Daily Dose of Cute

Yesterday, Matilda jumped up on my desk and started playing with the cords of the blinds, which had fallen into her reach. We have to secure all of them at the tops of the blinds, because Tils likes to play with/chew on/destroy them, but I'm not tall enough to do it myself and the desk is in the way of standing on a chair to do it, so, in the couple of hours between their falling and Iain getting home, Matilda saw them, aggressively attacked them with her usual cavernous void of grace, and in the process knocked over a neatly organized pile of to-be-filed stuff sitting in a box on my desk, which is now a totally disorganized mess on my floor.

So Matilda and I had to have a conversation about her naughtiness.

Matilda the Fuzzy Blue-Eyed Cat is hanging out on my desk, surrounded by remaining scattered papers. I am behind the camera.

Tils: Meep! Mrrrow!

Me: Matilda, why did you knock that over? You made a big mess on the floor.

Tils: Owwrrr!

Me: Well, that wasn't very nice. Now I'm gonna have to pick all of it up!

Tils: [walks back toward the cords, with which she knows she is not supposed to play, but can't resist rubbing her face on them]

Me: You're not gonna pick it up, are ya? You just made a big mess—cuz you were so intent on playing with the blinds, which you're not supposed to do either, are you?

Tils: Ee ooh! [walks forward and bumps the camera/my hand with her head]

Me: Yeah, well, I know you're sorry, but you're not gonna pick it up. I'm gonna have to. So maybe don't dump things on the floor in the first place.

Tils: Owr.

Me: Yeah, you've gotta make good choices! You don't think about how that kind of rambunctiousness, playing with something you're not even supposed to play with, because you're probably gonna choke yourself, ends up makin' a mess for other people.

Tils: Mrrooow!

Me: Well, I know.

Tils: Oooowwwrrrr.

Me: I appreciate that you feel bad. I do. Anything else you have to say for yourself?

Tils: [looks down at the papers on the desk, contemplating knocking them to the floor; then looks back at the blind cords, contemplating playing with them some more]

Me: No?

Tils: Ahwwhh!

Me: Oh, really? Well—

Tils: Arrroowww.

Me: I know. I know. That's what you said the last time. "I'll never do it again." But here we are.

Tils: Mrow!

Me: [reaches out to pet Tils and she presses her head into my hand]

Tils: Rroow-mrroww!

Me: I know. You're just lucky that you're so cute.