Sheldon Has a Thing for Yarn

Many years ago, I bought two burgundy cardigans, in two different sizes. One fit correctly and was worn with skirts and slacks. The other was too big and was worn around the house for warmth. I've never been a great housekeeper, but I was frequently confused when I came home from work to find my too-big sweater on the floor, nowhere near the chair I'd hung it on. I'd shake my head, confused, then pick it up and lay it over the back of the chair again.

Then one day, I caught a glimpse of something interesting: my cat Sheldon, who was around three years old at the time, dragging the sweater off the chair, clutching a bit of it between his teeth, and walking away. He loved on that sweater, if you catch my drift, and it immediately became Sheldon's sweater. For a couple of years, that sweater was his best friend. We brought it with us when we moved, and he continued to love that sweater. Finally, it had to be washed. And he lost all interest in it.

All this meant was that he no longer limited himself to loving the one sweater. He started adopting any garment of mine he could pull out of the hamper, and added a new trick: hollering while he dragged whatever he'd snagged throughout the house. When John came, he got a whole new wardrobe to love. If we are home, but not in the bedroom, it begins, and goes until he's hoarse. (He no longer looooves the garments; they're more like security blanket relationships now; he just carries them around, the excess material dragging behind him, yowling through the cloth in his mouth.) Once, he dragged a heavy, full-size blanket off the bed and brought it halfway down the stairs.

Well, recently, he''s decided that clothes are okay, but yarn... now yarn is where it's at. This is not okay with me, as he's dragged brand new, somewhat expensive balls of yarn out of my knitting bag/basket if I'm careless enough to leave them out in the open while I dare to use the bathroom or run downstairs to check my email. He leaves my knitting projects alone, unless they're attached to a ball of yarn. He doesn't chew on it, or damage it in any way, although there have been tangles. I learned pretty quickly that yarn could not be left out anywhere.

Finally, I gave him his own skein, some cheap acrylic that he pulled out of a basket. I took the loose piece from the outside and wrapped it several times, then tied it off, so there are no loose ends to chew on. We finally captured a picture of him doing his routine. Getting a video would be tough, because he doesn't usually let us see him (if he can see us, he's not upset).

Once we move, I plan on getting something else on video: Cass (behind Shel in this picture) likes to be spanked. It's the one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

Other news
We close in two days (Thursday) and move Saturday. We are nowhere near packed, and we are both ill (bronchitis). At least we don't have to move everything.