This week: A Game of Cat Chess Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline  
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There's a strategic game of cat chess going on in my street. I hope that the end result will be a good one.
This week's Drama Newsletter is all about cats, loss and potential new friendships.
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline
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Currently, my street is the site of if not cat-o-wars, at least a highly strategic game of cat chess. It’s interesting to observe, if not somewhat problematic.
When my cats were kittens, the dominant feline was Thomas, from across the street. At the time Thomas was, according to one of his humans, 16 years of age. Considering that that same human would tell anyone who wanted to listen that Thomas was 16 years old for years after that, I don’t even know how old he truly was, but he was definitely a pensioner, and my kittens knew not to bother him. Thomas had seen it all, no doubt done it all, and he wanted to live out the rest of his life in peace.
On occasion, he’d stroll over to my place – a journey that took some time as his back legs were somewhat stiff. He’d stop by the kitchen for a sniff, just in case there was something interesting to be had, and eventually make his way back to his own home. On other occasions one of my cats, Chance, would stop by for a visit at his place. My other cat, Vixen, didn’t really bother visiting. You could tell that there was a kind of understanding between them all. They got along.
Over the years, other cats came and went. There was a little white feline, Salty, who had no concept of personal space. There was The Black Cat – no idea where he came from but he was scrappy. Lockheed had followed us here from the place where I first lived in the village. He belonged to someone in the next street, but was a regular guest and the first time the kittens went out and, naturally, got struck in a tree he guided them back down and back home. That earned him a treat.
There was So-And-So, there was a ginger cat who I suddenly found fast asleep on my bed, and there was another black feline who wasn’t in a very good state, so we took him in overnight and brought him to the vet, who rehomed him. Visiting cats are difficult to avoid when you have a cat flap, and mostly it’s gone well enough.
Last year, sadly, Chance passed away. Considering that when we got him he was a scrawny, not very well little kitten who was found lost in the countryside, he’d done well reaching 15 years of age. I’d like to think that he had a good life. He was certainly loved, not in the least by his brother.
Vixen’s reaction to the loss of his brother was heartbreaking. He searched for him day and night, calling out for him. Even now, a year and a half later, he calls out for Chance whenever he’s been outside, just in case...
In the meanwhile, another cat’s moved onto the street and he’s the male version of Salty. He’s completely happy-go-lucky, he knows no fear, and he soon figured out the cat flap. Vix isn’t quite sure what to make of the new intruder.
On the whole, he’s pretty tolerant, but that tolerance ends when the other cat shows too much of an interest in the contents of the food bowl. Until recently, however, Vixen had Thomas’ position on the street – at 16 years of age, he’s like the Elder who must be respected. Unfortunately, his health has deteriorated a bit and in the hierarchical world of felines that means that the other cat sometimes tries to push his luck.
In order to give Vix a break, I regularly block the cat flap for a few hours. The locking mechanism has never really worked, so I’ve tried placing objects against it in the hopes that that would stop any visitors. It doesn’t work for long – the other cat will figure out exactly what to do to get past it, from boots to, most recently, a pretty heavy bucket with a bag of clay in it. It’s as though the author Terry Pratchett was correct – cats quantum. One minute they’re outside, the next they’re fast asleep in a box in the attic.
There are other times when everything’s harmonious. When there are dogs outside, or it’s raining, Vix is fine with the other cat taking shelter. Today they were both happily sat in the windowsill in my bedroom, catching the final afternoon rays. On a good day, Vix might stroll over to the other cat’s home for a nosey about. I mean, it’s not like the other cat doesn’t have a perfectly good home or that he’s shut out – his humans are lovely, he gets fed well, he gets fussed over... I think he’s simply decided that my home is an extension of his own.
What the endgame will be of this strategic game of cat chess, I don’t know. Maybe they’ll end up as friends. Maybe Vix will get tired of the young upstart and go all fluffed up and hissy. I think it’s between the two of them to figure out. For now, I don’t think it’s all bad that he has another feline to communicate with. So long as he knows that I’ll always be on his side.
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline
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Drama: September 26, 2018 Issue [#9143]
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