My Neck of the Woods...: Tough Kitty

I miss my Spanky kitty. He used to go for walks with us and the dogs just like Nengaku's Kitty. One of my cats Astro still does on occassion but usually she just follows from a distance.

And I totally know the kitty slap! I was laughing at kitty antics just last night. Our older cat Buster (the grey one who you'd think was about 5 instead of going on 13) was hogging the water bowl. All the pets in the house, even our 4 dogs know that Buster is the Alpha of the pack. Don't mess with Buster. He may be little but he is one tough kitty.

So our latest addition to the pack, little girl kitty Chai was trying to get a drink but Buster was having none of it. They were sitting one on each side of the bowl and every time she would lean over to try to get a drink he would slap her upside the head. Then he would just sit there for a few minutes, maybe dip a paw in and lick off the water. But mostly he was just guarding the bowl and hogging it so no one else could have any. Our older lab was laying on the floor a few feet away, watching and also patiently waiting for his turn at the communal well. He knows better than to come anywhere near the kitties though. He learned that lesson when he was just a couple of months old.

I remember it distinctly. He came running over to me when I was laying on the couch (futon) for some loves only to get a claw swipe across the nose from under the couch. I didn't see it happen but I heard a yelp and the next thing I knew he was pawing at his nose and eyes and making bloody paw prints all over the hardwood floor. Poor puppy. He learned early to watch out for Buster. To this day, Buster tortures him by calmly sitting in the middle of doorways. Tucker will just sit on the other side of the open door and whine until we make Buster move to let him through. Some time I will have to take pictures of that. Those big black dogs respect that little grey cat!

Buster