Jumping Jack, not so, flash

Kyla has been a jumper since the day she got here. She very quickly discovered that if she ran up your back she could then ride around on your shoulders. As she has grown up she has become more and skilled at shoulder riding and it is now possible to complete any daily tasks with her draped around the back of your neck.

It does have it’s draw backs however as she very rarely waits for permission before launching herself. A cat landing on you when you least expect it can be quite a shock. She may be small but she is all muscle, and when she launches herself unexpectedly like that she nearly knocks me flying, especially when you have your hands full at the time.

Kidd has been watching his aunty Kyla and has tried to copy her. But doesn’t quiet have her finesse. The problem is two fold. Firstly he has either not learned or is too lazy, to pull himself up once he has landed on his victim. And were Kyla can leap from floor to shoulder in one elegant move, Kidd can only manage to reach stomach height, were he just kind of half heartedly hangs until you grab hold of him. Again most of the time that is not a problem, and having had a flying tortie smack me square on the side of the head a number of times, I actually prefer it. It’s when he decides to land on my back that the fun starts. The very fact that I have back to him means that I don’t see him coming until he lands. And trying to grab hold of him is quite difficult. The best way is to put your hand behind your back. Where he happily sits for hours riding around the house, peaking over my right shoulder, until either I need my hand back or it goes to sleep. I’ve tried to swing him around to the front. But he just clings on. I also tried just leaving him hanging but he just looks feeble and totally dejected when he finally falls off.

But I really shouldn’t complain. Can you imagine the fun of having two jumpers and shoulder riders in the house? As it is Kidd will nip Kyla’s ankles if he is in my arms and she is on my shoulders. I really don’t want two fully grown cats fighting it out either side of my head!

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