The kittens are coming!

High altitude three D yodelling!!! Little bugger.

The minutiae of cat politics around here are quite intriguing when I get time to observe them.

For ages, Viola was top cat....in a subtle way.

When we came here Sebastian got all excited by the boids and such and began throwing his extra kilogram and his general manic personality around and he was on top.

Viola is now fighting back......in fact, she starts a lot of the trouble by smacking Sebastian when he hasn't done anything. He then attacks much harder and I have to be careful I don't assume he is the aggressor when he is actually fighting back. Because he is bigger he always comes off as the bully.

This morning Viola was in the much sought after ensuite bathroom window. She never uses the other bathroom window, which Sebastian also adores. Normally, if he comes in wanting to take over the ensuite window from her, she sees him and snarls, but gives in angrily, as he has a tendency to jump on her if she doesn't.

Today, she stayed very calm when he bounced in, expecting her to cede. She just sat there and made like the rock of ages. He sat there for a long time staring at her. Something about her attitude made him not willing to try his usual rough stuff.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm........are we looking at another shift of balance????

This fascinates me mucho. Interfeline dynamics are complex. Viola employed an interesting tactic.

I'll be waiting to hear about developments.

The worst development at present is that the claws are excruciatingly sharp, especially Viola's, since she has taken to poking me a lot, but I cannot find the claw clippers!

Get new ones.

I've been thinking about your woollies. Which of the two do you think is smarter?

The situation with your two doesn't really relate to the cats I had. Miranda was both smarter and bigger than Patty. She was dominant in every respect. Mikey on the other hand was so steenin' big that the didnt' need to be smart. His presence alone was enough to intimidate other cats. But I saw him interact only with the neighbor's cats. I don't know how a long-term relationship would have developed.

It's a cliche, but Sebastian is smarter with, as it were, mechanical things. He works out puzzles and stuff much faster. Viola is more emotionally complex and much more sophisticated emotionally. She knew how to make Miranda relax, for instance.....her interactions are more complex. Her interactions with me are way more complex. She has a much bigger repertoire of ways to be close.

Sebastian is extremely loving, don't get me wrong, and extremely interactive....it's just different.

Phew! Eight sets of claws trimmed. Phew.

Spoke too soon. Viola is jumping onto my knees and biting and scratching them like a little fiend! Revenge.

Well - you could bite her in return! Scratching - not so sure - she may enjoy that!

She makes me laugh too much when she does that for me to do anything except shake her off!

Both cats were excited.....Sebastian and I had just had one of our big tunnel wrestles. You know how much he loves a good wrestle in his tunnel!

One of yours?

I thought she ripped Sebastian into pieces for not smelling right. What's so complex about that?

No...it's my bookmark

Indeed. Sebastian was lovely when she came back smelling all wrong when she was so sick......mind you she hadn't rolled in other cat wee! She didn't hurt him but she threatened him. She's still stroppy with him.....not sure what it's all about. Sigh.

Welcome.

Boida....there's some photies and a blurry video of Viola on my Facebook page.

Debbele, I'd love to see them. I have no idea how to find you--or anybody else--on Facebook. The last time I was there, I froze like a deer in the headlights.

Can you send me a link (doesn't have to be public)?

Dollink......you are a friend of mine on FB....but I'll see if I can find a link.

Great ways to be woken on Saturday mornings......not:

Sebastian has taken to jumping up on top of the old fashioned and extraordinarily ugly air conditioner above my bed.

This morning he misses and pulls the filter down on my determinedly attempting to remain asleep head.

This is NOT a good way to discover that the filter foamy stuff is in a state of advanced disintegration.

This is a morning when I get to feel good just by failing to kill a certain cat.

I might add that he was running around and causing chaos well into the wee small hours.

Bubbele, He's a cat. He's doing his cat job. Glad you refrained from committing felinicide.

You remind me of all the times I was rudely awakened by cats doing their job. Makes me smile.

I am an impatient person, except where animals and very old people are concerned. Why? Dunno. Maybe because animals are being true to their nature and old people are doing the best they can. I can accept that.