About six months ago, Mr and Mrs Noah adopted a little kitten that they called Chilli. She was called Chilli because she was very laid-back and took life in her stride. She was totally chilled out!
Chilli certainly lives up to her name and spends a great amount of her morning curled up on Mr and Mrs Noah’s bed enjoying the warm, morning sunshine.
As the sun moves across the sky, it is time to move. She stretches deeply, and saunters across to the sofa, jumps up on to the back, and plays ‘pat-a-cake’ with her best mate, Alfie. Well, it’s not really so much ‘pat-a-cake’, as more ‘pat Alfie’s head’ as he is passing by! This is great fun and requires very little effort on Chilli’s part. Alfie just keeps coming back for more!
Then, later, when the sun is high in the sky and is shining on to the back stoep, she will sit on one of the seats out there, and watch the world go by, whether it be a boubou, a starling, or perhaps a sunbird or a canary. Sometimes it is even a little lizard, or a cricket.
It is very warm in the sunshine and she doesn’t bother with the birds as they come down to drink from the bird-feeder, or wash in the bird-bath. She doesn’t even move when a robin hops down looking for crumbs that Mrs Noah threw out for the birds earlier in the day. She doesn’t look up when a beetle scurries across the stoep in front of her. Chili continues to snooze in the heat of the sunshine – and chill!
At least, that was until one day she decided to go and see what Mr Noah was doing upstairs, and find out what all that bashing about was that she could hear. She leaped up on to his desk and saw what he was doing – bashing a keyboard. She watched him for a while, but decided that typing wasn’t very interesting, and the best thing she could do was curl up on the cushion that Mr Noah had on the edge of his desk - and chill out. She thought the cushion was probably there for Mr Noah to lay his weary head when he was exhausted from all that typing. Still, it made a lovely comfortable chilling-out place for a little cat too! And she settled down, purring contentedly.
After a while, Mr Noah stopped bashing his keyboard, stood up from his chair, and stretched. He said to Mrs Noah, “Do you fancy a cup of tea, dear?”
“Yes, please. That would be lovely.” So, Mr Noah disappeared downstairs to make one.
A little time later he came back up with two cups of tea, and was amazed to see little Chilli rigid in front of his computer screen.
“What is she doing?”
“Just watch for a moment, Mr Noah.” She smiled and said, “Chilli’s not so chilled now.” Chilli certainly wasn’t chilled. Her fur stood on end and her ears were flat back. Her tail was lashing from side to side. Suddenly, she launched herself towards the computer screen, bristling, claws out, and teeth chattering.
“What... ?” exclaimed Mr Noah.
Then Chilli was around the back of the computer, knocking and banging behind it, and getting very agitated. “Mrs Noah, what exactly is the matter with Chilli?” he asked, as he retrieved a very stressed-out little cat and placed her back on the cushion.
“Just watch and wait, Mr Noah.” Mrs Noah laughed, and added, “You will see why in a moment.”
Chilli was still staring at the computer screen, ready to pounce - which she did the moment Mr Noah’s screensaver came on. “Oh, I see.” Mr Noah laughed, “She’s attacking my screensaver pictures.” He watched in amazement as Chilli tried to catch all the different, brightly coloured birds in front of her, changing to different ones every twenty seconds. Beautiful sunbirds, oystercatchers, canaries and even penguins. Magnificent images of birds that Mr Noah was using as his screensaver.
“Well, I never. She’s not so chilled out now, is she?” he chuckled.
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