Lions and Tigers and Bear and Kitties, Oh My!

I already have a Bear. The tiger gray kitties, Diva and Baby, have owned us for several months now. They both have grown since they adopted Bear and I. My Bear is still quite happy to have them around. He calls them our fuzzy alarm clocks when they get us up every morning before our alarm goes off. I have to admit I have my ups and downs with them. I'm happy to say they still are not up on my kitchen counters. (I still check for loose hairs and any other paw print evidence in the morning!) I'm unhappy when they climb up on other places and bring something down causing a mess. The worst 'down' for me was the total melt down just the other evening when Baby got up on my jewelry making station and separated a gazillion beads from their containers, scattering them all over the table and the floor. (I crawled in bed and hid under the covers and cried.) Bear picked it all up, but I still can't face sorting out that mess and finding any kind of organization again.

Personalities have developed and Bear will admit that Baby is his favorite. She's such a lover and wants to be held and cuddled and be the center of attention. You can hear her 'motor' across a room. She's just too adorable not to love. Diva on the other hand is still aloof. She still acts like she's afraid of Bear. She will sit or lie pressed up against my legs or feet, in my recliner or in bed, but on her terms. She will tolerate a bit of petting, but she leaves if she thinks you've touched her too long. And she hates to be picked up and held. That, she will barely and briefly tolerate. Yet she shows jealously when you pay attention to Baby. Then all we see is her back side or if that doesn't seem to make her point, she'll leave the room with her tail straight up and only the tip flicking. This seems to be effecting the kitty relationship. Or maybe the relationship is also effected by Baby's growing independence. Or maybe it's the fact that Baby was young enough to learn to play and poor Diva had to grow up too fast and hard to learn to play. Not to mention the abuse Diva suffered before she discovered our safe deck. Diva plays rough. She is all claws and teeth and she hurts. Baby won't stand for it an avoids her mother. I've made progress with Diva. My hands are not as scratched as they were at first. But her play can still suddenly turn rough. I pull away and scold her when the claws come out. Oh how I wish I could read her mind then. She watches me with such intensity that I can see her thinking. I just don't know what she is thinking. I do know when I put my hand back, she grabs without claws and her bites are playful. She's smart and she's learning. But the anger is there and she still tends to get rough until I 'remind' her. Or Baby has to remind her. Then she turns from hurting to licking. It's just so obvious she had to defend and protect herself and her baby and now she still has to learn to play nice. Watching these two interact is like watching two personalities grow. From Mother and Daughter, to wary friends. It is fascinating. I think I'm learning as much as they are. Cats can be so much like little people.

Diva is spending more time outside now. But she's still pretty content to stay inside and watch from any window showing the most activity. I can only keep Baby in when the weather is at it's worst. It's hard to get her back inside even after dark. There are too many squirrels and birds and flying insects, etc. etc. out there for Baby to chase. And how she loves to climb. She scared me to death yesterday when I saw her up on top of the neighbors roof. OK, a one story, but still. And she had no trouble coming down. House to garage to shed and something I couldn't see and there she was. And there is Tommy. Oh My! Tommy is a big yellow (enter the lion, Oh My...) and a bit of white tomcat with one eye missing and damage to his voice box so that the sounds he makes are not at all cat like. Thank goodness I had Diva and Baby spayed right away. They avoid the other bully cats in the neighborhood, but for some reason they both let Tommy stay. Baby is a shameless flirt. Diva is her usual aloof self. Tommy is not mine. But he does not seem to belong to anyone else either. I only call him Tommy (I know, not very original....but he's not mine, it's just for convenience and evolved from tomcat) because he has taken to staying near by most of the time. My Grandson laughingly said I was turning into the little ole lady with a house full of cats. NO WAY! Tommy is not coming in. If he chooses to hang out on our deck, that is his choice. He's a full grown battle wise adult. And if I just happen to feed him what my kitties won't eat, that is being thrifty. He's not my cat. He'll never be my cat. I have enough cats. Period. End of blog.