The "Roles" of our Cats

I don't know if everyone's cats do this, but my cats seem to have fallen
into certain roles in their relationship to me. Sammy, 99.99999999% Maine
Coon I'm sure, even though she, like all my cats, was a rescue, has all the
typical Maine Coon traits. First, she is HUGE:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/CatNip...7/100_0087.jpg. Second, she
will never be my baby, laying in my lap (or even close to me at times other
than when she wants to suck her toe - in which case she has to be laying
next to me so she can knead my nicely flabby belly).
http://www.possibleplaces.com/catnipped/Toe_Suck_Movie/.

BUT, she is my "best friend" - no matter where I go in the house, I can look
around the room and she's there, somewhere, watching me, waiting to see if
there's anything I might need help with. I have a little stool in my
bathroom that I use to sit at my makeup mirror every morning before work.
But every time I go to the bathroom, not only does she come to get her
spanking while I'm, um, occupied (OK, did I mention she has this small S/M
fetish?), she also will hop up on the stool to watch carefully as I brush my
teeth, wash my face or hands, step into the shower, etc. And after each
activity she has to smell me to make sure that I haven't done anything
harmful to myself, or to lick off the odd drop of water that I may have
missed while toweling off. The only thing she objects to is the teeth
brushing - have you ever seen a cat wrinkle their nose in distaste and then
RUN from the room to escape the awful smell (I take it she doesn't like mint
even though catnip is in the mint family)?

Archer, now, has appointed himself the baby of the family in need of *ALL*
the attention of the Mommy with absolutely no tolerance for sharing me with
anyone else. Whenever I'm in the room, he rolls around on the floor in front
of me playing "see how cute I is, I is your widdle kitten". putting his
little paws over his eyes, mewing like a new-born, leaving his tongue
hanging out of his mouth, making "sweet-eyes" at me, nudging the floor with
his head - all in the most flagrant, "look at me, pet me, love me and ONLY
me" behavior. http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch1.jpg,
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch2.jpg,
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch3.jpg,
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch4.jpg,
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch5.jpg.

The problem with this is that he does this on the stairs as well - wriggling
on his back on every single stair. I have to nudge him down the stairs with
my foot, one step at a time or I'll trip over him and break my neck. When my
arms are full and I'm having trouble seeing the stairs, I have to confess to
the urge to drop kick him more than just the one stair at a time. No matter
where I am or what I'm doing, he has to be the center of attention, the core
of my world. I can't type without him lying across my hands:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch6.jpg , I can't watch TV without him in my
face blocking my view of everything except his magnificent face:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Arch7.jpg, nose-to-nose, looking SO sad that I
won't pay attention to him: http://www.possibleplaces.com/SadArcher.jpg.

If I'm not paying him enough attention he'll lick me until my arms are red
from his rough little tongue. The only thing in this world that he loves
more than he loves me is his "feather on a stick" toy that started out,
years ago when he was a 5-week-old newly adopted kitten, with a head full of
feathers and plastic streamers. Now the toy is just a stick - but it's still
his most beloved possession. He even risked his live to dash up the stairs,
grab his stick, and then rush back down the stairs to velcro himself to me
again when a tornado passed next to our house during hurricane Ike. OK, so
we have two cats with small fetishes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flI3m...layer_embedded.

Ozzy is a much more reserved cat. He's very, very smart, he's our "Treat
Thief", stubborn, determined and doesn't give up on a problem until he finds
the solution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okCx7gWxZK0 (long). Not quite
as timid as Demi (maybe not even timid at all but just reticent or shy).
He's the "peace and flowers and love" poster cat, lost in time and space
from the hippy generation (the only mistake I've noticed the mothership
make). He's our pacifist (named after Ozzy Osborne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW622GGssA8. Although, given his size and
musculature he could be alpha cat of the clowder, but he'd rather sit and
lick clean his bro-fur than fight with him:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Ozz1.jpg,
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Ozz1.jpg.

The only time he is the center of attention is when he is being Mommy's
"Basket Boy". Somehow we've fallen into this weird little routine when I'm
washing clothes. When I put a load of clothes in the washer I set the empty
basket on my kitchen table while I put soap and bleach into the mix. When I
turn around there is Ozzy, looking up at me with the cutest, most expectant
look on his face. THIS is his time to shine. I start petting and scritching
and rubbing and scratching and calling him "Mommy's good little Basket Boy,
Mommy's sweet little Basket Boy".

The few times he might be sleeping elsewhere in the house - far enough away
he can't hear the sounds of the washer being prepared, I'll bang the basket
on the table a bit and yell, "Where's Mommy's Basket Boy?" Very shortly I
can hear the clomping of his feet on the floor, his pounding up the stairs
at the speed of light, his prodigious leap up to the kitchen table, his
slide across the slick surface and his jump into the basket - all but
wagging his tail like a dog in expectation of the adoration he's about to
receive. The only other time he comes running for attention is when Ben sits
down on the couch and takes he shoes off. Ozzy *LURVES* to be "petted" with
feet - he likes it no matter whose feet he's petted with, but he seems to
prefer Ben's stinky feet most of all (OK, so we have three cats with
fetishes here - just a coincidence I'm sure).

Then there's Jessie, the smallest of our cats at 7.5 pounds (she looks like
a miniature cat doll when she sits next to Sammy). But she is (ort-of) alpha
cat of the clowder - attacking anyone who dares come close enough to her for
a greeting, or even just happens to pass a bit too close to her napping
place. Jessie has taken sole ownership of Ben - and follows him around like
Sammy does me. She walks across his keyboard when Ben tries to type. She
even puts up with his guitar playing just to be in the same room as he.
Even at age 10 she is still our most playful cat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPgLXOON5gM.

The only time Jessie will ignore Ben is when there is a box or a bag lying
around - no matter how big or how small. And some have been *really* small.
I once picked up the box our telephone came in, it was about 8 inches tall
and 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep, but when I picked it up it was
unusually heavy for just an empty box. I looked inside and, sure enough,
there was Jessie saying "Close the *&*^* door, slave:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/catnipped/Jessie9/. She's our biggest fan of
catnip - that and to be put into a desk chair and spun fast enough to
greatly disturb her equilibrium - not that I'm saying she is an indulgent in
mind-alternating... oh shoot, yes, she's our stoner cat - another of our
clowder with a fetish, sigh.

Last there is Demi, a loved, pampered, properly adored owner yet she is
afraid of her own shadow. She lives under my bed, coming out only to eat and
use the litterbox. She is unbelievably gorgeous:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/catnip...PrettyDemi.jpg, and *does*
like to have her picture taken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF09pcQY-K4,
but like the stereotypical blonde "valley girl" she is not the sharpest tool
in the shed. After being called "Demi" for her entire 11 years of life she
still doesn't know her own name. For a while we thought she might be deaf
(she is pure white, but doesn't have blue eyes) - but we tested that and
that's not her excuse. Even though she has no fetishes, she is still *far*
from a normal cat, so we can't count even one as just your typical cat.

Where have we gone wrong as cat parents??!! Had these been hairless children
we would surely have had one seeing a psychiatrist for a toe sucking problem
(Sammy), one a self-indulgent "celebrity" on a reality show (Archer), one
living in a commune peddling flowers on a street corner in San Francisco
(Ozzy) , one doing time for manslaughter or drug abuse (Jessie), and one
living in a hoarder apartment with ten latches on her door, wearing a tin
foil hat, and having her groceries delivered rather than leaving the house
(Demi).

So what "roles" do your cats take on in the hierarchy of the clowder?

Hugs,

CatNipped


--
Hugs,

CatNipped
See our clowder at http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

So what "roles" do your cats take on in the hierarchy of the clowder?

Hugs,

CatNipped

Amelia has appointed herself my primary protector. When I go to bed at
night Amelia is almost always the first kitty onto the bed and the last
to leave. When I shower in the morning she is almost always the first cat
into the bathroom and first to demand a shoulder ride.

Sammy is our counterpart to Demi. He is a beautiful mancat, with
beautiful orange tabby fur and shiny white feet, and the softest fur you
can imagine, but he's afraid of everything. Even before he went walkabout
for a few months a year and a half ago he was pretty timid. If I'm going
upstairs to the main floor I half to go really slowly as I near the top,
lest I scare poor Sammy if he's in the upstairs hallway. But in spite of
being such a scaredy-cat, he pays me a visit every night once I'm in bed.
He always comes over for scritches and headrubs.

Ranger is the family clown. He is the one most likely to run up and down
stairs and the ledge in the family room like a madcat. And he's also the
one I can count on to find the most uncomfortable place (for me) to go to
bed. I am a restless sleeper and toss and turn all night, and I have to
be able to stick my feet out from under the covers. Ranger usually places
himself in such a position that I am unable to either turn over or
manuever my feet without great effort.

And Harri Roadcat, of course, owns me. She makes it clear to all that
while Paw cares for all of the kitties, I belong to *her*. She is the one
who will plop on her back across the room and roll over to show her
belly, knowing that I'll come over to pet her soft tummy. And she is
absolute ruler of the clowder.

and her owning you was evident in her muscles when she first laid eyes on
you, Lee, remembering fondly
"Dan M" wrote in message
...
So what "roles" do your cats take on in the hierarchy of the clowder?

Hugs,

CatNipped

Amelia has appointed herself my primary protector. When I go to bed at
night Amelia is almost always the first kitty onto the bed and the last
to leave. When I shower in the morning she is almost always the first cat
into the bathroom and first to demand a shoulder ride.

Sammy is our counterpart to Demi. He is a beautiful mancat, with
beautiful orange tabby fur and shiny white feet, and the softest fur you
can imagine, but he's afraid of everything. Even before he went walkabout
for a few months a year and a half ago he was pretty timid. If I'm going
upstairs to the main floor I half to go really slowly as I near the top,
lest I scare poor Sammy if he's in the upstairs hallway. But in spite of
being such a scaredy-cat, he pays me a visit every night once I'm in bed.
He always comes over for scritches and headrubs.

Ranger is the family clown. He is the one most likely to run up and down
stairs and the ledge in the family room like a madcat. And he's also the
one I can count on to find the most uncomfortable place (for me) to go to
bed. I am a restless sleeper and toss and turn all night, and I have to
be able to stick my feet out from under the covers. Ranger usually places
himself in such a position that I am unable to either turn over or
manuever my feet without great effort.

And Harri Roadcat, of course, owns me. She makes it clear to all that
while Paw cares for all of the kitties, I belong to *her*. She is the one
who will plop on her back across the room and roll over to show her
belly, knowing that I'll come over to pet her soft tummy. And she is
absolute ruler of the clowder.

"CatNipped" wrote:
I don't know if everyone's cats do this, but my cats seem to have fallen
into certain roles in their relationship to me. Sammy, 99.99999999% Maine
Coon I'm sure, even though she, like all my cats, was a rescue, has all the
typical Maine Coon traits. First, she is HUGE:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/CatNip...7/100_0087.jpg.

She *is* big! Especially next to Jessie. And she's giving you the
ear.

I enjoyed reading about the boyz and the others. Buster is similar to
Ozzie in that he likes laundry baskets. But he waits for them to be
filled up so that he can attack the clothes, then settle down and
purrs as he gets taken for a ride.

Mosey is the alpha male, gray fuzzy guy, with 'the' loudest purr, and
white feet.
He is a real sweetheart. My heartcat.
He is the one who loves to comfort me when I'm feeling down or sick, and
loves to snuggle.
He also has a great sense of humor. He used to want to go into the Out all
the time, but has mellowed over time with that. Loves to snuggle sleep with
us, and tucks us in every night, and naps with me. Mosey has his own
account on the 'other' group.and posts there a lot.
He gets mad at me if I don't share my hoomin food with him, but I keep
telling him he has a 'funny tummy'. He wants kibbles, but will hurk them
up..*sigh* He can do a great whine too, and talks in different 'tones'
Mosey made friends with the firemen and the EMTs when they came over
recently, watching them take my blood pressure, etc, and the people gave him
loving scritches too. He loves that. He worries a lot too..poor guy.

Pookie is the 20 lb Tuxedo, all muscle, silly one who likes to wake me up
at 5 am.."I want my food NOW", pester pester. He has taught the others how
to slam cupboard doors, loves to chase the laser pointer, and the one who
insists on riding on the seat of my walker. He's the brat of the 4..and
loves his kibbles. This guy 'eats' plastic, and cellophane. He doesn't
know the meaning of the word NO! He will wipe everything off my nightstand
and try and tear the pix I have taped on my wall. But, he has been a good
boy about that lately.
He likes to play rough and loves to flop down and bunny kick me.
He is also very cuddly as well. Loves his nip too.

Sqweex is our beautiful long hair Tortie, with a bushy tail, like Mosey's,
has an attitude, loves her nip and loves to roll around on the rug and talks
with her mouth full of her fuzzy cat.toy.
When I feed them, she loves to look up at me with this 'thanx mahm' look and
hates to be picked up. None of them like to be picked up, but will jump up
on us..when 'they' want to.
If I'm napping and the girls can't find me, they'll 'talk' and I'll talk
back to them, in their own mrrrrts, etc, and that makes them happy. Yes, I
am a Cat Whisperer. Ask them, if you don't believe me.

Pipps is Pookie and Sqweex daughter, short hair, muscle bound Tortie, but
the only one without white feet., she and also has an attitude. Both the
girls have attitudes. Pipps is the snack pig of the bunch and will growl
and cuss like a sailor at times. She also loves da nip and the laser
pointer, and when she runs down the long hall, she sounds like a herd of
cattle. She has a great sense of humor, as they all do.
Neither of the girls like to be on the bed, but the boys do.
And they ALL get the zoomies in the middle ofthe night.
Did you know a cat is most active dawn and dusk?
It's true, says the Kibble quiz
If I don't inform them that we'll be gone for awhile, they will trash the
place and not use the doodlebox, just to get even.
Love
Kyla
owned by 4 silly fuzzies and one stray
Uh oh. dinner time...