When we got Kyra a year ago, we knew we were about to get a small glimpse of what parenthood would be like. And Kyra hasn’t let us down. I mean, I know a cat’s different from real children . . . but caring for a creature that’s helpless and doesn’t understand the meaning of “no” is pretty close to human kids, right?

On Sunday night John and I vacuumed the area around Kyra’s kitty litter and food dish in the basement so it looks really nice again. Afterward I dumped out the dirt (we have a bagless vacuum cleaner) and washed out the filter. The filter is a grey foam cylinder that takes several hours to dry, so I left it on top of the kitchen sink to dry overnight.

The next day I noticed the filter was missing. Now, Kyra knows she’s not allowed on the countertops, but like I said, cats and kids don’t always remember the meaning of “no.”

I looked all over the first floor and then the second floor. No filter anywhere. I had to go to work, and when John and I were home together last night we checked out the basement. Sure enough, she had dragged the foam filter downstairs to her little habitat. Why? I have no idea. In addition, we noticed that she had learned how to open her cat food bag and had helped herself to a little kitty feast. We rolled up the bag real tight to keep her out, but this morning I noticed she was in it again.

Parenthood? No. But it’s close enough for now.