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A brown tabby cat stands in a wide puddle of spilled milk on a wooden floor and looks up with big yellow eyes. 4 / 27

She Looked So Innocent Standing in the Middle of the Milk

AI imagetabby catspilled milkamerican shorthair

Milk spreads across the old wooden floorboards in a wide, glossy puddle, and right in the middle of it stands a brown tabby with four slightly damp paws. She looks straight up at the viewer, yellow eyes wide, as if the milk had arrived on its own. A laundry basket spilling jeans, a glass on a shelf and a plant by the window set a cozy home scene around her.

Many people picture cats happily lapping milk from a saucer, but the truth is more complicated. A lot of adult cats are lactose intolerant, and cow's milk can give them an upset stomach. Fresh water is the better everyday drink, and there are special cat milks sold in pet stores for the occasional treat. If a cat does get into a spill, wipe up the floor and her paws quickly so she does not lick the rest off while grooming, and ask your vet if you are worried.

Tabbies are an old and familiar coat pattern rather than a breed, and the American Shorthair is one type that wears it often. These cats are generally sturdy, curious and good at amusing themselves, which includes knocking things over to see what happens. Gravity, it turns out, is endlessly interesting to a cat.

The expression here says everything, a calm innocence that is only slightly ruined by the wet footprints leading in. Mopping will take a while, but the look makes it hard to stay annoyed.

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