Flashes of Panic

We are in a section of the day which has long been known as “Is it time?” time. It is so named because our third roommate (the one who always wears stripes) is on a limited diet, and he’s always hungry well in advance of dinnertime. The period from 4 to 5 is the worst, because the hunger has woken him from his nap, and he’s determined that dinnertime is now. He keeps poking his face in the work of whoever is home, asking, “Is it time? Is it time?” This is particularly difficult when you’re working on a laptop, because he’ll sit behind the screen, then reach around and paw at your tapping fingers. He’s turned on Caps Lock on this machine more often than I have.

Sometimes he can be distracted for a few minutes with a toy or two, but this is a recipe for frequent interruption; I’ve been working half an hour on this already. But lest anyone think I’m bitter, I offer four things about Iz.

• He’s friendly. Every other cat I’ve lived with has primarily been interested in minding its own business, and tolerated adulation as part of the cost of a regular meal ticket. Iz appears to prefer company to solitude, even preferring to sleep near us—he has a bed next to A’s desk.

• He’s ambitious. Cats, in general, don’t like to fail, and so they’ll only attempt what they’re sure they can handle. Iz is more than willing to make a standing high-jump with a half-twist to intercept a flying styrofoam disk in the air, or vault from the floor to a countertop just a little higher than he can reach. He prefers you don’t laugh too long when he fails, of course.

• He’s social. He looks you in the eyes when he wants something from you. And, oh yeah, he’s talking to you.

• He’s adorable. You might just have to take my word on this.

Oh, look, it’s time.

Now Playing: Which Way Should I Jump? from Slinky by milltown brothers