@Kittyninja
I adore my moglets in their mighty & mischief-managing 8yo form, but they were INSANELY cute kittens. Also so very portable - I could just scoop one up in each hand & away we went... Ginger boys do seem to be super-affectionate: mine thoughtfully washed my father’s hair for him a few weeks ago (support bubble for care reasons I hasten to add... er, my parent for me, to be clear, though the cats do some sterling work 
) - I really wish I’d taken a picture...
There are various reasons I’m glad my cats decided that Outside is in fact all the circles of hell rolled into one & they have no desire to venture into it - “presents” being limited to their toys & things snaffled from the recycling bins in my bedroom/the bathroom is one of the big ones. Quite grim enough discovering that the Forbidden Sneaky Treasure I was wresting from blond!cats jaws was, in fact, a spider practically as big as him. Well, the remains thereof. Much to his disgust I didn’t even eat it after confiscating it. He was a bit worried by the resultant state of me though, so once the remains of the enormous arachnid had been dispatched the silly kitten was booping noses & gently chirruping at me & generally rubbing his fuzzy wee face all over me. Spider breath, yum... The idea of being greeted with an actual bird of any size (bit short on sparrow hawks round here, but with them working together I don’t know I’d fancy the local heron’s chances) rather than a cuddly flamingo 
(NOT envy)
That is a very impressive photograph of a, er, “chatty” cat there. Were you being treated to a serenade or an aubade? 
As for the plant, I’d assume that was a commentary on your decor. Harsh, perhaps, but cats don’t always opt for the subtle critique...
Not to worsen the broodiness or anything, but please see attached photo of my cats the evening I first brought them home; & 2 of them as snuggly-cuddly kittens.
@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats
That is an EXCELLENT picture; I’m very impressed by Basil very nearly having an actual mane.
@shamus2020
Clever cat... I’ve got my two game thingies you hide treats in to add to their play routines, but they’ve never had Dreamies. In fairness, I don’t really understand the concept of snacks as a human; & I had to get them to understand that they would always be fed regular meals (when I got them they were at the 4 meals a day stage but would leave food because they didn’t believe they’d get another meal when they were hungry/they needed) so... I do freeze yoghurt/creme-type treats for them in the summer as well as letting them have a wee bit of catmilk more often than every few weeks. (I keep their wet food in the fridge in the summer too so it’s cold rather than just coolish as it would be coming out of the cupboard it’s usually stored in. Spoilt? MY cats? Perish. The. Very. Thought. 
)