(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Caturday Pootie Diary: Shaaaaaaaaaare [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-29 I straightened and left the living room, Freddie on my heels. We walked into the kitchen, Freddie automatically going to his food bowls. I shook my head. “It’s not dinner time.” “I can always hope,” he said, sadly. He took a few bites of kibble to console himself. I rolled my eyes. “Come on, little guy. Let’s watch some tv.” “Are you going to eat some chicken?” I paused. “I haven’t really thought about it. I might just eat leftovers. I’m a little tired.” “Leftovers of chicken?” “You don’t get any,” I said, sternly. “We’ll see,” he said, knowing me all too well. I turned on the show I’ve been watching after work, and we settled in. I was reclined in my chair, Freddie stretched out between my legs, tail against my belly and head between my feet. He’s a big cat. I gasped at an especially scary part and Freddie jumped. I reached out to give his hind end a quick pet. “Sorry, Freddie. That was just kind of scary.” He licked one paw thoughtfully and said, “You know what helps when you’re scared?” “A buddy to cuddle?” “Dinner.” I returned to my chair, now burdened with a plate of leftover chicken salad on toasted cranberry walnut bread and a quickly thrown together salad. Freddie perked up from his new place on the chair arm, stretching his neck to see what was on my plate. I shook my head. “Not for kitties.” I sat on the edge of my seat, plate balanced on my lap, and restarted my show. “Smells good. Like chicken.” I shook my head as I took a bite. “It’s not chicken?” “It’s not chicken for you.” His whole body drooped. “Mean,” he observed. “Oh no,” I breathed, eyes glued to the television. “I don’t know how they’re going to get out of this situation.” I turned to see if Freddie was paying attention. He was. On my dinner. He was slowly reaching one paw out towards the sandwich I’d half forgotten about. I picked up the plate and moved it out of his reach. “Teach me to eat in front of the television,” I muttered. I picked up my fork and took a few bites of salad. I now had the plate perched on the armrest opposite the one where Freddie sat. He patted me gently on the bicep with one paw. I ignored him. He patted a little harder. I ate my salad in silence, not acknowledging it. He grabbed a mouthful of my sleeve and yanked it. “Hey!” I said, setting my fork down to reclaim my clothing. “That’s rude!” “Now that I have your attention, I would like to have some of your chicken,” he said, eyes wide and innocent. I laughed and picked up my fork again. “Sorry, pal, you are going to be disappointed tonight. People food is not good for kitties.” “It smells good for kitties,” he observed. “It’s not.” “It looks good for kitties,” he cajoled. “Nope.” “I bet it tastes real good to kitties,” he sang. I shook my head, mouth full of greens. On the screen, the vampires had gotten inside the house full of people. I gasped, inhaling the half chewed lettuce in my mouth and choking. I lunged for my glass of water and gulped down a few mouthfuls, coughing and sputtering. “Oh my goodness,” I wheezed. “That was intense.” I looked down at my lap and saw Freddie, slowly creeping across my thighs, stalking my dinner. “If I give you a little, will you leave me alone to finish?” “Of course,” he said, immediately. I didn’t believe him, but I fished a small chunk of chicken out of my sandwich anyway. I examined it carefully for anything he couldn’t have and satisfied, set it on my palm and held it out for him. He spent several minutes carefully examining the chicken with his eyes and nose. I rolled my eyes. “It’s chicken. You wanted this. You begged for this. Just eat it.” “Gotta make sure,” he murmured, continuing his careful examination. Finally, he delicately picked it up with his teeth and jumped to the floor to eat it. I turned my attention back to the television and my meal. Two bites later, Freddie rejoined me. “I was right,” he announced. “Oh?” I asked. “It is good for kitties,” he said, staring intently at the remains of my sandwich. Happy Caturday, Peeps! I know I’ve written some variation of this story many, many times, but in my defense it happens a lot. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/29/2166531/-Caturday-Pootie-Diary-Shaaaaaaaaaare Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/