Happy Birthday, Jango.

Truthfully, we don't know when Jango's birthday is. But it was one year ago today when we adopted her from the shelter, so we have decided to proclaim May 24th as Jango's birthday.

Life with Jango didn't start out so swimmingly. For starters, she spent her first few weeks here living quietly under Kyle's bed. Thankfully, she came out at night to use her litter box. But in time, she came to realize that we are not going to hurt or abandon her. She can count on us for lots of love, frequent brushing, ample food, and fresh sink water.

In the time that she has been with us, Jango has become a fifth member of the family. She sleeps on the back of the sofa cushion while the rest of us watch TV. She seeks out one of the boys when she wants someone to play with her. She keeps Kyle's bed warm for him. And--much to Q's dismay--she has become our pre-dawn alarm clock. I'm beginning to think that Jango might be part rooster. Yesterday, she got me up at 5:00.

But most of all, Jango likes to keep tabs on me. If I leave room, she follows me and carries on these mostly one-sided conversations the entire time. For the most part, this isn't a problem. But when I was working on a sewing project, Jango would jump on the table and pace around in front of my sewing machine. That's when I took her into Kyle's room and enlisted him to babysit the kitty until I'm done. Jango spent the rest of the afternoon napping in Kyle's beanbag.

Speaking of Kyle, he loves Jango almost as much as I do. In fact, I have informed him that when he grows up and gets his own place, he can take Jango to live with him...just like I did with my childhood cat.

A few other facts:

Jango has also acquired quite a few nicknames. These include: Jangs, Siamese Muffinhead, Jiggers, The Meeze, Jango the Beautiful (this one came from Ces), Puppy Cat (this one comes from her propensity to play fetch), Chocolate Girl, and Fluppet.

Early on, I bought Jango a few cat toys. But she quickly rejected all of them. Instead, she prefers to play with trash. Her favorite playthings include wadded up Kleenex, plastic grocery bags, candy wrappers that are used for peppermint disks, wadded up Scotch tape, and those little plastic seals that encircle the caps of milk jugs. We probably have about six dozen of those things lying around the house.

Her favorite hiding spot is in the corner of my closet, under a rack of dresses that hang all the way to the floor.

Jango has her own little window perch in our bedroom. I built it by stacking two milk crates upside-down, covering them with a white sheet, and placing a pillow on top. She likes to sit in that window, watch cars go by, take naps, get agitated at the loud birds in the tree outside, and take more naps.

Jango is a big girl, and should probably be put on a diet. When she runs, her belly sways from side to side. Admittedly, it's kind of funny to watch.

Happy Birthday, Jango. This is your day. Why don't you celebrate by sleeping in...at least until 6:30. Please?