As anyone who carefully read this blog (and viewed my pictures), they would know that I have two cats, Cash (~1.5 years old male) and Mitten (~3.5 years old female). They are not exactly the best of friends, but they are partners — comrades in arms when there is an external threat. However, they bickers like a a pair Palestine residents when nothing else is going on.
For those of you who think that cats are incapable of emotions, you are wrong. In fact, they are very much capable of jealousy. Over the past few months, Cash have taken liberty with using my lap for his naptime in the evenings, especially since I switched to jeans for the winter months (never mind you, 72 degree is cold!)
However, ever since I came home from visiting my family for Christmas, Mitten behaved quite a bit differently. Instead of preferring to keep her distance from me, she suddenly have a much better interest in being close by with me, much to my chagrin trying to do some work from home. She is much more assertive with being around myself, despite Cash’s constant fawning over me, especially when I am carrying around food for myself, or is hovering near any external doors (they love to go outside, despite my preference that they don’t.)
Mitten is the kind of cat that loves to play, but would rather not play WITH Cash except on rare occasions. So if I would be flinging a stick with her, she will boldly play, but come to a screeching halt if Cash shows any interest, or is in any immediate proximacy toward where she is heading. She also prefers not to be touched, having much lower tolerance especially for petting all over her back — if you stick with her head and neck, she would enjoy it to a greater degree, but still at a much more limited amount. Cash would go bonkers with delight if you pull out any grooming tools and start manipulating them all over him.
But this past week, Mitten is much more tolerant of my petting, and with her meowing at me while I’m working, I kept puzzling at what she wanted. Suddenly, two days, she jumped on my lap, and while I would hug her, she actually sat down, and eventually curled up and slept. She slept on my lap for a while.
When Cash came in, boy was he jealous. His tail flicking, he watched her sleeping on HIS lap. Overjoyed at a huge barrier between myself and Mitten being overcome, I was guarded against what Cash would do. He climbed on the couch next to us, and started batting his hand on Mitten. I pushed him away, and he sauntered away to my bedroom to use HIS bed instead.
Yesterday, while working on the computer in the kitchen, Mitten jumped up on my lap, and curled up to sleep. Cash saw us, and never approached us. That night, Mitten actually came up to my bed (HIS Bed!), and climbed on my chest, and started purring like a Ferrari, rubbing her face all over the chest. She rubbed it a bit too far, that she limped to one side, and promptly rolled off my chest, and almost off my bed if it wasn’t for my arm stopping her. Eventually, Cash and Mitten came to an agreement and squeezed their body to both side of my body, making for a difficult night sleep as I like to flip-flop like Kerry on his good day.
Tonight was the penultimate in this jealousy bout by Cash. You see, he was very intent on being with me, while Mitten was off somewhere (probably pooping while reading the Economist). Finally, I got the hint, and called it a day at the kitchen table, and sat on the couch. Immediately, Cash was on HIS lap making himself comfortable.
Eventually, along come Mitten, sniffing around. Aha, there’s Cash on one of my leg and the side of the couch, leaving another leg free! Maybe she could get on the other leg, and make herself comfortable. Immediately, Cash’s tail started to swish slightly — indicating an annoyance, and signs of jealousy. He thought long, and he thought hard. He’s a male cat, after all — needing more time to process devious plan without pissing me off.
The plan was brought up — let’s curl up in a ball, and pretend to go to sleep! Yeah, that’s the trick!
He curled up, and bump off goes Mitten due to his large back, and he guiltily looked up toward me, but not with much intent — a subtle look to see if I would do anything about it. I could only giggle with great humor at his antics. He continue to pretend to sleep — closing his eyes immediately if I would look down at him, making me giggle even more.
You see, Cash rarely sleep curled up like a little ball, as he’s attempting to do right now. He vastly prefers to sleep straight or whatever the structure is like (a little bowl, he’ll curve around. But my legs? Definitely not a ball-place that he’ll be comfortable with, considering his large size.)
Cats do get jealous, and it’s a joy watching them acting like a little kid.
