Saturday, March 17, 2012

Another Hospitable Day


Formidable Bunny


Well, my great-grand cat Bunny is back!  You may recall that she was a houseguest a few months ago, and now her peripatetic mother is off on another, and a longer vacation – this time, to visit her grandpa in sunny California. You may also recall that when Bunny was here last time, she was not the ideal houseguest.  Things, I am sad to say, have not dramatically improved.  Tobias does his best to be a gracious host, but Bunny makes it difficult.  She is quite a pretty girl, and may therefore be a sort of cat diva, taking advantage of her beauty to heap scorn on lesser mortals, and to demand the attention she feels she deserves.  Margaret and Tobias have adopted a policy of passive resistance, and are largely ignoring her - or keeping a wary eye on her from a distance.  As soon as she arrived, she perched herself on my kitchen table, a coign of vantage with a view of three rooms.  Tobias, assessing the situation, leapt into her carrying case at the other end of the house, to sniff it over.  He must have liked what he smelled, because he settled in.  It was situated at the farthest point from her spot on the table, but still visible to her, and the two sat and stared at one another for nearly an hour. 

Saintly Tobias

 For the first day of her visit, Bunny emitted a continuous low growl which escalated if anyone approached her.  Or, if, as was more likely, she approached them.  At one point, Margaret was snoozing in my lap as I was reading, and Bunny leapt up to the arm of the chair, and bopped Margaret on the head.  I had to speak sternly to her.  She has given Tobias the same treatment a time or two.  Margaret and Tobias just stare at her, astonished.  But things actually seem to be looking up.  The growl is now only occasional, and she came and sat on my lap as I was typing this.  So in another day, she may be settled in.  But will she settle enough to love Margaret and Tobias?  I will keep you posted. 

Contemplative Bunny

3 comments:

Marta said...

Joanna ,the cat sitter,
cat writer.
cat whisperer.
I hope the felines behave while you are at work.

Lia Nord said...

I love your description of how Bunny settles in, putting everyone else in their place, first.

It's very cute how she fit herself between the spice rack, your glasses, and everything else on the counter. At least she's not one of those cats who knocks everything down around where she wants to sit.

I hope her manners improve and that she becomes more polite and loving to her hosts!

Laura said...

Love the cat 'stare' pictures and imagery of the cat stand off in your writing. Your animal companions are an endless source of fun!