For the last week, we’ve been cat sitting for a friend at the office. Xavier has been thrilled; the cat, less so. It’s actually been a really great experience for X. At some point every day Tim (that’s the cat) works up sufficient courage to poke his head down the hall. When he’s toddler spotted, he’ll make a run for it, and Xavier will come chasing after (+1 exercise). Eventually, Tim will find a hiding place, which starts a short game of hide-and-seek (+1 exploring your environment) until he’s spotted again and the game begins anew. Once the two of them are tired out (+1 tired toddler) there’s a short bit of play where Tim lets X pet him, or wiggle a string for his amusement (+1 learning to be gentle).

It’s also just been nice having a kitty around again. It’s really nice having a warm, purring ball of fuzz to encourage you to stretch out and take that extra 5 minutes before getting out of bed.