cats, cats, cats

I've been neglecting the blog being too busy with cats. I'm looking after my sister's four cats. One is new to the family (a rescue of course) and his name is Ruggles (once I figure out how to get his picture up here I will post it!). Her other three cats (in order of their arrival in the house) are Chengo, Penny and Rupert. Poor Rupert is having BIG issues with Ruggles. He's trying to sort it out, but can't seem to figure out anything unless he's attacking Ruggles. Ruggles is the most passive cat I've ever met. He's a Persian so the unfortunate method of over breeding has made this cat into a display model. He lounges and doesn't really seem interested in doing much else. Enter Rupert. I now call Rupert "Mesmerino" because he can't stop staring at Ruggles and the stare alone sends Ruggles under the bed.

Perhaps this is too much detail, but I've been living cats for the last few days while my sister is rehearsing a play in Montreal.

I have my own two cats PrimaVera and Svetlana who live downstairs and can only hear the shenanigans going on up here.

Did I mention that Rupert is also obsessed with food? He waits behind each cat until they finish their bowl and then moves in for the lick. He's the lickmaster 2000. There may be nothing in the bowl, but Rupert will finish off whatever he senses might have been there. Poor Rupert with all his issues.

Up until now, Ruggles has been eating separately from the other cats in his own room with his own separate litter box and his own bed. We call it the Ruggles Reading Room because there is a massive book shelf overflowing with reading material. When Ruggles first moved in and my sister was keeping him behind a closed door from the other cats, we'd visit Ruggles to keep him company and inevitably pick up a book and start reading, thus the name. Anyway...this morning I fed Ruggles in the kitchen with the other cats because I could see him living his life separated from the rest and never really integrating. Hope sis doesn't mind. I'm sure she won't because I know she wants them all integrated as well. The feeding went okay. Penny took a swipe at Ruggles, which was unexpected, but he held his ground and his wet food. Rupert did wait a good foot behind Ruggles, looking from me to Ruggles, me to Ruggles. He knows that he's not supposed to be aggressive with Ruggles, but he just can't help himself. He's the baby after all and doesn't appreciate the new pecking order.

So my life has been nothing but cats for the last few days. Sis returns today to give me a break for a few days and then it's back to cats, cats, cats on the weekend.

You've got to love them all and be patient!