They say cleanliness is next to godliness, and it seems eight-month-old Kahlua takes this quite literally. As the only human in the house, I always leave the bathroom door open when I’m in there, and at least three out of my four ‘kids’ generally come in at some stage. When I have a shower, Kahlua is desperate to get into the cubicle, and she will jump onto the sink and try to climb the glass door. When that fails, she’ll return to the bathmat and after some pacing around the outside of the shower, start clawing frantically at the frame and glass – all the time meowing loudly. This can go on for the entire length of my shower.

When her ‘brother,’ Merlot (a Jack Russel), senses that I’m about to turn the water off, he’ll come in and appear to say something to Kahlua. Then, as if contemplating her next move, there is a moment of silence as I get out and Merlot inevitably goes in to lick up the floor. She weaves around my legs as I’m trying to dry myself, but is completely focussed on what Merlot is doing. Once he is finished and out of the shower, I’ll sometimes leave the door open for her – but she’s not interested. Apparently, the ‘fun’ is over.

In their quieter moments, she and sister Mocha, often groom each other. When I see them however, it is usually Kahlua soaking up the attention – as if she is the dictator, demanding her slave give her the sleekest and shiniest coat in the land.

Kahlua also has a serious hair fetish. This is especially apparent when I have my long hair in a plait, as I often do at home. She’ll jump onto my back at any opportunity – when I’m bent over the bench in the kitchen, cleaning my teeth in the bathroom, or even putting my shoes on to go out. If there’s the slightest horizontal angle to my back, she’s on it - usually in one big leap from the floor!

She has a secret too. For some reason, I’m sure known only to her, Kahlua doesn’t like any sort of handtowel hanging beside the kitchen sink. There doesn’t appear to be a purpose to her constantly pulling it off the hook. It’s not blocking her way to the windowsill, or hindering her latest mischievous adventure. If she has the slightest inkling that I’m trying to return the towel to its rightful place, she’ll come running from any corner of the house, even if she appears to be sleeping, and leap onto the bench to pull it off the hook. Then, she’ll just casually go back to what she was doing – as if nothing happened.

Finally, some people are fortunate enough to know the feeling of having a bird sit on their shoulder. I’ve heard and read of people who go about their daily tasks with their beloved pet perched on them, taking an interest in all they do. Well, I have a cat that does that. Slightly heavier and at times cumbersome, but dare I say, far more amusing. Kahlua will sit on my shoulder at the computer, sometimes with such intense focus on the monitor – as if she’s reading every word. She’s on my shoulder even as I’m typing this, and I’m being groomed.

Author: Rae McInnes
Country: Australia
True story: Yes
Rating: 19 paws up
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