The Balance of Power

With the addition of a nearly newborn kitten into my household, the balance of power has changed.  For the uninitiated, you may want to refer to Joyce's Jabberings, http://jnapjabbering.blogspot.com/  label cat.  I have three cats: Sake, the cat with too much fur or the "bitch kitty," Haiku a long-haired tiger-striped mellow cat, and now, Taki, the semi-Siamese markings newborn who was found half dead in my back yard.

Neither Sake nor Haiku were happy about the addition of The Little Kitty (TLK). They avoided her and me, and I kept the little kitty locked in the computer room for her safety, away from the potential wrath of the adult cats.  As time progressed, and it became apparent that TLK was not leaving, Haiku has reconciled herself to the fact. She will sit with me in the computer room, not as much as before, but eventually returning to her regular roost to sleep.  Sake, on the other hand, still hisses vehemently at Taki, and leaves the room if Taki is present.

Interestingly, Haiku has become more confident. Except to ask to go out to the garage, she seldom vocally asked for anything.  She just sat and waited, until I noticed her: that included requesting food, or requesting permission to join me on the sofa.  Now, she still waits for an invitation on the sofa, especially if Taki is there, but she tells me vocally when she is wanting food.  

Additionally, she does not back down to Sake. Yesterday, Haiku was sleeping on a chair at the dining table. Sake came onto the table checking out my meal. I told her to get down, and she tried to intimidate Haiku, but Haiku continued to lay on the chair. Sake decided to get off the table.

Amazingly, though, we have had a breakthrough regarding britches mats.  Sake gets some horrific mats in her britches, and just before Taki came to stay, I was slowly working at two large mats, one on each of her rear haunches.  Well, Sake was so put out by the inclusion of Taki in our lives that I just ignored her britches. Until a few days ago.  I made a major inroad into a mat, but when she balked (hissed and scratched) I just abandoned the project, so the mat just hung there. A few days later, I captured her, and finished cutting out the now hanging, swinging mat. Finally, I was able to cut off the mat.   A couple of days later, when I pat her on the britches, she did not object as usual.  A couple of days later, she tolerated, uncomfortably I could tell, my cutting off the rest of the mat. Today, I discovered another mat, and although she was unhappy, she let me cut it off. 

So, the inclusion of a third cat in this household has upset the balance of power. I was not prepared for a third cat. And, I am not sure I will keep a third cat, although I am thinking I will.  But entropy has been effected. And life goes one.