Chasing some tail....

I have two cats, one boy and one girl. I have two kids, one boy and one girl. Both sets of dependants are the same species but seemingly very different.

The most recent notable difference between T and R, is how both cats relate to R. Those who know our two fussy fuzzies know how much Gryffin avoided T like the Plague. Phenix was the exact opposite. She took advantage of Gryffin’s absence when T was younger, to get extra attention. She tolerated the fur pulling and crying newborn just for a few extra cuddles.

These days, as long as T is not around, Gryffin will spend time around R and I. R gurgles and giggles whenever he hears the tinkle, tinkle, tinkle of Gryffin’s tags as he walks down the hallway from his latest hidey hole.

Much like their personalities, the foot falls of the two cats are very different. You can hear Gryffin coming down the hallway. You know when Gryffin moves by his tinkling of his tags. With Phenix, everything is fairly muffled due to her over abundance of fur. She has very furry toes.

When Gryffin walks, he walks straight and with purpose. There’s no shilly shally. When Gryffin sits and watches something, his tail flicks. He’s more a nervous twitcher than a hunter. He would never survive well on his own.

As for Phenix, when she walks, she struts. She swishes and flicks her tail as her fur laden feet hit the floor. She’s such a lady that one. When she’s sitting and watching, she’s a skilled hunter, nary a flinch and always ready to move at a moment’s notice. She’s used to having to hunt for herself.

As for my other two kids, R has a much more laid back personality unless he is hungry or sick than T ever was. He also seems to really like soft fluffly stuff more than T did. In particular soft fabrics like blankets and sleepers. T wasn’t really into blankets but she was always into her stuffed lovies and toys, even at R’s age.

In addition to being a junior cat whisperer, R seems to be more taken with lights and movement than T was at his age. He tracks and follows things a lot more closely than T did; she was more into music than lights. She was more into grabbing things to make them do something than stopping them from moving like R. R swipes and yanks on anything he can grab. And of course, it goes straight into his mouth.

They both were/are learning cause and effect, just in different ways.

When spending time around us, Gryffin has learned to sit just slightly outside of R’s reach. If he sits too close he gets his ears, fur and whatever else R can get his hands on, grabbed, chewed or worse yet, pulled. It was all well and good while R wasn’t into grabbing things but now that he does, the game has changed. Gryffin takes it all in stride but I do usually hear et Gryffin’s trademark low meow that seems to say, “I’m just an little kitty, please take pity on me.” shortly after R grabs his ear.

One thing Gryffin does seem take get great pleasure in is taunting R with his tail.

Just outside of R’s reach but within optimal petting distance of me, Gryffin sits and flicks his tail. R sits there and stares at the flicking tail. You can see R’s brain working hard to figure out how to get Gryffin’s tail.

Every so often Gryffin will walk past R while he is sitting up and slide his tail over R’s face. Gryffin also uses this time to give R a few good thumps in the head with his tail. I have to think that he is just reminding R just who is King Kitty and who isn’t.

R just sits there and grabs at the tail while Gryffin’s fur tickles his nose. Gryffin always manages to get his tail out of R’s grasp just in time before there is a CHOMP.

One day someday soon, I fear Gryffin will be a hair too slow and oh dear, that will be the end of this friendship!

PS. I have some video of this tail tantalizing event however, like the Christmas video I shot, I can’t seem to get it to work on here. I guess you will just have to take my word for it!