Farmer in a Pink Tutu: dennis the menace

When I first spotted Dennis in his little cage at the Humane Society, I knew that I had to have him. No other kitten was so desperate to escape its cage. This one was literally banging his tiny head against the door trying to get to me. And when Sean and I asked to hold him, the very first thing he did was scratch Sean in the face.

Perfect.

Most people would take that as a warning sign but not this girl. I like my cats to have a little spunk.

And I would definitely get a cat with plenty of spunk.

There is no doubt who rules the kingdom.

I love him to death but even I can admit he is a little bastard.

Sure he likes to be petted but only – and I mean ONLY – when he allows it. So, absolutely no surprise pettings and if he is ready for you to stop, you'd better stop. And this change in mood will happen in less than a split second. One second he is purring contentedly and leaning into your hand but then, in a flash, he is ready to scratch your eyes out for having the audacity to touch him.

Don't be fooled by this sweet face...

And I know all cats hate baths but this guy gave me nightmares about cat baths. One night we had to give a bath to all of our pets when there was an outbreak of fleas (thanks Humane Society), and let me just say that giving Dennis a bath was one of the scariest moments of my life. I truly feared for my safety.

He is the very definition of a loner. Unlike Althea and Hank, he rarely shows any desire to sit on your lap, cuddle with you or even be in the same room as you. However, every once in a while, he does seem to crave companionship even while showing his distaste for it. When we are all gathered in the living room, with Hank sitting on Sean’s lap and Althea sitting on mine, Dennis will stroll in and sit off to the side and just stare at us. Like he wants to join in but just cannot bring himself to do it. And when I try to bring him over to us, he just runs off.

He does love to play though. Dangle anything in his face and he’s on it. And he is excellent at playing fetch. His two favorite things in the world are pony tail holders and a laser pointer. Whenever he sees these two things, he gets so excited and will just start meowing uncontrollably.

Althea and Dennis also love to chase each other, which can get a little too crazy inside the house. Unfortunately, it's usually Althea taking the blame when things get too hectic because she is bigger and therefore louder, but we all know Dennis is always the instigator in getting her all riled up.

He is also fast. He has an extra flap of skin on his hind legs, which gives him the ability to stretch his legs out further than most cats. He will show off his ability by running back and forth through the house...many times with no one actually chasing him.

He loves stretching those legs out.

Now every once in a while, he will show signs that he actually does like us. It makes me the happiest person on the planet when Dennis does decide to cuddle. It is so rare that I get to cuddle with him. And he has a thing for rubbing his head on your head. Just put your head next to him and he will start rubbing on it. So, when I do need some Dennis time, I will put my head next to him. It gets him every time.

This is a very, very rare snuggle moment.

If there is a little open space somewhere in the house, Dennis will find it and proceed to nap there. It can take a good part of a day trying to find him when he has found a new spot. He never responds when you call him.