Sun 26 Feb 2006

Reading Cats

Posted in Cats at 23:08

After dark, I was standing in the kitchen when Caitie scurried by me, low to the ground with the intent of getting somewhere fast. It’s the posture she takes when she’s pursuing something with the aim of preying upon it, or when there’s a feline visitor on the property.

I followed her into the dining room, and she leaped onto the windowsill. I peeked through the curtains and on the front sidewalk saw the grey tabby that’s visited in the past and left calling cards behind on the bushes. It looked at me with wide eyes, then turned and crept out of sight.

When Kelly first adopted us 10 1/2 years ago, Pat and I didn’t know much about cat behavior, but we’ve picked up on what their actions signify. Knowing Caitie’s signs of pursuit helped me get a look at the Bad Kitty.

(Bad Kitty? Not really — it’s just doing what a cat will do if allowed to roam onto others’ properties. The owner’s the one who should be more responsible. It’s just that when the Good Cats are sniffing at the bushes where the other cat has marked, I say to them, “Has that Bad Kitty been here? We don’t want Bad Kitties — we only want Good Cats.”)

Another thing that happened recently, and was based on knowledge of cat behavior… Pat saw that Nicky was on the steps and holding Caitie at bay upstairs. If Caitie were to try to go downstairs, she’d have to pass Nicky, and that would be a one-cat gauntlet where she’d be likely to receive a cuffing from the little black cat, then chased through the house.

Pat sized up the situation, and then she attracted Nicky’s attention by scratching the carpet on the bottom step with her fingernails. When he went down there to see why, she held him back long enough for Caitie to get by and get a head start.

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