cats and dogs

November 23, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

i wish we had more windows in our house
that were accessible to the animals as they are
so they could gaze out
at the outside world
and be entertained
from the comfort and safety of our own home

[but the cat has the upstairs window
accessible from a hop onto a litter box
and a jump onto a dresser
and, of course, a skip through the curtains]
[and the dog has the downstairs window
accessible from the couch she probably shouldn’t jump on
or the other downstairs window
accessible from a lap
she definitely shouldn’t jump on]
[so i suppose all can be/is well]

October 9, 2025

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i tap at the window
to get the attention of the cat
i’ve just fed
and the puppy goes crazy
thinking it’s a stranger
tap tap tapping at our door
and so she barks
and poofs up
and howls
to protect her home
and her kips
and herself
and she’s so brave

October 8, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

sometimes
i’ll do things
with no one around
that are so dramatic
i feel
i obviously
did them for an audience

but am i
an audience of one

or do i really want to influence
the animals here
that i’m that
ridiculous

?

[either of these could be
the for real
truth]

September 12, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

guest cats upstairs
and our animals down
trying so hard to figure out
what’s going on

the puppy
sniffing
and snoofing
and investigating
hardcore

and the cat
just kinda
hissing
every time she passes
that door

and the orange cats
seemingly
unaware of it all

February 7, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

at least our animals exist

i don’t know how much of the outside world
i could survive
knowing about,
if i didn’t have giant puppy dog eyes
and happy puppy tails
and gentle cat purrs
and quaint cat meows
and wonderful little animal cuddles
to come home to every day
[or even stay home with
when the world is too much]

[how in the world do folks without pets
(and with depression)
survive?]

September 11, 2024

/ HJ / Leave a comment

blanket cat
blankets me with all of her
over my lap
dripping down my leg
covering all she can cover
in one tiny cat body
the opposite of loafing
she liquifies and spreads out
and blankets herself
over
me

~~~

blanket cat, also because
the minute you have a blanket on your lap
she cannot resist
the draw
of a comfy place to sit

~~~

poor little puppy ear
did nothing to the dog who was near
but something happened
and the bite landed
and now a little notch is part of our Comps’s visage

poor little puppy ear
poor little puppy
you don’t deserve this pain
or fear
or anything bad
but at least your cute scruffy ear is going to look
so adorable with a tiny notch on the side

[the one piece of solace
we have to hang on to]

March 1, 2024

/ HJ / Leave a comment

the cat has been getting
braver
and brazener —
coming down the stairs to the level of the dog,
sometimes for curiosity
sometimes for food
sometimes for cuddles
and sometimes just to force the issue
of the dog’s own curiosity about her —
and every time we see
the two interact
we sternly, but patiently, remind the dog
“be respectful.”
so that she knows to let the cat lead the interaction.

[the cat still likes to bait the dog
into playful antics
that just makes her cat-sprint back up the stairs,
but each time they sniff each other/
or look without pounces,
the calm lasts a tiny bit longer

i’m certain
eventually
they’ll be their own category of friends]

October 9, 2023

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a new cat
for Computer to interact with
a new feline take
on canine relationships
a larger than average
animal
who meows and purrs
and holds her own
and won’t put up with any of this puppy’s
hassles

(but will/should Computer
put up with Mia’s
shenanigans)

August 9, 2023

/ HJ / Leave a comment

the cat
lying
comfortably on my lap

the puppy
playing
exuberantly with her toys

something happens

some kind of loud noise

now both animals are scared,
the cat has yeeted herself from my body,
and that is why i’m bleeding.