Playing with the cat

We are crazy, crazy in love with our little kitty cat Toby. He turned one year old sometime this month, and we've only had him for five months. But this little cat has totally stolen our hearts.

We have found ourselves wanting nothing more at night than to lie on the bed and toss his favorite purple-and-brown ribbon around, throwing up a mouseful toy from time to time to change the pace. He'll run around, hide under the pillows we stack up like a little kitty fort, jump out at us, swat at our feet, grab the ribbon, race out to the kitchen, race back in, then start all over again. And after about 15 minutes of that he'll follow us back into the living room where he'll curl up on our chest and take a nap.

The resemblence between Toby and my childhood cat Sissy is remarkable. They look alike, act similarly, are both incredibly friendly; In fact, they're so similar that my parents call him Sissy and refer to him as "her."

I have actually started regretting leaving town because we have to leave him behind. He's just too much.