puppies and cats

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]

September 12, 2025

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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

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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

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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]

September 4, 2024

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write to the sounds of
indoor cats purring
outdoor dogs yipping
our dog boofing
even though she knows she oughtn’t
even though she’s trying so hard to not
but her little grumble/whine/barks
are so cute
it’s hard to scold her
especially because
i know
i can tell
she’s trying
she’s trying
she’s trying

July 16, 2024

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the cat, on her perch, on her throne of my lap
leers over the puppy, resting innocently on the ground
unperturbed by the feline creeping closer,
as she jumps to the ground, and the puppy
stays still as a statue, only her nose going,
the cat passes, and the puppy wishes
so hard that they could play
at least for a moment
at least for a day
at least for a lifetime
the puppy prays,
but the cat is only interested
in food and hassles
and annoying all other animals
in this house.

the puppy has no recourse, no resource to break into the cat’s heart
so she waits, calmly, for the next opportunity to start
it all over again.

March 1, 2024

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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)