This is New: Carrying Two

One of the things I was most worried about for getting Maine Coons was if I was going to be physically able to carry them when they were grown. I'm not very strong and it's more difficult for me to build muscle in my upper body than most women.

Thimble likes to be toted everywhere, ever since I taught him how to jump onto my shoulder. (Thank goodness I taught him to do it from an intermediate point, like a sofa arm or a kitchen stool. He revels in his ability to jump to high places, but it hasn't occurred to him yet that my shoulder is one of those high places.)

Apparently, carrying a 16 pound cat everywhere (not really), is helping develop my carrying muscles.

One night after kitty playtime, I announced, as usual, "Who wants a ride?" I carry one of them back to the bedroom to the food area; the others run. Normally, this is Thimble who gets carried, but every so often one of the others beats him to the end table where I stand to ask the question. Whoever gets on the table first gets carried.

This night, Thimble made it there first, and Colby looked dreadfully disappointed. Colby then jumped onto the cat tree and snagged my shoulder as I walked by. I looked at him. I looked at Thimble, curled like a comma against my chest and shoulder with most of his weight on my one arm.

"Okay, Colby, we'll try it," I said, and scooped him against my unoccupied shoulder with the other arm. He "comma'd" against me so their backs were to each other and they each were looking out over a shoulder.

And I walked back to the bedroom with them, both of them, at the same time, in my arms. Grand total of about 31 pounds.

I think I'll be okay even if Thimble hits twenty as a full grown adult, which is unlikely as long as he's a normal weight for his size.

I was quite impressed with myself, carrying them both like that. I've done it once since then, and I improved on the "putting them down" part by using the bed as an off-loading facility. Trying to get all the way down to the ground (which is what I did the first time) had proved itself to be quite difficult since I couldn't tilt forward without making cats uncomfortable and wanting to leave abruptly.

And Apricot kind of likes it because he's less likely to get run over as we all proceed down the hall.