Cat relations

2003-01-24 - 6:09 a.m.

One of the hardest things, I think, about having houseguest(s) is in how they deal with your pets.

You see, I think that I have a perfect attitude towards the anti-lit demon cat. I'm not to harsh, I'm not too soft. I feed him when he needs it, not necessarily when he wants it, I let him claw my hands to shreds while pretending that he's "playing," I put up with his brain damage, and when he's doing something bad and I shout at him he often stops what he's doing (so that he can look at me with contempt).

Pookie feels that he treats the cat perfectly: he lets the cat practically sit on his face when he's trying to watch television, he feeds the cat every morning even when he doesn't want to get up, he hasn't put the cat in the oven at 400 degrees like we both have been tempted to do on occassion.

Now, obviously, we aren't -perfect- cat owners, 'cause that cat is dealing with some serious issues. He snores, he licks himself about 80% of the time, if you scratch his rump really fast his eyes go wide, he bites the air frantically and he loses all motor control. Oh, and he bears a gigantic grudge against literacy of all sorts, which he acts upon by tearing paper and books and magazines and newspapers to shreds every chance he gets. He especially likes to do this at about 5am (when Pookie is sleeping) and at 5pm (when I am sleeping).

Pookie and I are used to the respective ways that we handle the anti-lit demon cat, and I think we have come to understand them. The cat seems happy, and he hasn't tried to eat us in our sleep, so that can be considered a success.

Unfortunately, I am not use to anyone else dealing with the cat.

When the cat hops onto Eli's bed, for example, and Eli tells it to get down, I wonder if he has to use such a harsh voice. The time when the cat was digging its face into Eli's luggage, I cringed at how Eli -kicked!- (er...well, nudged with his foot) the cat away. When Eli pets the cat, I want to grab the feline and shout "You're doing it wrong!"

Every interaction between Eli and the anti-lit demon cat is frought with anxiety...I watch the pair of them, waiting for something to go wrong, horrified at what Eli is doing to that poor cat's psyche.

I think I need a hobby.

Cheers,

The Magus

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