Does your cat have a mind of her own? Does he 
sometimes (or most of the time) break rules and even sass you back. Cantankerous, mischievous cats will defy you when you say “No,” to them clawing the sofa. They’ll bite that plant if they want to. I once had several cats and a lot of house plants. Mandy, a calico, loved to chew the leaves of the plants and dig dirt from the pots. So I used a fine spray of water to deter her. Didn’t work. If she wanted to defy me, she’d simply squint her eyes (knowing that a spray of water was coming) and take a quick bite before rushing out of the room.
Things are different now. I don’t keep many plants in the house, for one thing. But our current cats have taught me to bring in cat grass once in a while for them to enjoy.
Bed-making seems to be a thrilling activity for Lily. She especially gets excited when I 
change the bed. This week she took the task very seriously and insisted on staying on the blankets while I was trying to remove them. This is the look I got when I tried to pull the blankets out from under her.
Do you ever get into a battle of the minds with your cat? The same day we had the bed-making debacle, Lily decided she needed to do a shopping bag-check. She was probably thinking there may just be a sprinkle of catnip inside or something fun to play with. In our house, plastic bags are a no-no for nosy cats, and we had a bit of a tug-of-war on this one that morning.
Lily also likes the laundry basket—well, cats like boxes, tunnels and other things they can climb into. I have no problem with Lily playing inside the laundry basket, except for when it’s on the bed. I won’t leave the basket on the bed alone with Lily for fear she’ll tip if and have a bad fall. She, on the other hand, likes it best when it’s on the bed. Go figure.
Is she being obstinate or what? I don’t know—but I can tell you that these times of minor 
rumbles with Lily are some of my most enjoyable. Lily can cause me moments of distress—like when she grabs my favorite sweater with one swift paw swipe when I try to pick it up to put it on. Why does she do that? But overall, I love our interactions, even when she’s being what I would consider a little naughty. She makes me laugh. And in the end, I always get a little snuggle.
