It’s my baby’s birthday! :) MM* is a very special cat to me— my first and only. Every year I get her a birthday cake to celebrate her presence in my life. Melody is a sassy cat with a personality all of her own and I love her so much for it. Uhm… I wouldn’t use the word “sweet” on her because she’s Little Miss Attitude. Her grumpiness mixed with the silliness cracks me up sometimes. Some of the things she does are so funny, I think you gotta be a cat person to get what I mean and appreciate the quirks. She is a very big part of my life so I tell people: Love me, love my cat. }:P

Li’l girl turns 9 this year. Awww~ time flies. She is a 小姑娘 now… *gulp*.

She was an adorable little wee button when she first came home with me from the ASPCA. I have always loved the picture of her next to the coffee mug on my dining table, because it shows how mad tiny she used to be. Too cute. Ahhh, the teeny weeny kitten days.

Funny story 1: One day when Melody was still a tiny kitten, I opened my fridge to discover that, for some mysterious reason, a can of whipped cream sitting on the bottom shelf had exploded inside. So as I was screaming and bitching about the mess (*OCD PANIC*), grumbling as I got on all fours wiping the darn thing off the shelves, doors, floor…. someone had silently snuck from underneath me and started licking away merrily at the melted whipped cream. O_o?!? I’d never owned a cat before this, I didn’t know what one’s supposed to eat or not eat besides cat food, so this behavior was highly amusing. Not to mention, weird! And that was how I found out that she enjoys whipped cream.

This year’s special treat is a Strawberry Shortcake Tiramisu. Yumz! Fancy-schmancy, are we not?

Funny story 2: After the whipped cream incident, I discovered that Melody also insists on having some ice-cream (the sound of spoon clinking on the bowl excites her), donut and sugar water, whenever I’m having some. So I concluded that she must have a sweet tooth, like her momma. After we moved to Singapore, one day I brought home some Peranakan kueh and she sniffed it curiously at first, but lost interest immediately after. Last year I bought a slice of purple yam cake for her birthday and she COMPLETELY REJECTED it! So in my opinion she is a totally American cat who disregards Asian desserts. Good thing she wasn’t born in Paris, else she’d have exquisite taste for French pastries only. Little Miss Attitude. Sheesh. ;P

Every year I get a kick out of Melody’s fascination towards candle light. I have no idea why she gets so mersmerized… maybe it’s one of those cat things.

I found this “magic” candle that keeps relighting itself no matter how many times you blow it out. Hahaha, funness! Okay, so MM got her fill of candle light this year.

Sniffing cautiously to make sure last year’s purple yam mistake is not being repeated.

APPROVED!!!! *nomz nomz nomz nomz nomz nomz nomz nomz*

Relaaaaax everybody, she is only allowed a little bit of cream before I take it away from her. So chill and there’s no need to get your panties all knotted up in a bunch, geez!

Can I just say that I really wasn’t crazy about having a pet at all, prior to having Melody? The most I could manage back then was a small little guppy in a bowl, which would sadly die in about two weeks or so. :| I am so glad I found this cute kitty, especially because I used to be a really intense person, very stressed out all the time and also chronically depressed. All that psychobabble published research you’ve heard before is true after all, having a pet turned out to be one of the best things ever because the human-animal bond can have positive psychological and physiological consequences indeed.

Pets can be there for you in ways that people can’t. They can offer love and companionship, and can also enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets and are excellent snugglers. via For someone like me, who’s pretty much lived alone from a very young age, having a pet has been the best antidote to loneliness! Melody is perfect for me, because I like to be left alone to do my own thing most of the time – just like a cat. ;)

I still remember that small little back room at the ASPCA where about a dozen of tiny newborn kitties were kept and cared for. I picked Melody out of the bunch, but honestly…. I think she picked me and *I* am the lucky one to have brought this little blessing home. :D Beneath the Little Miss Attitude disguise and all. Heh!

♥

* I refer to my cat as MM a lot and it’s short-form for 貓貓 maomao or 貓咪 maomi. That’s what I call her at home anyway.