First there was one,
now there are two
Jacquie Brasher
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| Jacquie
Brasher | |
Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.--Mark Twain.
After 11 years of living with just one cat, Viking showed up on our deck, meowed softly, completely won us over, and proceeded to adopt us. Dharma wasn't thrilled, but at least he let Viking live. I named him Viking because he reminded me of a Viking's beard--orange. He's about a year old.
Dharma has never been a social cat. He hates other cats. So it was confounding to see him tolerate Viking, who is younger and more immature. It was almost as if Dharma was just as fascinated by this new creature as we were. Well, almost. There were times in the very beginning when I honestly believe that Dharma went into some sort of depression from having this new cat around. He would go into a corner by himself and stay there for a few hours.
likened his emotional roller coaster to that of Kubler- Ross's five stages of grief- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, Dharma seemed to skip a few steps and went from anger to depression and then back to anger again. He hasn't fully accepted Viking, but he's not in denial that Viking is actually here. And when have you ever known a cat to bargain?
Oh, but they can play rough! It's hard for me to watch them without refereeing. Break it up, time out, stop that. It's exhausting. Both cats now sport scratches on their noses, and around their eyes. Viking has a small, mysterious, almost-bald patch on his hip. We find tufts of fur everywhere. I have no idea what they do to each other, and it's very rarely audible. The Silent Felines. The only time I know something is wrong is when Viking yelps like a wounded seal pup. And Dharma is the Stealth Bomber, striking when Viking least expects it. One of their favorite places to play is in our bedroom; Dharma gets under our bed and is hidden by our overhanging bedspread. Viking then gets freaked out trying to figure out from which spot Dharma will burst and charge. Viking is way too young and inexperienced, but hopefully he will learn one day. Viking is, however, fast and flexible. He can always get away from Dharma, who at 15 is slowing down. Can't tell him that, though. Dharma has no idea he's old and, I suspect, would be incredibly indignant if told so.
I could watch them for hours. They're more entertaining than TV. They run, leap, roll, somersault, and flip. They are first class acrobats and dancers. I am totally envious of their dexterity and grace, and even more so of their disregard for gravity and age. Wouldn't it be fun to live that way?- Jacquie Brasher is senior staff writer for The Forest Blade and can be reached at jacquie@forest-blade.com
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