Our family cat Bobby Kitty decided to start jogging today on the treadmill. My Monkey boy, Andre has a concern about the animals gaining too much weight and has already tried previous times to put his Border Collie and mare on diets. As October nears it's getting colder in the mornings so Bobby Kitty tries to sneak in the house for a morning warmup. He has a nice garden shed to sleep in out of the elements but likes to pop in for a cuppa and some belly rubs. We've had him and his brother Pablo Kitty since they were born 8 years ago so it was quite a suprise when I heard the treadmill turn on this morning as I was getting ready for work. I thought the kids were goofing off when they were supposed to be getting animals fed. I was partially right.Andre had turned on the treadmill at a very low speed and was holding Bobby Kitty over the treadmill's running surface encouraging him to run so that he could work off his fat tummy. Now he's not fat, he's fluffy. Winter fluffy. The cat has reached larger proportions before so Andre's concern has some validity, but not today. He has, what my dear Auntie would say, is a lion's belly. Tristan, my way too cool 6th grader, swept in and rescued the annoyed kitty jogger before he could work up much of a sweat and catch his tail in the belt.
When asked why he would do such a thing - Monkey Boy's response was "I didn't want him to get teased by the other cats because his belly is big like Garfield's. Remember Mom when the alley cats made Garfield cry?" Hmm, well the child was well meaning and dearly loves his kitty. So no disgusting tasks as punishment for a good deed gone awry.
Kitty still loves his kid and follows him around like a dog, hoping for a scratch behind the ears or on the belly. Drooling all the while. But I noticed Andre picked him up after he'd eaten for a couple of minutes to distract him. I'll give him another handful when Monkey Boy goes to bed.
