Sticking Out Tongue

The first cat that I saw with her tongue sticking out was my mother-in-law's favourite cat (she had more than 8 at the time), Amelia, or Melia for short. In many ways, Missy (pictured above) reminds me of Melia, who has since passed away. When I first met Melia, I thought she was the prettiest little thing. She was small, round and gray, just like Missy is now, although I know a lot of people will dispute the part about Missy being small... Anyway, Melia wasn't a very friendly cat except to my mother-in-law who she adored. She would reject all my attempts to befriend her and continued to be standoffish towards me. Nevertheless, I still liked her a lot 'cos she had a lot of character.

There is one particular incident that I will always remember when I think of Melia. It took place during my first visit to my in-laws' house in the UK. Only then, they were not yet my in-laws as I got engaged only on that trip. I was trying to make a good impression, which is what made this incident particularly memorable.

At the time, my in-laws' house did not have central heating. And as we were visiting in winter, that meant that I was freezing my butt off most of the time. Luckily, what they did have was a small little portable heater that I carried around the house with me when I went from room to room. One night at dinner, I had this heater next to my legs. I could feel the hot air blowing against my legs and was very happy to be warm. As the meal progressed, the hot air came on intermittently. One minute it was hot and the next, it was cold. I paid no mind to it at first, but when it kept happening, I looked down and saw little Melia sitting on top of the heater. Unfortunately, the on-off button for the heater was also at the top of the heater and she was merrily pushing it on and off. Now, remember that this was the first time that I was meeting my potential mother-in-law and I was trying to make a good impression. How would it look if I push her favourite cat off its cosy perch? All the other cats are not allowed in the dining room except for Melia, so I know she definitely has favoured cat status. That is why, for the rest of the night, I kept my mouth shut and just tolerated the hot, cold, hot, cold temperature changes taking place around my legs, all due to the whims of a little gray cat.