Dominance games, night and morning...
Apr. 21st, 2007 07:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
desperanceS'okay, this will (probably!) be the last post 'til this evening; I'm off in an hour, heading for romantic Darlington (I was going to put a jokey link in there, to the local authority's website, but it's jumping and flickering and going crazy in my browser, so I'll spare you that) to run a workshop.
But I was genuinely worried about m'poor Barry last night, when I figured out just why he looked so low. He's always been one of those cats who carries his tail high - "Tail high, brothers!" and yup, we're definitely channelling Kipling - and last night it was sweeping the floor.
And Mac is one of those cats who comes happily to bed with their monkey: a couple of minutes' snuggling and purring, then he settled down - more or less in the middle of the bed - and awaited developments. Barry came, circled anxiously, went away again. Several times.
I'm used to going to bed alone, but waking up with Barry. Not this morning: no sign of him, till I was in the bathroom (and Mac wasn't). Then there he was, and tail high, so long as we were alone; I guess he'll recover.
And then it was breakfast time, and y'know what? Barry can eat kibble quicker than Mac can. Moreover, kibble is just a crucial, iconic aspect of Barry's life, he found the nerve to muscle the kid out of the way and finish Mac's breakfast for him. Which is the first time I've seen him win, and that's good too. ('Course, if I let this go on, it would get easier, 'cos Barry would just get bigger and bigger; so we won't do that. But it's got to be good for his ego. Which is important. I don't want to get involved in their dominance games, I certainly don't want to interfere - but I really don't want to see Barry crushed. Ah, me...)
But I was genuinely worried about m'poor Barry last night, when I figured out just why he looked so low. He's always been one of those cats who carries his tail high - "Tail high, brothers!" and yup, we're definitely channelling Kipling - and last night it was sweeping the floor.
And Mac is one of those cats who comes happily to bed with their monkey: a couple of minutes' snuggling and purring, then he settled down - more or less in the middle of the bed - and awaited developments. Barry came, circled anxiously, went away again. Several times.
I'm used to going to bed alone, but waking up with Barry. Not this morning: no sign of him, till I was in the bathroom (and Mac wasn't). Then there he was, and tail high, so long as we were alone; I guess he'll recover.
And then it was breakfast time, and y'know what? Barry can eat kibble quicker than Mac can. Moreover, kibble is just a crucial, iconic aspect of Barry's life, he found the nerve to muscle the kid out of the way and finish Mac's breakfast for him. Which is the first time I've seen him win, and that's good too. ('Course, if I let this go on, it would get easier, 'cos Barry would just get bigger and bigger; so we won't do that. But it's got to be good for his ego. Which is important. I don't want to get involved in their dominance games, I certainly don't want to interfere - but I really don't want to see Barry crushed. Ah, me...)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-21 03:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-21 03:37 pm (UTC)Anything could still happen from here on in - so of course we want to know.
Is there any chance of you making it down to darkest Hampshire for the 9th of June? See my lj for details of up-coming party!