cats & dogs
monday, october 28, 2002


getting drips . . . er, gypsy settled in is proving to be a lot easier that we thought. oh, there's been a few issues between ro and gypsy, but most of them seem to come from the little unexpected surprises that sometimes come with adjusting to a new member of the family.

ro is used to being top cat. we have been her house and her people for some time now, and she hasn't had to share with any body for months. this means she has gotten all the attention she wants (and more than a little that she doesn't want), all the treats she shouldn't have, and her choice of sleep spots. i can honestly see her few hissing fits (small as they were) being a result of forgetting the dog was around and suddenly bumping into her around a corner. after all, i'm pretty sure she thought the dog was a temporary thing. while she is getting used to gypsy's presence, i don't think she's at all pleased that the dog is apparently here to stay.

the cat is begging me for attention.

you have got to understand, saxy got the cat for me, but i was in school hell at the time so couldn't really pay much attention to her even when i was home. so she attached to saxy and pretty much dislikes me. if he's holding her, she all happy until he starts to approach me. then she wants the hell away. barring that, she was happy with digging her claws into him to avoid being placed in my arms.

and now her man is paying attention to the dog.

she's done what she can short of attempting murder to get his attention, including yowling when he takes her out, sticking her nose in when he's training the dog and trying to steal gypsy's treats, she even eats the dog food. i'm not sure if i became a part of her desperate efforts to win him back or if she's just desperate for attention, any attention, so she'll accept it from me, but today she began hanging out in my arms without looking for an opportunity to escape.

she even purred.

gypsy, for the most part ignores ro. i think she sees ro as too small to be anything other than a nuisance and the best way to get a nuisance to leave you alone is to ignore it.

although i guess ro made herself completely un-ignorable yesterday.

ro likes to play with plastic grocery bags (she's only allowed when we can keep an eye on her). yesterday she had one and was chasing it all over the living room. apparently the bag startled gypsy when it touched her butt and she yelped. the cat, already about 6" to a foot away, hisses and leaps about 3 feet away . . . sideways. gypsy settled back down since the bag also went flying somewhere, but ro just stood there staring at her with an arched back.

ro avoided her for the rest of the evening. but things got pretty much back to normal today.

ro likes batting gypsy as she walks by.