Jenna is sitting on the floor, scratching our New Gray Tabby Cat* on the belly.

Suddenly, she stops and says to the kitty**, “Ewww. Is that a flea I feel on you? Or is that your nipple?” And then, to me, “Mom, do cats have nipples?”

“YES OF COURSE. All mammals have nipples.”

“Oh. Then how come parrots don’t?”

“Because the public school system has failed you.***”

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* Not to be confused with our Old Gray Tabby Cat Who Was Lost for Seven Weeks and Then Came Home Perhaps When He Saw We Had Replaced Him with a Newer (Not to Mention FEMALE) Model. (And who, at only three years, we don’t technically classify as old in age, but as old in the sense that we had him first.)

** For the record, the six of us have finally decided on a name for the new one. Unfortunately, we each have decided on a different name. So Bella (Rob) Trixie (Emma) Kiki (Jenna) Coconut (Katelynn) Flapjacks (Jake) Toonces (Me) it is. Good thing cats don’t need birth certificates.

*** Also for the record, Jenna is my one and only Straight A progeny. So now I’m wondering what creatures Jake believes do or do not have nipples. Will ask him in the morning.