Foiling the Roly Poly

Tucker does not like Parker. The roly poly and the sturdy-boy have been in a few fights, and while Parker may be of a more forgiving nature, Tucker does not seem so inclined. Keeping them separated is not a great inconvenience. I certainly do not need to give up one to satisfy the other, and I wouldn’t do it in any case. But I have had to arrange the household to accommodate their disagreements.

Tucker has a bit of a vindictive streak in him. You wouldn’t know it by looking at that infantile moon-face of his. He’s all innocence and virtue, you would think. But, for a while, that feline sausage has been visiting the library, where Parker stays when I am absent or asleep, and wetting just outside his litter-box.

At first, Tucker wet inside, and sometimes pooped, without covering it. This was, I assume, to show Parker who was boss - at least boss of Parker. Then Tucker started thinking outside the box. In the library, I have the same pattern of floor coverings as elsewhere: over the apartment’s fitted carpets I’ve laid large rugs. In addition, in front of the litter-box, to make cleaning easier, I’ve put a smaller mat. Though the cost of those mats add up, I was not so concerned about retaining them. I can buy others at the bargain stores. But the urine would penetrate them into the rug and, possibly, then into the carpet.

And so, in my continuing quest to prove that I will not be outwitted by a cat, I have purchased a couple of incontinent pads - ‘soaker pads’ - one of which will always be placed immediately in front of Parker’s litter box, under the mat. These are re-usable, after a good washing.

I am doing this because I don’t want to deny Tucker entry to the library. When Parker is loose, the roly poly one has every right to wander at will into that room or any other. I don’t want him to fear my reaction when he goes there, which may have been the case if I continued to shadow him every time he walked into the library. Sometimes, he goes in just to sniff. Other times, he wants a drink from the water-bowl there; this especially I don’t want to stop.

We will see if this works. Tucker has not tested the pads for me, and I would not mind if they never received their practicum. But if they do, I am ready. I am determined not to be foiled by a furry sausage - no matter how fond I am of him.