Taking Dictation

It’s very early days for Echo in her new foster-home, but from what I have been told, things are proceeding well. She seems to be following Vinny, chasing him sometimes. She jumped on him once, and his reaction was to run to his foster-guardian. Echo used only the one litter-box Vinny used, until he used a second one.

Back at the cosy apartment - which is becoming cosier with the early nights and the chillier weather - Parker’s behaviour bears watching. This is not because he has become dangerous or troublesome but because it may prove more interesting with the changes we have recently undergone vis a vis Echo. His aggression toward Tucker seems to have abated, though those two may always be at loggerheads of a sort. Toward Cammie, Parker has felt an interest he hasn’t with the others. I have written before that it seems to be reciprocated to an extent. But Cammie is still mostly a loner when it comes to other cats.

Last night, I was in the bedroom and heard a commotion in the sitting room. I arrived in time to see Parker being chased away from the taller cat-tree, from which Cammie was descending at speed. They stopped, Cammie hissed at the orange boy, who protested in his high-pitched yelps - probably insisting that he was doing nothing wrong - then went back up her tree.

What I suspect happened was that Parker climbed the tree, perhaps not even intending to get close to Cammie, and the princess decided that, intentional or not, his proximity was offensive. I was not bothered by the incident, to tell the truth. While I would like to see this pair - or any combination of my cats - become friends, it is much more probable that Parker will push too much too rapidly, so it is better that Cammie have control of the situation. In terms of stress, the newer boy is less likely to be troubled by dictations from a longer-established feline than vice versa.

I comforted both of the beasts concerned, as I didn’t think either had done anything wrong. Cammie knew this already, of course, while Parker was somewhat disconsolate but recovered quickly. I don’t think he was so discouraged as not to try again, at some point in the near future.