Five for Friday: Lila May

On Monday, it was Lila’s turn to have a birthday! Now, I have two five-year-old daughters. Where does the time go?! 😉 Let’s give Lila some time to shine this week, shall we?

1) Sleep

Lila does not want for places to sleep around my apartment. While she generally doesn’t sleep with me at night, every now and then I’ll wake up in the middle of the night to find her curled up on the bed near me. And she’ll usually jump on the bed after she hears my alarm go off so she can get some good, sleepy snuggles as I’m waking up. It’s really cute. Here’s where Lila sleeps around the apartment:

• Her hammock – I was worried that neither cat would use this cute hammock, but Lila adores it. It’s placed right in front of a window so she can watch what’s going on outside and also take naps in the sun when she wants.
• Various beds around the apartment – There’s the rainbow unicorn covered bed by the couch, the scratchy gray bed by the window, the pink kitty bed near the front door, and the scratch lounger in the dining room… girlfriend loves all of them and rotates through them throughout the week.
• Under the couch – When I got my new couch last year, I was worried that it was too low to the ground and Lila wouldn’t be able to get underneath it. (She hides here when company is over, when she hears a knock at the door, and just to get some introvert time during the day.) But she’s able to get super low and slither underneath for some good under-the-couch naps when she wants them.
• Between the coffee table and couch – She loves this little area between the coffee table and the couch. It’s a decent hiding place for her (or so she thinks).
• The cat tower – Lila uses the cat tower the most and will usually take long afternoon naps in one of the condos (sometimes with her face smushed against the panel, which makes me laugh every time). She’s even used the hammock a few times, which always delights me!
• The couch – She loves a good couch nap! She’ll sleep all over the couch (she doesn’t have one specific spot like Eloise) but is partial to the chaise part of the couch as well as the top of the couch where I keep the blankets.
• On my bed – Like I said, she doesn’t necessarily sleep with me, but she will come up on the bed when I’ve gotten settled in for the night and I’m reading my book. She lounges on the pillow next to me, pokes me with a paw so I’ll pet her, and also forces me to give her the inside of my elbow so she can lick it. The girl wants what she wants!
• On my used towels, dirty clothes, and smelly running shoes – Listen, I understand the towels and clothes. They smell like me and they’re soft. It’s like cozying up to Mom without dealing with Mom’s exuberant love. But my running shoes? Why, Lila? She loves them, you guys. She will snuggle up to them like they’re a soft, cozy blanket. Crazy girl.

2) Toys

Lila isn’t as into toys as Ellie is, but she has a few favorites:

• Crinkle balls – She loves a crinkle ball. Whenever she finds one, she will go to town, batting it all around the apartment. She’ll pick up the ball with her mouth to carry it over to another area of the apartment where she can bat it around.
• Lasers – I don’t play the laser game as much as I should with them (it honestly just makes me sad because they keep chasing something they can’t get!), but when I do get out the laser, Lila will run all around the apartment trying to get it. She will literally run Eloise over to grab that laser.
• Catnip toys – Every now and then, I’ll find Lila splayed out on her back with a catnip toy in her paws as she rubs her face all over it. The good drugs, man.

3) Treats

Oh, sweet Lila is a girl after my own heart, as she goes nuts for treats. (We call them “yum-yums” in our house.) My favorite thing to do is shake the treat jar when I know she’s under the couch to see how fast she slithers out and comes running over to the table to get some treats. When I’m feeding them treats, I have to piece them out a little at a time because Lila scarfs hers down while Eloise takes her time with each morsel. So I have to wait for Eloise to finish her portion of treats before doling out a second portion, keeping an eye on Lila, because she has been known to swoop in and steal Ellie’s treats. (When Lila has finished her portion of treats, she’ll look down at the table, look up, and give me a meow, as if to say, “I need more yum-yums, please!”) She likes her Temptations and Greenies, but she will go crazy for Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks. Anytime I even open the door to the cabinet that holds the meaty sticks, she will come into the kitchen, meow at me, and then if I get one out, she’ll start meowing really loudly and doing excited circles like she’s a dog. The meaty sticks are an every-once-in-a-while treat, so she gets real pumped when they come out.

4) Squeaky meows

Lila has the cutest, squeakiest little meow that completely melts my heart every time I hear it. She’s not as talkative as Ellie; she saves her meows for very important things, like getting excited about yum-yums. For the longest time, I didn’t hear her meow at all and then one day, she just meowed at me for some reason and it came out as this squeaky little thing that surprised me so much! It’s so different from Ellie’s meows! She will usually give me one squeaky meow when she wants to be petted and sometimes, I swear she’s responding to my question, “Are you my best friend?” (a question I ask the cats multiple times a day) with this soft meow that sounds like she’s saying “Yeah.” I also adore this little trilling noise she makes every time she’s jumping onto the table or bed or couch. EVERYTHING SHE DOES IS CUTE, OKAY?

5) Being her person

Lila is not a cat that gives her affection freely to anyone. When I originally saw her at the shelter, she had a sign on her cage that cautioned me to go slowly with her because she was really shy. But she immediately came up to me when I called to her and rubbed her head all over my fingers. It was love at first sight, truly. While I wish more people got to enjoy Lila’s fun personality and snuggly floof, I am also really happy to be her person. With me, she feels comfortable and secure and happy. She still doesn’t love when I pick her up, but she’ll let me if I need to. She draws comfort from me, and there’s no greater feeling than to make a skittish kitty who probably had a rough go of it in her early life feel like she’s safe with me.