When Amelia was a little kitten she figured out that riding on shoulders was a lot of fun. Whenever Nancy or I got out of the shower we could count on having to drape a towel over our shoulders and pick up a shoulder kitten.

When we adopted Tabitha it didn't take her long to discover the wonders of shouldering. She and Amelia would take turns. When Harri came home, she figured out that she liked shoulder riding too.

Now, when either of us steps out of the shower we can count on seeing one, two, or three kitties waiting for a shoulder ride. We generally handle this on a "first come, first served" basis - whoever was waiting first gets to shoulder first. This generally works pretty well.

But every once in a while something unusual happens that requires that we abandon the "first come, first served" idea. This morning was one of those times. As soon as I opened the shower curtains, Amelia came traipsing into the bathroom, followed closely by Harri. Amelia took her usual position on the sink. Harri, though, hopped up on the edge of the tub and proceeded to tell me a story of woe.

Meeeeow-squuueak-rowwww-purr-squeak-rowwwwr. I'm not sure what she was saying, but she was very serious about it. Judging by the earnestness of her voice and the grim look in her eyes I'm sure that she was telling me something that had to do with the safety of the entire universe. Of course I let Harri shoulder first, and as soon as she got onto my shoulders she started purring up a storm. Whatever horrible tragedy was about to befall the universe, letting Harri shoulder first seems to have resolved the problem.

I often wish that I was able to understand kittlish....

Copyright © Dan Mahoney
March 24, 2006