Blackie–outdoor cat
is sitting quietly under the kitchen table this morning thinking about things.
She is the cat with no tail I wrote about last year.
She spends some mornings curled up on the whicker chair next to the fireplace–showing no inclination to hot foot it out the back door after eating a bowl of food, as she used to.
Beau–the Prince of the household
has taken over the downstairs, even lounging full length on the kitchen table, usually the strictly controlled domain of Pippa, the mother of all cats,
who lost an ally and a minder when Lucien died shortly before Christmas.
We wondered at first whether Pippa had noticed the passing of her surrogate son.
When Marmalade and Butterscotch her own offspring died, she showed little sign of caring.
Back then the power balance in the house was unaffected. Pippa kept he position as head cat.
(The youngster Beauty was too busy performing acrobatic feats to waste time worrying where he stood in the pecking order and dear Lucien spent most of the day “on duty” in the garage guarding the cat-flap.)
It seems different now–and Pippa isn’t happy.
She eats upstairs and only comes down to go outside–maybe her way of maintaining the “high ground” that has always been her right, as she sees it.
Beau seems to be the cat causing the problem.
Pippa can’t set eyes on him without growling.
There have been fur-flying fights but we can’t judge who is starting them.
Beau loves a bit of roughhousing with “brother” Ben
but is otherwise benign–a homebody it seems. Sleeping and eating (too much) are his concerns–a complacent cat is Beau.
Ambition to be top “dog” so to speak, does not feature on his agenda.
“Outdoors” are coming indoors–and indoors, it’s Upstairs Downstairs!
Our cat world is in flux–what to do?
Robin Ellis 
Of course we don’t own a cat it’s chooses to live with us and rules the roost, very superior species.We had a manx cat when I was a child very independent animal.
Yes, Cats rule and allow humans to stay. My friends rescue cats and they keep me entertained with stories. Love that they have their own space etc 🙂
What to do? …a good question. Other than to make it clear to Pippa in front of the other cats that she is number #1 (e.g., by feeding her first, petting her first), there is probably nothing that can be done. …poor old girl. Kitty politics are a strange thing, indeed. (Our four have made THAT clear – but at least they have mostly figured things out, thank God.)
Robin, I always enjoy reading your cat-posts with photos of the feline household. I’m a cat lover myself. They are such wonderful beings and muses, funny wonders.
ps: it was too sad when Lucien died. I wanted to leave a comment but there were no words. The lives of our furry beloveds are so short.
this is wonderful! These intelligent felines will work it all out themselves….we could learn from them!
Hi, Robin & Meredith,
You hit the nail on the head when you said Pippa may be going upstairs to keep her “high ground.” Cats who are arguing over turf can often sort it out if you can expand their environment by thinking upward–that is, having favorable perches up high. (It’s not uncommon after a loss or addition to the family.) You could use a sturdy cat tree from a pet store, screw on an extra-wide window ledge, or use a well-placed blanket atop a bookshelf. If this new area doesn’t attract Pippa, it might entice Beau AWAY from her favored spot on the table. (Make sure whatever you use is sturdy & doesn’t wobble, or she’ll be afraid to use it.) For older kitties, a SERIES of steps (from footstool, to chair, to bureau or window seat) may be more attractive. It also helps to encourage the cats to discover the new “trail” with a few well-placed treats! Hope this helps.
PS: A little extra TLC and attention to Pippa may be in order, but try not to add to the stress by yelling at Beau. Just like kids, it’s better to “redirect” and let the CATS think it’s THEIR idea! 🙂
Keep us posted….
Cheers, hugs, and purrs…….!
Thanks for the advice, Dianne. This morning Pippa was sharing our bed with Beau–though she didn’t look too delighted about it. It will resolve.
PSS: If they are actively growling & fighting, look for ways to create POSITIVE shared experiences. That could be by distraction–“fishing pole” toys are EXCELLENT for relieving stress & creating fun times between cats…or by eating a special treat together (on separate plates, with plenty of personal space that you can slowly decrease as time goes by). Do make sure Pippa’s in good health & not trying to retreat from everyone due to illness. It could just be that Beau’s too playful for Pippa’s mellowing age, as happens in our house. In that case, Pippa may appreciate more one-on-one time with you folks in her own space. But the fishing pole toys are wonderful because they tap ALL cats’ natural instincts–even the oldest cats in the house–and are good, shared fun. 🙂
It’s amazing to me how very different cats can be in their personalities. Even litter mates, so different. Thanks for sharing your cats lives with us. There are three at my house. And a dog.
I enjoy the stories of your cats. Interesting personalities.
I very much suspect that the ‘cat matters/hierarchy’ will fall into place in due course. Eventually an order will establish itself, but I feel it’ll take time, in the meantime, Robin, good luck!
Hope you can resolve your cats chain of command soon and return to your usual happy home I do not have any animals at this time. but my brother and sister in law have two ;and do they rule the roost and they know it; and if you dare sit on the chair one them want’s god help you. Beautiful loving but on their terms only .
How beautiful cats! Do not worry, a new balance will be established, I think the cats will decide and find an agreement finally! We are undergoing a similar moment of shifting balances, because we have just adopted Stella, our Breton Toby’s daughter and both Toby and Red (the ginger cat) seem puzzled! Stella joined us two weeks ago, at fourty-five days, she is a little furry and sweet puppy but jumping and running after the other two, biting their ears with her little cutting and sharp teeth, she frightens them! The cat has spent the first days avoiding her and the dog- who is her biological father- looked at her with some concern. Now they are making friends, as animals know how to live peacefully better than humans! Bye!
Thanks for the reassurance, Marina!
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of one of your beloved furrkids just before Christmas. I know all too well what that is like. We went from a 3 cats and 1 very confused Pekingese household to 2 cats and the dog Dec 22, 2012 when we lost our beloved 16 year old Siamese, “Sophie.” My family and I still grieve over her crossing the rainbow bridge.
Sophie was the miracle worker in our family. My youngest son, now age 22 is a very high functioning autistic. In fact you can barely tell that he is any different from anyone else unless you know to look for it but it wasn’t always that way. He was barely verbal unable to say more then a three word sentence at age 4 and half. Then he met Sophie. I purchased her from a pet store. I went in for pet food and came home with Sophie this energetic Siamese kitten of 12 weeks age. Siamese are quite vocal cats and she somehow knew that there was a little boy that needed her. She took right up to my son and at first he was not amused by her attempts to communicate with him which generally amounted to her sitting on top of the chairs behind his head and swatting him with her tail or tapping her paw on his head. He would look at me with this “do something about her” expression and I refused to rescue him. Instead I told him if you don’t like it, tell her. So he would make sounds at her and she would respond by meowing and chattering at him. The more sounds he made, the more she talked back to him. Within a few weeks his sounds progressed into words and then his short sentences progressed into paragraphs. Sophie brought him out of his autistic realm and into the verbal world. She became the good medicine he needed. The two were best buddies. My son progressed so quickly from that point on. Sophie was totally blind the last 5 years of her life but still knew how to get around and play in spite of it. When we knew Sophie was passing, it was very hard for all of us but I really worried about Jared and how he was going to cope with such a major loss in his life. He handled better then I thought he would. He still talks to me about her a lot which is good for both of us. Our other pets seemed to notice the difference right off. The other cats became more sensitive to our emotions and seem to try to comfort us by spending more time in our laps. I always wonder what they felt inside them when she passed on. If only they could tell us! I am sure your cats will in time work things out. They have a way of doing that. Sophie and one of my other cats were mortal enemies for quite a few years but the last 5 or 6 they managed to figure out how to coexist. This is a link to photos of Sophie if you inclined to look. http://happyknitterquilter.blogspot.com/2009/03/sophie-siamese-and-my-sewing-companion.html
Thank you, Andrea for your remarkable story. I hope your son continues to flourish. Cats and their ways are a wonderful mystery.
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