Saturday, June 27, 2020

His Natural Selection


I haven’t had too many long-haired cats in my life. Kola, a previous foster-cat, was one. Now, there is Neville. The parts of him that were shorn of fur by the veterinary are slowly coming to be covered again, but what was left to him is enough to make him a bit of a puzzle to the eyes when he is twisted about and snoozing.

This is the Nevsky when he is more easily identified.


But then he will throw himself on his back, roll about for position, and stretch out. It becomes a matter of looking twice if I want to find which end is which. This is important, I have found, for the purposes of petting. It doesn’t help that Nev is, unlike Renn, whom I think counts as a medium-haired feline, all one hue.


Eventually, I solve the mystery, even though he renews it each time. Each cat is unique, in many ways. It’s just one of Neville’s characteristics that he blends in, not with his surroundings, but with himself. That may not help him in nature, befuddling potential enemies, but on a bed or couch, it does give his human pause. I suppose this is an insider-cat’s version of natural selection.

17 comments:

  1. I have the same problem with Joey, who is a long haired solid white cat. If he is curled up in a ball, it's hard to tell "which end is up".

    ReplyDelete
  2. When he curls up in a ball, he must look like a tumbleweed. Or grey cotton candy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Neville is hilarious curled up like that. I can see why it may be
    difficult to distinguish one end from the other! Precious is one
    color but short hair and a skinny tail make it simple to see heads
    from tails.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, you'll solve it but it sure is nice to see Neville all relaxed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL! I must admit to second guessing myself in that second photo.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a floofy boy! They sure are enjoying your new bedding! How's it holding up so far?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like it; it's nice to have a bedspread and a blanket that aren't falling apart. But the bedspread quickly gathers fur...

      Delete
    2. He really IS hard to tell one end from the other! His new fur is a soft cashmere-looking fawn color! Katie has lain on the spare room's new bedspread. I saw the indentation from the doorway...then came to the circle on the bed which has some black furs. I left them there for now.

      Delete
    3. Yep! Fur is never ending at my house too!

      Delete
  7. You a brave man with an elderly tribe in having a light bedspread. Even with just Poppy I have to go with a darker hue to hide any leakage.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Perhaps Neville likes a little roll
    and a scratch, as his fur is growing
    through, but, it always gives the effect
    of cats being coy..! :).
    And..l'm still amazed how much room Renn
    takes up on the bed when stretch out..! :).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Neville is such a handsome fellow. He's really come into his own with you, and it shows. That second pic is my favourite! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. He is just letting you know that you made a good choice on the bedding.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My mom is melting here. She love fluffy boy

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nevsky, you oughta see what happens when two black cats sleep on top of each other, and no human can tell what is what and who is who...and look, you are doing the same thing solo! How talented you are!
    Answer to John's comment regarding Sweetie: yes, she allows me to get up close and purrsonal, although I take 20 pics for every 1 good one. It's infernally difficult to capture her exotic look, because my cheapo mobile phone camera doesn't allow one to mess with the settings much. Lucky for me, I have a variety of blankets, and have begun to switch them around, to see if the various colours make the pics clearer.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We are all short-hairs here. TBT hates hairballs and is a bit lax about brushies... MOL!

    ReplyDelete