Hi, I’m Amanda! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Blue, my fluffy fire point Himalayan-Persian cat.
There has to be something about the way they act around Blue. Their body language. How reluctant they are to pet her and the never-ending space that manages to stay the same no matter how hard she tries to inch closer. Longing stares and persistent meows are met with regretful apologies and waves from afar.
This happened to Blue last night. We had a full house for dinner, including many doting children who would have been in hysterics if Blue paid them this attention. The only person Blue wanted attention from was my sister-in-law. The one person in the room who is allergic to cats. It is human (or cat) nature to want something you can’t have, right?
Blue hid for the first few hours until the novelty of her fluffy presence faded. Once the barrage of little ones were scattered throughout the house, preoccupied with their adventures, Blue set out on her own. She emerged from her hiding spot and felt comfortable enough to lounge with the adults. Anyone sitting down was presented with a temporary lap friend who stuck around as long as the pets were consistent.
Blue seemed to notice the one individual determined to keep her distance. She sat on her lounger under the foot of the table waiting for her moment to strike. Being a busybody and fellow mama, my sister-in-law was occupied with me in the kitchen, so her inaccessibility kept Blue at bay for quite some time.
Patience is a Virtue
After dinner was done and the kitchen was cleaned, the group sat around our dining table, half of them filling the single chairs and on the other side, a row of bottoms filled a wide bench. This is when Blue saw an opportunity and was able to make her move. The person she desperately needed to get to was on the end of the bench, which gave her easy access from where she lay. Instead of aggressively pouncing on top of her legs, Blue made her way through the bridge of people and plopped down beside my sister-in-law. She was greeted kindly but without any invitations to come closer. Blue was obviously appalled and inched closer. As the other little hands began to pet Blue, tufts of her fur became airborne, snuffing out the clean breathing air for my sister-in-law, but despite this, she stayed put. Maybe today was the day she was stronger than her allergies?
It wasn’t long before Blue was being lectured with an “I love you but only from a distance,” followed by a rhythmic set of sneezes. Allergies will always trump willpower, people. At this point, no amount of allergy meds could undo what had already been done. Luckily, it was the end of the night, and about time for everyone to call it a day.
Missed Mark
Sadly, Blue didn’t win this battle, but the war is not over. She will be given more chances to get in the good graces of all who try to avoid her. Until then, she will wait on the laps of the sedentary, medically-cleared people of the world.
Does your cat obsess over humans who are allergic to them? Tell us your story!
Side note: here’s a picture of the mural the littles made when Blue was in hiding.
This article is a part of Amanda and Blue’s series.