Mr. Meow in his blue and yellow hut
Not much phases Mr. Meow. Thunder and sudden, loud noises might send him scampering for cover. The key word being “might.”
He’s really a pretty sturdy cat. After all, he survived being abandoned, being found by me and Budly, saying goodbye to Budly, the Murphy adoption, Hurricane Frances, the 600 mile move from Jacksonville to Nashville, and a 2,300 mile round trip family Christmas road trip in a rented minivan.
I call him the Antagonizer and the Instigator, because I’ve seen him purposely provoke Murphy’s best friend Tucker, the 80 pound wonder dog, to chase him. Whereupon he’ll stop suddenly and turn around and bat Tucker’s nose. (Mr. Meow’s front claws were removed, so no worries of him hurting Tuck. And luckily Tucker is a gentle, respectful giant, who immediately gives up the chase and lets Mr. Meow win.)
I’ve also seen him hide in wait in one of his “huts” for poor unsuspecting Murphy to wander by. Then he springs out and attacks Murph’s rear. (Again, lucky for him Murph is so mild-mannered and simply gives him an exasperated look before continuing on his way.)
Then there’s Murphy’s girlfriend, Sophie. She gives Murphy the what for, but one look from Kitty’s crazy eyes sends her running for fear of her life in the other direction. And what does Mr. Meow do? Chase after her, of course! (I’ve seen him do this with other dogs as well, and it never fails to amaze me how potent that look of his can be!)
So, nope, not much phases my little fifteen pound cat.
Except lately one thing…
In the eight years I’ve had Mr. Meow, I’ve found and harbored countless stray dogs until their owners could be located. Mr. Meow has always been curious about them, checks them out, sometimes tries to get them to play. A few of them have proved a little too wild for him and he’s opted for higher ground (but still in the same room where he can watch them). I’d never had to help a stray cat since I found him, though –until three weeks ago when Tabby tumbled into our lives.
Tabby on what used to be Mr. Meow’s play mat, but which, like his other toys, she’s now claimed.
Now I’ve seen a whole new side of Mr. Meow. This little seven and a half pound stray chases him, steals his food, stakes her claim in his favorite red hut — and he lets her!
He gives her the right of way on the bed, the couch, passing in the kitchen, and runs for the hills when he hears her charging after him.
I never thought I’d see the day when anyone could put him in his place. And a girl to boot!
But maybe it’s something in his name. Maybe he’s being a gentleman as the “Mr.” implies and is simply letting ladies go first. Whatever it is, it’s nice to know he has an Achilles Heel after all. Now I’ve got the threat of “Don’t make me get Tabby” to keep him in line with!
Related Articles
Adopting a Second Cat: Are You Prepared?