A Cat and His Penguin

I was taking a mommy-break last weekend from the kids, with the door closed, when this piteous noise erupted outside it. Not the kids wailing for my return, but the cat begging to get in. I opened the door a crack and Albus came bounding in, frantically searching the bed for something. He gave me a few hopeful rubs with his head but still couldn't find what he was looking for: his penguin.

Yes, our cat has a stuffed penguin. And it wasn't in my room. I found it a few minutes later on Sis's bed and brought it to him. He was clearly relieved. He climbed up on it and started kneading it and purring, pure kitty bliss. He does this at least once or twice a day, sometimes even comes looking for it in the middle of the night. I like to think of it as his form of meditating--the penguin calms and centers and rejuvenates him. Not that I know exactly what would upset him so.

Unless he was hiding out in my room for the same reasons I was!