Paddy

Paddy is the beauty queen of our three girls. She would, of course, have been considered unlucky had she lived in Old Salem, but she's really more like a child than a witch's familiar.

She jumps into the bathtub when the stall is opened, runs into closets when I'm reaching for my jeans, winds up in cabinets when we're putting away the dishes and Kenny almost trapped her inside the refrigerator once. If you sit a box down, Paddy will find her way inside it, though she hasn't wiggled into Wal*Mart bags the way Annabelle always seems to.

Paddy is also the most vocal of our cats. She'll squeal when you pick her up, chatter when a stranger comes into the house and chirp when Kenny and I come home.

As sweet as Paddy is, however, she's also a bit of a bully. She pushes poor Allie out of the way to get to the food bowl or the catnip. She chases Annabelle around the living room and up the stairs and if Annabelle doesn't watch out, her dominance will be threatened when Paddy gets a bit older.

For now, however, Paddy remains the baby. She follows us around doing figure-eights around our legs, and is always interested in what we are doing, even if we don't want her to be. She curls up to sleep on Kenny's desk while he's working and sleeps at my feet when I'm watching TV. She really has become an irreplaceable member of our household.

To write to "The Brat", click here: paddy@thesimsplace.info. Paddy has never met a stranger so I'm sure she'll reply back to you.