24ozs of smallness

I'm helping oversee the development and nurturing of a 1.6pound kitty until he becomes a Christmas gift and man, this guy is tiny. But, he craps like a man.

Jack is a Soulard Market baby and for the low price of $20, you can get a kitty, a litter box, the litter stuff, Purina kitty food, and a toy. Dang, makes me wonder what I would go for in an alternate reality where people are pets and pets have TWO opposable thumbs. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l1VyrpvVFY)

Jack has parasites in his belly, a common deal the vet says, and he makes very DairyQueen-like piles in the box. Poor guy mews a low, achy sound and I think he isn't feeling so hot. As cats are won to do, he shovels some litter over the top of his makings buuuttttt as kittys, apparently, are won to do, he gets some on his paws. So poo-time has become a very frequent activity for the whole family. There is guiding him to the box, watching him mew and ache, picking him up and cleaning his paws, and choking back the dry heaves all the while. ug. I feel for the little guy and I spend a good deal of time just settling him down and holding him as he mews his discontent.

1.6 pounds is nuthin. That's like one tripple cheese burger from Hardee's which is crazy stupid anyway but still: a cheeseburger. Unlike a cheeseburger, Jack can romp and play and entertain all for hours on end with joyful antics, pooping aside ofcourse. I read once that dogs, which I tend to like more, have 12 distinct sounds but cats have 200+. I think someone was paid fairly well to figure that out and I am not sure how the heck one discerns 'distinct' without projecting anthropomorphic definitions, a very non-scientific idea. But I think Jack is definitely pressing the 100 plus sound edge. Heck, he just dropped twenty while perched in the box. And this is entertaining too. The sounds. Really grounds you in that this is a living being deserving happiness and joy.

All of us should have that too - even at work. Hope you enjoy today friends. I plan to swing my hammer and then watch Jack episodes 1,2 and 3.