BW--The Tactics of Feline Warfare--long

CATherine wrote:

regretfully snipped a wonderful story

I wonder how long the war will last. What is the next phase?

CATherine


lol Catherine!! I know exactly the look you are talking about. Hobbes
gives that look to Lacey and she begins growling then apparently he
blinks because suddenly she begins hissing. Sometimes she'll stay and
fight the fight and sometimes she jumps and runs. She'll run off then
come back in 2 or 3 minutes and start the game all over again. Now when
Hobbes manages to jump her and pin her down then she gets mad and leaves
for a little longer.

Julie, Hobbes, Selena and Lacey

"CATherine" wrote

snip

I wonder how long the war will last. What is the next phase?

LOL, what exciting times for you! Purrs that Djoser and Robin reach a truce
soon.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi

In ,
CATherine composed with
style:


The kitchen is neutral and the litter pans are neutral.

Neat story, as I told you and cats will be cats.. lol...but now I have
the chance to revisit this. How many others have a place in the
house that is neutral? I thought my cats were weird in that when
chasing ensues and one doesn't want to play, s/he will run into the
kitchen and the chasing stops. This started back in my old apt with
Marley chasing Shadow, and Marley never kept up the chase once Shadow
ran to his safe place. Shamrock and Bonnie have somehow learned that
the kitchen is a no-combat zone and Shadow is safe there (he's just
such a scaredy cat and so docile!!)

CATherine wrote in on 15
Dec 2003:

It might be instinct that the eating area is a no-combat zone, as well
as the litter pan. Eating and defecating are primal functions so the
taboo instinct might go far back into the mists of time.


You're probably right! Cats are so mysterious. Even Bonnie, a former feral
quickly learned the safe place and runs there, too, when Shamrock chases
her when he's in a mood. Poor lil guy... I think he needs another steroid
shot. It's only been a month since the last, and 3 weeks before that was
another. I don't know what is going on with him but when the itching
starts, it comes on like gangbusters. Maybe time for antihistamines...
plus I'm going to have my carpets professionally steamcleaned.

--
Cheryl

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I
can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do."
- Helen Keller

On 11 Dec 2003 17:02:30 GMT, CATherine
wrote:

))))
))))
))))When Robin first arrived in the house, all three furry masters
snarled
))))and hissed at him. But he ignored them and concentrated on the
humans.
))))He accomplished his mission of subjugation by looking cute; and
))))twining around their legs purring; and sitting quietly in their
arms,
))))purring, no matter what they were doing. Once the humans were
besotted
))))over him, he worked on Sheba.
))))
))))Sheba soon accepted him after he learned, the hard way, to sit
quietly
))))and wait until she was done with her food dish. Then he could have
any
))))leftovers. Other than that, they ignore each other.
))))
))))Amber hissed and even spit at Robin until one day I came home and
they
))))were sitting on opposite sides of the expandable gate. They were
))))looking at each other with ears forward and then would take turns
))))slowly lifting a paw to each other. Finally, I had to laugh and
the
))))tableau broke up. But they became playmates after that.
))))
))))That left Djoser to be won over. Robin tried several techniques.
He
))))first tried playing, being only a year old. That didn't work. Then
he
))))tried to ignore Djoser's howls and threats. But the angry tenor
voice
))))followed him and everything seemed to somehow belong to Djoser. So
))))then Robin decided to copy Djoser, emulation being the sincerest
form
))))of flattery. For awhile I couldn't tell whether Robin was trying
to
))))copy Djoser or trying to "be" Djoser!
))))
))))He started walking like Djoser, which wasn't hard. Both are built
a
))))lot alike. Both are leg rubbers. And in the dark, the humans can't
))))tell which one is trying to trip them up!
))))
))))Robin started sleeping in Djoser's favorite spot on the bed and
other
))))places. He would claw my leg to get attention and into my lap the
way
))))Djoser has been doing for so many years. Now I have twice as many
leg
))))punctures. 8-/
))))
))))He started playing with Djoser's toys, including wrestling with
rugs.
))))And all the time Djoser is complaining with his penetrating tenor
))))voice.
))))
))))At first I was nervous about the older, larger, more experienced
))))Djoser hurting Robin in a set-to. But once I learned Robin's claws
))))were actually lethal needles, I quit worrying. I quit yelling at
them
))))to break it up, and making Djoser run off guiltily. His
self-esteem
))))was suffering.
))))
))))Then the war began. My house is broken up into territories and
neutral
))))ground. All of a sudden the territories were changing boundaries
and
))))ownership. Guerilla warfare and ambush tactics were the order of
the
))))day. All accompanied by Djoser's tenor scream.
))))
))))As far as I could tell Robin was silent. Until one day I happened
to
))))be near when the two were having a Mexican stand-off. Then I could
))))hear Robin replying to Djoser's yowl with a barely discernable
growl.
))))And a smirk.
))))
))))The kitchen is neutral and the litter pans are neutral. But
outside
))))the bathroom door became a favorite ambush spot. As well as the
pan in
))))the laundry room. And the one on the porch. This phase of the war
was
))))noisy and nerve-wracking. Both participants know they were going
to be
))))ambushed and so they started being sneaky and very quiet about
going
))))to the litter pan.
))))
))))One day I spotted Robin lying outside the bathroom door while
))))scratching noises were heard from inside the little room. I was
headed
))))that way myself. I guess that made Robin think he could break the
))))neutral ground taboo.
))))
))))He got up and went inside the bathroom and sat upright beside the
pan
))))and "stared" at Djoser, who was in the "busy" position.
))))
))))---I remember once when I was a child, sibling rivalry was a big
thing
))))in my large family. There were always tussles going on. One day I
was
))))being made to finish my homework and the rest of the kids to be
quiet.
))))My little sister found a way to fight while being quiet. She
"stared"
))))at me. This un-nerved me and made me mad. I yelled, "Mama, June is
))))staring at me!" This got Mama mad and more yelling took place.
June
))))didn't care. She had accomplished her purpose.---
))))
))))Well, Djoser got so mad he was screaming. But he was helpless with
the
))))position he was in. But he involuntarily lifted a paw anyway to
swat
))))that danged %$#*&!! Whoops! He forgot that foot was helping to
hold
))))him in the position and he slid and stepped on a poo! Dang, that
cat
))))was mad! He was really scrambling now with a poo hanging outside
the
))))back end and poo on his foot and he wanted to kill that devil
kitten
))))and yet, his fastidious instinct said he had to clean himself. I
never
))))heard such caterwauling coming out of his throat as he tried to
shake
))))the offending thing off his dainty foot.
))))
))))Robin, of course, was smirking. He joyfully ran back to the
kitchen
))))and sat down with his big round eyes looking innocent! B*ast*rd
cat!
))))
))))Robin won that battle. But the war took on a new phase. Djoser
tried
))))ignoring the devil kitten while secretly plotting revenge.
Everything
))))was quiet for a few days. No howling and screaming tenor voice.
Robin
))))played happily in all parts of the house. But there was a black
))))panther watching his every move.
))))
))))"Squawk"! I seemed to hear that sound frequently; but everything
))))seemed ok. Djoser was on the cat tree sitting quietly and Robin
was
))))sitting by the water dish. This went on for awhile. With Djoser
not
))))hollering at Robin, I foolishly thought he was accepting the
kitten.
))))Then one day I happened to see the source of the squawk. Robin
passed
))))by the cat tree just as Djoser jumped on him and then back to the
tree
))))wearing the death glare. Aha! Intimidation tactics!
))))
))))No blood or fur was drawn, so I have left it at that. Sometimes I
hear
))))a squawk in the middle of the night. Last night, Robin was
sleeping on
))))my feet with Djoser nearby. I moved my toes. Robin slapped h*ll
out of
))))the covers. Methinks Djoser is having an effect on Robin's nerves.
))))grin
))))
))))I wonder how long the war will last. What is the next phase?
))))
))))CATherine



Just read this and thought it was great. could picture everything
purrrfectly. How is the war? Any updates? Do you have a website?

from tracy & fur babies, Tabby, Boots, And Tilly.