Pals

There’s a strange dynamic going on between our three pussycat boarders. The old guy, who is definitely the king of the castle, is turning into a bit of a fruit loop at the ripe age of 17. So, he’s a bit forgetful at times and can turn on an unsuspecting friend or not at random intervals. Our youngest bit of furriness is fine with those bouts of aggression, since he’s generally quite pleased to have some rough play with another cat, namely Shaq, since the other feline is his mother who still rejects him, although I didn’t realize that when I picked him as the only cat of the litter to live here. So, it’s a crapshoot at our house when they’re all together but with just two of them in the house they seem to sort of behave.
Shaq’s sister, Kobe, died two years ago and that’s when this threesome got even more complicated. It used to be that Kobe and Ginger outright hated each other but tolerated one another being in the same vicinity. That was a more dignified standoff. But this new situation leads to sudden unprovoked attacks by Shaq when Ginger expects him to make nice. He seems to not know who the enemy is any more, or the friend in random moments of utter forgetfulness as he slips deeper into dementia. But still there are a few moments of utter companionship sprinkled here and there throughout our days and nights like this scene of Ginger and Shaq, sleeping side by side on the same chair on a rather cold day. But even Ginger is beginning to get wary of Shaq’s moody outbursts. A sudden swipe with his paw has often taken the place of a cuddle although Ginger is still waiting for the occasional facewash routine she gets from our old fella. But the end of life is not always neat and tidy. What we want or expect may not be forthcoming even when we lay down and expose our neck to our companion. He may just lunge at it instead.
Such is life here at pussycat world. These creatures are our inside family and the chickens are our outside family and we do our level best to protect them and keep them safe and well fed as we ourselves wander through our own lives holding each other up.