Polyamory

We've managed to take on the care of two sets of cats (two cats per set) and one set of plants. One set of cats for four days, one for two weeks, and the plants for a month. But the plants only need watering twice, so I'm more concerned about forgetting them than working the watering into my schedule. I may make a cron job to remind me about the plants.

Two of the cats we've watched several times before. Our friends are often in Germany or some other degenerate country outside the US border, usually it seems for about two weeks at a time. Their cats (Ming and Thing) no longer seem too bummed when they are gone. And they've got a great back yard to hang out and drink beer in on a sunny day. Lots of shade, and the cats love getting out. Both of them are about five pounds heavier than our cats, so they are giants to us. Not that they are particularly fat. They're just big. For one thing, they're male and our cats are female. For another, Jen picked out our cats, and she has a thing for runts (whatever you're thinking, it's not funny, buddy).

Thing is almost doglike in his loviness. Except for the occasional excited love bite. He's an orange tabby. Ming is aloof. He's jet black. He often sits under the dining room table, under a particular chair. Sometimes he runs out of the room when I try to pet him. Sometimes he allows it, happily. Sometimes he allows it, but only for my sake, and will start biting if I don't lay off soon. He doesn't hold back a whole lot in that case. I've learned to judge his moods over the years.

Yesterday afternoon, jenscrowl and I went over to Ming and Thing's place to drink (coffee for Jen, beer for me) in the back yard. After about 10 minutes of good catedness, Ming climbed the fence and jumped into the neighboring haunted house's yard, disappearing amongst the two foot tall blades of grass. He didn't come back. Eventually, Jen went from worry to near-panic. We decided to leave and come back later. Twenty minutes later, Ming was sitting next to the garden, looking smug. Nothing worked to lure him in, not even the mysterious wet food that we don't think we are supposed to feed them. I carried his enormous catty self into the house, improperly (I hold him under the forelegs, away from my body, like something toxic, gross, or liable to turn around and scratch half your face off in a fit of pique). Usually he hisses violently without moving his body. When I set him down, he stands in front of me for the make-up petting. Yesterday, maybe to disappoint Jen's morbid curiousity, he complacently (smugly?) let me carry him in. Still got the make-up petting, though.

The other cats in our care are newer to us. They were rescued as kittens by our friends. Our cats (Hopey and Chi) were rescued, as well, but I think Jack and Possum had it worse. Jack's only got one eye, and Possum is pretty much scared of everyone. We've become better friends slowly, but all that means is Jack will flop around just out of reach, occasionally allowing a quick pet or two, but no head skritching, and Possum will stand firmly in front of an escape route, watching us intently. They are not used to their buds being gone, and I get the feeling they'd be harrassing 911 with missing person reports if they could figure out the phones.

We've been watching "Strangers with Candy" episodes while hanging out with Jack and Possum. Jack flops around on the floor, eating the treats we give him but refusing to sit between us on the couch, despite repeated invitations. He is strangely reckless for having one eye. He likes to flop next to the coffee table, then jump up. Often, he hits his head, hard, against a leg of the coffee table when he jumps up. You'd think he'd have the whole area mapped out in his head, and maybe remember that he doesn't see so well from the left side of his head, but nope. Bam! He doesn't seem to notice too much. Cats have tiny heads, but they are very hard.

After an hour or so (three episodes), Jack leaves the room, Possum is nowhere to be seen, and we start to feel we've overstayed our welcome, so we pack up and go home.

One of these days, Possum's going to sit on my lap.