A Naturist and her Cat

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Once the hot weather arrives, my husband and I have been known to succumb to our naturistic tendencies when safely ensconced within the house. Offspring are given fair warning: stay away, Mom and Dad are cruising around the homestead in the altogether. No worries there. My son will remove himself as far away from the house as possible and my daughter abstains from dropping in on the way to her home just up the hill.

This summer, however, something new has been added to the mix. A pet with sharp teeth and even sharper claws. I speak of none other than our beautiful cat, Finnegan. Just how is the combination of naked flesh and kitty talons going to play out? I have to admit to some concern about this. No matter how gentle and well mannered their cat is, all owners carry scars resulting from a startle or a missed jump from here to there with their hapless human caught in the middle. Then there's the matter of kitty snuggling down in his human's lap for a, what else? Cat nap! Now, I'm the only one whose lap Finn employs for such purposes. I like to think it's because of my charming personality and his undying affection for me. I strongly suspect it's because I'm the only one in the house who actually creates a lap when seated. The men in the house are too concerned and protective (and rightly so) of those items located below the lap to relax enough to form one that might entice a....kitty.

I think I've been getting a preview of how our cat will deal with his humans in the flesh. I usually sleep without nightclothes and often Finnegan sleeps in close proximity to me. When he awakens and desires a nocturnal visit, he perches on my chest and peers down at me, vulturelike, until I wake up to say hello. To hasten my ascent from peaceful sleep, he pats my cheek or gives me little kisses (licks) on the cheek or ear. The claws stay sheathed and it seems as if the less clothing I have on, the more careful he is to use only the pads of his feet. It's as if he automatically knows that he has to be more careful. It reminds me of how animals react when we're sad, sick or infirm. They have this innate sense of knowing when to tread lightly, literally and figuratively.

I'm hoping his caution will continue. I do not wish to arrive at my vacation destination about five weeks from now covered in cat scratches. That just would not do!