It’s Tax Time – The Cats and the CPA!
Years ago, doing taxes was as simple as an EZ form, declaring my two boys as deductions and crossing my fingers I didn’t owe any money back to the government. Today things are a bit more complicated and Dan and I use the assistance of a CPA to help us out. We have used the same guy for several years and the routine is pretty basic – he comes to our house with his computer and we plug in all our information while sitting at the dining room table. It takes a couple of hours in total and after he leaves we don’t see him again for another year, which happened to be a couple days ago.
He is a nice guy who fits in the category of someone who has never had cats and does not dislike them per se, but he doesn’t necessarily like them either. Let’s just say he has neutral feelings. Naturally, cats being cats, he may as well have showered in fish oil and rubbed himself with catnip, because they were instantly drawn to him. And by that, I mean they were obsessed with his “I’m not a cat person” pheromones and would not leave him alone. What is it about cats that they do this? Invite a cat lover to the house who can’t wait to meet and pet the gang and they run for cover. A guy who would prefer they be locked in the bedroom and they can’t get enough of him…
Peanut began the love fest almost immediately by plopping in his lap, gazing adoringly up at him to pet her chin. Ignoring her was not an option and my physically removing her from him at least a dozen times was an exercise in futility. I finally gave up and let him figure it out. Once I did that, she was snuggled in his lap, purring up a storm, and he was gently petting her as his fingers deftly plugged in our numbers. She was in heaven and he actually seemed to enjoy her presence. Score one for team kitty!!
Zee was next. Zee is a very large, bulky, awkward, clumsy oaf of a cat who thinks he is a tiny and lithesome kitten. We love him to pieces and he is an absolute sweetheart, but he can be a bit of an overbearing pain sometimes… Especially when it comes to computers, full coffee cups and things of that nature that are in the path of his big and bushy tail when he jumps atop the dining room table. And I won’t insult anyone’s intelligence by feigning shock when he does that… What? Oh my goodness… he has NEVER done that before. Of course we don’t allow our cats on the table….Bad boy, Zee!
Zee was insistent that he MUST say hello, but for him, the most direct path was by jumping on the table, walking over the CPA’s keyboard, and by swishing his tail into every beverage within a three foot radius… This only went on for an hour or so as I would pick Zee up and put him on the floor, so that he could jump back up on the table to start again.
Then came Kizmet who was fascinated by this creature sitting in our dining room. He took one look at him, curled up next to his computer and just stared at him like a boy who had finally met his favorite football hero. It was so cute that I couldn’t scold him and just left him there. The CPA was equally as smitten and I think perhaps the neutral tides were turning… Well, that is until the CPA moved his mouse and Kizmet bit his hand thinking they were playing a game of real cat and mouse…
Mia who is very shy around strangers came by for a quick look. She sniffed his computer but that was as far as it went. She was not impressed and left of her own accord. Zoey also made sure to check this person out, but it was done in a blur of feline cautiousness. She skirted low to the ground, her body almost one with the wall, glared at him with distaste, then galloped off into the distance so as not to be seen by this possible predator. You can never be too careful around a CPA…
The other cats – Harley, Jazz, and Rolz actually did what most cats do during the day – they napped, not caring one iota that we had company and they made no effort whatsoever to be a part of any of the process. That is part of the reason when people come to visit us, they don’t quite comprehend all at once that we have eight cats (other than the fact that the house looks like one big cat condo), because unlike dogs, they typically don’t all come rushing at the door when we have company! It’s not until dinner time when they all come out, that you get a true sense of how many cats we have!
All in all, I highly recommend whenever possible that everyone have a cat or two help with tax preparation. H & R Cat. It takes the edge off the task at hand and you focus less on what you have to give back to the government and more on just how fascinating cats are. If only we could declare them all as deductions!
That made me laugh because it is so true! Flynn is the shyer one, but Eric has to make friends with everybody whether they want to or not.
I love that Eric and Flynn are so different – that’s what makes having cats so much fun – all the unique personalities!
What a fun post! I’m wondering whether there’ll be a follow up story of your CPA adopting a cat…
Well Ingrid, unfortunatley I don’t think so. The CPA has a wife who is highly allergic… I can only wonder if she started sneezing when he got home. Perhaps as time goes on, I can start to give him subliminal messages as to how his wife can manage her allergies!! Peanut can be a very convincing messenger on behalf of how wonderful kitties are!!
Jen says that reminds her of her dad and a cat named Precious. Jen was living in East Tennessee and her dad came to visit. He had never liked cats, but Precious was insistent that he pet her while she lay in his lap. Not long after that, her dad was sharing his own home with a kitty. 🙂
LOVE that story, RumpyDog!! Thanks for the share!
LOVE ingrid’s comment….what a story THAT would make. When I first began blogging I did a post about why cats gravitate to people who don’t like them…..that’s one of life’s eternal mysteries!! Love the H&R Cat spin on it lol
Caren… it would make a great story, but as you can see from my response to Ingrid, I don’t think I’ll be writing it any time soon!! My favorite is when Dan’s mom comes to visit – she is terrified the cats are going to hurt her. Naturally, Peanut would have none of that nonsense and we woke up one morning to find Peanut on the table, happy as a clam, while Dan’s mom was petting her!!
Not to mention how assertive we cat´s can be if someone are allergic 😀
Oh yes Kjelle Bus, the allergy pheromone is very irresistible to a cat!!
LOVE it….and so very true. My son’s gf LOVES cats…Abby still hides from her…but then she still hides from my son too…silly kitty! Hope Ingrid’s on to something.
Oh… that must drive your son’s gf nuts, Toni!! Silly Abby indeed…
We cats know how to turn a NonCat person around!!
The Florida Furkids
Florida Furkids – that’s why us cats always feel we should rule the world – clearly our ability to be persuasive is far superior to humans!
hehe.. that is adorable. It’s always funny how someone who declares they don’t like cats is somehow convinced they are now a cat lover. Cats don’t take no for an answer. Love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by, Chris!! Cats don’t take no for an answer at all!! Glad you enjoyed the pictures – I really think they made the story all the more fun!
HAHA!!! What a fun post! I love Ingrid’s comment.
Next year maybe you can invite him and his new *assistant* over. ; )
I’ve never had a cat with the non-cat-person-radar built in. That is until now. Waff loves everyone equally. Showers them all with his orange-boy charm.
Meanwhile, Katie stands back a comfortable distance. Just watching in shock.
; )
LOL, that’s why Zoey and Katie get along so well – like minded kitties!! Waffles and Peanut sound like two peas in a pod!!
LOL, you just never know with cats or humans. I’ve worked with a man from a culture which does not revere cats, thought he hated cats, become a cat lover.
Layla… that sounds like a great quote for a needlepoint pillow!!
HOW funny your babies are. Naturally they wanted tax breaks so were trying to convince your CPA that felines deserve extra compensations for just being cats. I would have loved to have been there to watch your babies overtake him, esp. Kizmet! Next time a video if your Cpa will allow it? Really any video’s you do, we love.
Wendy – hmmm – if that were the case, they could have done a better job in my opinion!! Not too many breaks to be found!! LOL! Kizmet was absolutely priceless… especially when he caught the CPA off guard and bit him!! I don’t think he would be up for a video, but I love the idea! It would at least humanize taxes!
As I was reading this post, I started having flashbacks to the days when my daughters were home and bringing friends to the house. Benjamin Bunny would jump all over them, especially the really tall boys. Gracie, on the other hand, would stare and make them come over to see her. I think she felt it is was beneath her to seek out their affection. It was she who should be the one granting affection if any was to be given – ha, ha. Thanks for the morning chuckle. By the way, I ordered your book yesterday from Amazon. I can’t wait to read it when it arrives tomorrow. Happy Wednesday!
Elizabeth – that is so funny and I can relate to Gracie!! Thank you for buying the book – you will see a whole different side of me that most people don’t know. I have always been the “Ellie May” of the family and at one point had 5 dogs and 4 cats in the house!! I was not the advocate I am today as you know from reading my post in Cat Chat, but I really think you will enjoy my Erma Bombeck style of writing and imagine you will relate to many of my trials and tribulations!! xoxo
I wish some of mine would love strangers. Mine all run under the bed or under the house or in the woods. There might be two cats that don’t run off. I think it is great that your cats liked the CPA.
Our cats used to be like that, Marg. But the more company we have throughout the years, the less of an issue it has become. They clearly know that they are setting the rules for the comfort level they are willing to tolerate.
Love this post!! So funny! and reading about Zee is great, since he reminds me so much of my Herr Gato, who loves to flicker his giant bushy tail on my face and beverages… he’s a mix of Maine Coon too, very tall, very sweet, and talkative, just 16 pounds and NOT overweight, just tall! He behaves like Zee too, like they are petite kitties 🙂
Berenice – I LOVED hearing about your Herr Gato and how similar he is to Zee!! Zee is a Maine Coon and a nonstop chatterbox!! His ability to communicate with different meows always fascinates me and I am 100% certain he is carrying on a conversation with me on a level far more intelligent than a lot of people give cats credit for. Zee’s father was the largest registered Maine Coon in the United States at the time we got him – 35 pounds – but Zee is nowhere near that size. He is about 16 pounds as well, but it seems like he is much bigger and heavier than that becasue of his clumsiness! His tail has a unique personality in and of itself!! I guess that is why the Maine Coon is called “The Gentle Giant.”
Great post! You always have the most amazing photos to share! Hugs & belly rubs!
Thanks Suzanne – they really are such little hams when it comes to the camera!! Dan is always able to capture the perfect essence of who they are!
Z & Z…… fess up ..
harley …dood jazz…N rolz…
wuz in de bak room puttin sum nail sharpenin shreddin skillz ta practiss…. sew de CPA dinna hafta send de doc ewe mints ta de IRS…. makin sure de FBI wood knot bee poundin on yur door ….askin if yur place bee a B & B for cats… on which ya woulda said … look dood, iz ewe a PI or ree lated ta ET ore may bee werkin for de CIA coz either way de Q & A stops heer and noe ewe canna haza BLT and yes that BMW wuz paid for with funds frum de ATM
tax time……who kneads it…..
🙂
Uh oh, tabbies… somehow the shredding message got messed up… after the CPA left, I went into the back room and saw the kitties sharpening their claws on the couch…
Great story thanks for sharing. Happy WW!
You are welcome, Ledfoots! Thanks for stopping by!
HAAAA! Allie sits in Marty’s lap while he does our taxes, does that count? I hear “Allie, no….Allie, no…don’t…” coming from that room a lot lately. Should I worry…? 😉
No, Lisa, I would not worry… cats are very smart, so I’m sure Allie is actually giving Marty very good financial advice… if only he would stop saying “no” and listen to her!!
We had a plumber in today, and everyone had to greet him and then perform while the guy was upside down under the kitchen sink removing the old faucet and installing the new. All were friendly, but Giuseppe was by turns watchful and sitting upstairs with big round eyes. Mr. Sunshine was in his glory with all those tools and a guy, to the point where he just did laps around the house, meowing with happiness. The guy managed to leave with all his tools.
That’s so cute, Bernadette!! I remember when Dan and I did a complete knock down and start from scratch renovation of our house… Zee was a kitten back then and was fascinated by the whole process. He was especially transfixed by the electrician and was by his side every chance he got!! I love how a slight change in the day can make cats so happy!
Deb, you better double-check your tax return lest the cat hating CPA made a “boo boo.” Just kidding. CPAs, like other people who sell a service, need to be more polite and tolerant. I’m a bookkeeper, and I’ve worked with plenty of CPAs who I know for a fact lost clients because they were jerks. Your cats are adorable, and if I were doing your taxes, I’d let them sit on my lap as often and as long as they’d like.
Well, thankfully Musings, he was really more indifferent than hateful and is a nice guy, but by the end of the appointment he had really warmed up to my gang!! I can definitely picture you doing my taxes, surrounded by my adorable kitties!!