much about them while in Italy because of the guilt I felt in leaving them alone for two weeks (bad mother). Yes, Simone-Nicole stopped by daily, but still….

Sweet Kitty rebounded quickly. Within 5 minutes of our return, she was already in the master bed, lounging in her old spot, and wanting a little attention.

Not Shugie Lynn. For many reasons, not just due to our disappearance for 2 weeks, Shugie Lynn would not get up on the bed, but chose to sleep in the home office. What gives? This troubled me greatly.



So with the guilt of being gone for 2 weeks still hovering over us, we spent 30 minutes in a local pet store debating the pros and cons of all the various cat beds. This one’s too small, too big, not soft enough, an ugly color, etc. Finally we hit pay dirt: we settled on a very soft, color matching (gray), and realistically priced cat bed for our bedroom. Now, Shugie Lynn could have her “own” bed but sleep in the same room with the rest of her peops (people).

I’ll save you the long story. Ginger co-opted the bed immediately, and Shugie Lynn has returned to the chair in the home office, with the occasional sunny slumber in one of the baskets in the kitchen. Children!