Miko

I wish I could have found a picture of Miko without her collar on. But, during the months when there's no snow on the ground, Miko has her collar on all the time. She's on a ten foot (or so) lead, and this is her world. If she ever runs out the door without being hooked up, she stops dead at the end of her imaginary rope. She acts bewildered. Believe it or not, she has never ventured beyond this territory. Never.

Miko is an odd cat. It took me years to come to love her. I used to feel vaguely guilty, for I felt no attachment to her at all. Now I do. When we were away, I started to miss her terribly, and when I realized I could hardly wait to see her again, I was glad.

She's rather hard to love. Most of the time, she's invisible. I don't even know where all her hiding places are. She will sit on my lap a few nights a week, if I'm lucky. It's unusual for her to stay long upon my lap, for if I make the tiniest of gestures, she becomes unnerved and runs away. She is a nervous cat. I don't know what happened to her when she was a kitten, but I wonder if she was abused. Even after living with us for over five years, she's still a scaredy-cat. We treat her with nothing but kindness, if she's around.

Miko is a lynx point Siamese, but that's a breed that isn't recognized by the la-de-da Cat Fancy Association. That's okay with me, for I have no interest in showing cats. I have gone to cat shows, for I love looking at the different breeds. But, to be honest, the whole thing creeps me out some. Sorry, but I find it strange that many cat show people have cats that are much better groomed than they are.

I said I would write a post about Miko, and I feel like I've got very little to say. She doesn't have much to say either, which is fine by me, for most cats with any Siamese in them have a grating voice. Miko meows once in a while, usually over something I can't figure out. She also makes funny little sounds when she's looking out the window. If there's any birds, squirrels, chipmunks or other cats out there, I can tell by her strange chirp-like vocalization and the twitch of her tail.

Miko is not a picky eater. She'll eat any cat food, but she doesn't care all that much for human food. She does like beef, but lately that's something we don't have all that much. And when we do, if it has the slightest bit of gravy or seasoning on it, she'll just walk away. I used to have a cat who ate anything; Doritos were amongst her favorite treats. Miko wouldn't stoop to eating a Dorito.

Miko kills mice, but she hasn't figured out that she can eat them. Or perhaps she doesn't think they are tasty. How would I know?

She's a beautiful cat with slightly mysterious ways. It's fitting to her name, which is Japanese for the female conduit between the animal and human spirit world. Miko is also the name of the star of one of the most popular hentai* in Japan.

I'm rather glad that she's not an overly affectionate cat. Nor is she particularly playful. This is great for a knitter. She can sit next to me when I'm knitting and not have the slightest interest in batting at my yarn. She doesn't sit on my chest when I'm reading a book. She doesn't sit on my laptop, either. This is a real problem with some cats. Miko just doesn't get in the way or knock things over. The only thing she does that's a problem is mess up that nice chair.

Because she's so sparing with her affections, I feel honored when she does jump in my lap. A few weeks ago, she fell asleep on my aching belly when I was in bed. This is a real rarity. I laid there smiling as I drifted off. I also wondered if she was responding to the fact that I was in pain. I tend to think it was a coincidence, for she isn't attentive to people's needs.

Maybe she knows I'm writing about her. She just came over and she's purring. She's smelling everything that's around me, even though there's nothing new here. But, I usually don't spread out my schoolwork in the manner that is in now. That's another thing about her - she hates it when anything is moved.

And now she's scratching at her favorite chair. It's a disaster. The arms are all frayed and furry looking. But since this is the only place where she scratches , I'm loathe to make her stop.

That little visit took all of two minutes. She has now run up the stairs to wherever she is hiding nowadays.

We used to do yoga together. She'd roll around on the floor. I'd roll around on the floor. And sometimes, we meditate together. I think she's just hanging out, doing whatever cats do when they're just sitting. I'm may be just sitting too, but somehow I doubt she struggles with intrusive thoughts.

Sometimes I wish I had a dog, with whom I could walk. I tried training Miko to walk on that leash, but she became terrified if a car went by. At the time, there was no place to walk in the woods. Now there is, but she won't cooperate. She has no problem with it keeping her from freely roaming, but there's no way she's coming with me. And if you're wondering why I put her on the leash, you should see the road I live on. The likelihood of her being hit by a car is high.

Maybe Miko is the perfect cat for me. A bit neurotic and aloof, but highly affectionate once in a while. Sounds like me!

*La Blue Girl, a cartoon porn series about a girl with secret sexual powers that can kill and her struggles with an evil society in an alternate universe.