Well, it had to happen. Runty Lily, who I was quite worried was actually too small to activate the hi-tech chip-recognising cat flap, has taken control of the one and only feline entrance to the house.
The kittens are still getting on, although they don’t play together now as they did a few months ago. They tend to keep their distance and sometimes Leo, who is twice as big as Lily but a hundred times as soppy, will, for no reason chase her out of the room.
No need to feel sorry for her. She has discovered a way to be Top Cat.
As I was cooking dinner the other day, I noticed her sitting at the side of the cat flap in the kitchen door. Leo’s face appeared on the other side, the chip-recogniser went click, he was in the act of pushing the flap when Lily stuck out a paw and smacked it shut.
Leo was flummoxed and remained for a few moments, then his furry face loomed at the flap again. Click went the mechanism, he started to nose the flap and smack, in came Lily with the preventative south paw. While Lily is a runt, her multi-toed front paws (seven on each) are a force to be reckoned with.
She did it three times before she got bored and decided to go out herself. Leo then came in, looking, of course, as though he hadn’t really been attempting to gain entrance for the last five minutes at all. How could I possibly have got that idea?
Janh1: Mainly fair with occasional rain. 
Wonderful!
Who needs television when you have cats?
Do you know of a board game called Cat Attack?
Lots of feline politics, it was inspired by watching the behaviour of cats in linked gardens with all the power play.
We had ‘cat attack’ for Christmas one year. It was rather complicated and was given to a charity shop the following year…. 🙂
That sounds about right, Pseu. Cats seem much more complicated than dogs. You know where you are with a dog. 🙂 Signing off for a couple of weeks now to go looking for turtles. Take care everybody!
No, but I should investigate. I know nothing of cat psychology and power play. Besides, Leo is still very dog-like. He comes to say “hello” when he hears me arrive home, he rolls over for a tummy tickle and will sit and beg for treats. Last night, I was sprawled out on the sofa watching the James Cracknell prog and he was sprawled on top of me. Quite cosy, really.
Lily, on the other hand, does precisely what she likes, when she likes. She will come for a cuddle only when she feels like it. 🙂
The female of the species and all that 😀
Bertha and Mackenzie don’t play with one another much but they do spend a lot of time curled up together: in their hammock, on the sofa or my bed. However, if I am in the equation, Bertha *must* be closest to me – to the extent that she will clamber on top of Mackenzie and wriggle in between us.
Cat was very affectionate but did not discover lap sitting until a few years ago. Until then he would lie beside me with one proprietorial paw on me, or his head using my leg as a cushion.
When I play Cat Attack my aim is get around the board with as little aggro as possible, whereas the friend who gave Cat his first biscuits here, plays a very confrontational game. Odd really, as her cat is a complete wuss, and mine was a fighter.
The Proprietorial Paw. Lovely. 🙂
I like backgammon. That can be quite aggressive. Satisfyingly so.
Cat Attack takes a few gos to get into, and I think it’s much more fun to play it with adults than with children. Once you get the hang of the rules it really is a pretty good board game. Honest!
I always choose the orange cat piece.
Eee, ‘appen Ms. H1 has lost her high teck chip at the fish shop and can’t get back in. There’ll be trouble at t’ill.
Don’t talk to me about high teck chips, BFC. Any chips at all would be welcome. Earlier this evening, discussing nice places to eat in Cardiff after the rugby, I said “There’s always chip alley….”
You can take the girl out of the valleys…. 😉