No pictures in this OP, so don’t go looking. I’m just here to rant.
A lot of times here, someone will talk about getting cats, and the advice they get from all of us is to get two. Well, yes, I’ve had sisters, and brothers and they’re perfect together.
But what of those of us with a menagerie that has come together haphazardly?
Ernie (Best Cat Ever TM), and Erica were the two we got as kittens, two months apart in the mid 80’s. Ernie ran the house and all he surveyed. Each morning we awoke to little piles of fur and knocked over vases, or what have you.
About the time they were 9, I thought it would be nice for the Kid to get a goldfish or something. Somehow, and we’re not at all clear how this happened even to this day, we ended up coming home with Marty, aka “Boo”. Marty loved loved loved his big brother Ernie. This love was unrequited. Ernie took great delight in bopping the little guy every chance he got. Erica hated Marty. In fact, the one and only time Ernie and Erica cooperated in a venture was the day the double-teamed Marty. After a year or so, Ernie would let Marty sleep by him, but it still wasn’t what you could call friendly. Erica continued her unabashed hatred of every cat that was not her until the day she died.
Ernie left us 3 years later. Then came a 3-4 year period in which first Dino (another orange boy, like Ernie), then Ratso (ditto) came and left us too quickly. Dino was the only other cat since Ernie that Marty liked. They were actually friends. It tore him up visibly when Dino died of kidney problems at 3. Ratso was 7 months old when one day he became lethargic. A day or 2 of poking and prodding, and barium x-rays revealed a blockage in his intestine, that when Dr. Warren opened him up appeared to be a small rubber circle from the base of furniture. By the time we got in, his insides were a mass of infection, and we put him to sleep on the table.
Erica hated both of those boys, although in a mellow mood, would tolerate Dino. I believe to this day she convinced Ratso that little rubber piece was good eatin’.
Bitch.
A couple months after Ratso died, I rescued Scarlett from the shelter. This now makes the gang: Marty, a 7 year old cat confused by all his friends disppearing on him, Erica, who hates everyone and everything, and playful Scarlett. She likes to play rough, Marty likes to sleep, and Erica is hunting around for another rubber piece to show Scarlett. Scarlett, meanwhile quickly ascertains that Erica is spoiled and wants that Diva treatment for herself. She decides to hate Erica in return.
No one likes anyone in this mix.
This past August, Erica died, finally at 20 years old. There’s a thread here about it, but I can’t read it to link to it because it still makes me sad.
Scarlett must have figured that she was now entitled to the Spoiled Queen position. We moved to this house only a couple weeks after Erica died, so this was a whole new start for her in her mission to Rule The World!!
Enter Cuervo. If you read cat threads here, you know who Cuervo is.
Cuervo loves all cats, and people and even some stuffed cats. He fears Scarlett though, and for good reason. Scarlett only wants for him to disappear into a deep hole. Scarlett wants Marty to escort him. Marty wants to be left alone.
At any given time, I can predict that there will not be more than one cat in any room in this house unless there is food present. Feeding time means Cuervo locked in the ground floor bathroom, Marty and Scarlett growling and hissing til I put the bowl down.
It’s like there are 3 Koreas in this house. It’s Berlin, 1961 and every door is Checkpoint Charley.
They spend days poised so that their backs are never turned to each other. Cuervo has to eat by himself because should Scarlett see him near her food, he’s toast. He sneaks to the litter box and lives under the couch when we’re not home. Marty will play with him for 3 minutes or so at a time, but then wants to go back to sleep.
And all you with your “oh my cats play and sleep together…” Phooey on you.
I tell ya’ you want excitement, try this place.
