Allegra’s World

Allegra’s World: 8th Adoption Anniversary

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Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Today is my 8th Adoption Anniversary! Eight years ago today, Mom brought me home to live with her and Amber. Sadly, I never got to know Amber really well, because she passed away six weeks after I arrived. Then it was just Mom and me for almost a year before Ruby joined our family. I love my life with Mom. And Ruby. Although there are days when I wonder whether bringing Ruby home was really such a good idea…Continue Reading

Allegra and Her Special Toy

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Today, I’d like to tell you about Allegra and her special toy.

Her special toy is not fancy. It’s an ancient olive green and tan suede mouse that was given to her by a friend when I first adopted her in 2010. The mouse lost its tail somewhere along the way.

She picks it up and carries it around the house, chirping and singing and sometimes yowling. It sounds a bit plaintive, a sad little cry, as if she had lost something. The first time I heard it, I thought she’d hurt herself! As soon as I look for her when she does this, she drops the toy and stops, which is why I haven’t been able to get a video of her with the toy.

Almost every morning, I find her special toy in the bedroom, even though it doesn’t “live” there during the day. Some mornings, I find it under the covers. I have never heard her bring it during the night. I’m a relatively light sleeper, but apparently not so light that her chirping, singing and yowling wakes me up – or perhaps, she is considerate enough to bring the toy quietly at night?

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Allegra’s previous special toy

Interestingly, she’s only considered that suede mouse “special” for the last five or six years. Before then, she had a different “baby” – an ancient toy that actually belonged to Feebee, who passed away in 2000. She dug that out of the toy basket one day, and apparently decided that it was going to be her “baby.” It’s a soft, plush little stuffed mitten with a tail that has a pompon at the end. Then one day, she lost interest in that toy and the green suede mouse became her baby.

She never actually plays with these toys, but yet, they’re clearly very special to her.

Amber had her own version of a special toy: a green and tan fuzzy mouse that I got for her when she first came to live with me. For the entire ten years that she was with me, that mouse was her special “baby.” Like Allegra, she’d pick it up, carry it around the house, crying and yowling. Amber would often sleep with her “baby,” something I rarely see Allegra do. 

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Amber with her special toy

What’s really interesting to me is that Ruby won’t ever touch Allegra’s “baby.” Ruby considers every other toy in our house hers – but yet, she hasn’t once played with Allegra’s suede mouse. This was also the case with Amber’s green and tan mouse. Even though Buckley was already a senior when she came to live with us, she still liked to play, but she never once touched Amber’s special toy. When Allegra joined Amber and me as a 7-month-old kitten who would go after anything that moved, she never once played with Amber’s special mouse.

I asked Allegra to tell you about her special toy, but she declined. She said some things aren’t meant to be explained to humans.

A Mouse in the House

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The other day, I was in my laundry room when I saw a tiny little mouse scurry across the floor in front of my feet. And while I think mice are adorable, I don’t really want to share my living space with them. Of course, this also explained why Allegra and Ruby had been hanging out outside the laundry room door quite a bit lately!Continue Reading

Allegra and the Slicker Brush

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Hi everyone! It’s Allegra! It’s been too long since I got to write anything here! The other day, when Mom was brushing me, she said “Allegra, you’re so cute when you’re being brushed,” I thought maybe I should tell you about our “brushies routine.” I don’t know about being cute, but I do love being brushed. Mom brushes me every day at lunch time. When she gets out of her office chair and walks toward the kitchen, I know it’s time!Continue Reading

Allegra’s World: 7th Adoption Anniversary

Allegra-The-Conscious-Cat

Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Today is my 7th Adoption Anniversary! Seven years ago today, Mom brought me home to live with her and Amber. Sadly, I never got to know Amber really well, because she passed away six weeks after I arrived. Then it was just Mom and me for almost a year before Ruby joined our family. I love my life with Mom, but sometimes, I think maybe bringing Ruby home was not one of Mom’s better ideas…Continue Reading

Allegra and Ruby Make New Year’s Resolutions

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I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Even though the idea of a “fresh start” is appealing, I find that setting intentions for the year is a more powerful way to go about making permanent changes in your life. However, Allegra and Ruby have been discussing their New Year’s resolutions extensively, and they’ve been bugging me to share their top 3 resolutions with you, so here you go!Continue Reading

Allegra and the Thanksgiving Turkey

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Did someone say “turkey?”

I often wonder how Allegra and Ruby feel about the fact that I’m mostly vegetarian. I suspect that they would prefer me to be a carnivore like them. While I do eat some seafood, I usually eat that only when I eat out. As a result, the most exciting people food treats the girls get are the occasional pieces of cheese. Ruby doesn’t care all that much for people food (except tuna!), she prefers cat treats. Allegra likes to try different things, but I’d never seen her as excited about people food as she was when I came home from Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday. Why don’t I let her tell you in her own words?Continue Reading

Allegra’s World: It’s my 7th Birthday

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Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! I’m seven years old today! According to some people, that makes me a senior. I don’t think so! I can still act like a kitten with the best of them!

Mom says she can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. She says it seems like it was just yesterday that she met me for the first time.Continue Reading