Porcupine Cat (3/31)

 My cat is an interesting creature. I've grown up my whole life with cats and dogs and have yet to find one with the fears that Marble has. I've written about Marble before (aka Burrito). He was adopted from the Humane Society and seems to have been a wild cat. He has made a lot of progress and seems to be relaxing and enjoying being a family cat. He has gone from hiding under the bed 24/7, to allowing you to pet him, and now he'll lay next to you while purring away.

 I may have pushed my luck a little too far today. 

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and felt that it was my rite to be able to hold my cat. I've been patient and he's come so far...this is just the logical next step right? This is a very traumatic thing to consider for my Marble but I feel like it's time to take the plunge and try. 

WELL.....we had company over and he ended up hiding the whole day. SOOOOO, needless to say, there was no holding or cuddling happening. Today he nuzzled my leg and begged for attention. 

This was my chance. 

I was feeding my little munchkin her Cheerios when a heavy weight pushed against my leg. I reached down to a handful of fur and gave Marb a good scratch around his ears and a few strokes across his back. Purrs rattled the floor and encouraged me to continue. He flopped to the floor, legs out, and tan belly exposed. I tossed a few more Cheerios on A's tray and shifted in my chair. A few more rubs, a scratch here, and then I slowly maneuvered both hands around his body. He squirmed a bit, unsure as to what was about to happen. 

Needless to say, this was not from today. 

I scooped him up and held him tightly to my chest. What I thought was going to be a huge ball of fluff and cuddliness ended up being a bowling ball weight of solidness. I gently combed my fingers through his fur while I stifled a laugh. My cat was just as sturdy as my boys were when they were younger. I could hardly get over it. When I finally got over my shock, I realized that my cat was shooting fur off his body like he was a porcupine. I was covered with fur. I was traumatizing my poor cat. I gave him another gentle pet and carefully put him back on the ground. With a frump, he sauntered off with a little extra giddy up in his step. 

Looks like I won't be getting cuddles any time soon.