Things That Bang

We have two cats - Zoey and Kensei. Zoey is a Turkish Angora and Kensie - well, he is prettier than Zoey but we love them equally. Kitty politics always simmer within our four walls. Since we got Zoey when she was barely a month a old she naturally assumed me to be her surrogate mother. We adopted Kensei when he was four months old and five months after Zoey's arrival at the Lamba residence.

Zoey is very possessive about me. She hates it when Kensei demands my attention. They had a nasty fight on my lap recently for a few seconds that seemed to last a life time. I went loco thinking of ripped bloody thighs and tetanus shot at the Emergency Ward.

But being good natured they broke up, gave each other the standoff look and ran after each other around the house. Kensei like Zoey had been sick when we got him from the pet shop. Initially Zoey hated him, she'd hiss and snarl when he made overtures towards her but as his condition deteriorated Zoey began to follow Kensei around.

I realized her concern when I gave Kensei a bath after he had soiled himself badly. He squirmed and wriggled but I was ruthless and quick; cleaning kitty bums has to be a super fast affair.

He made all kinds of nasty sounds. I grabbed a towel and wrapped him, turned and nearly fell over Zoey who had been silenlty sitting behind me all the while.

She worried over Kensie, bumped his nose and sat by his side while he recuperated. It took Kensei a week to get well but once he regained his appetite, put some weight back on the wars began again but this time the fights had a mock characteristic.

They tussled over each other, grabbed each other by the neck but nary a snarl or hiss.

Zoey continues to be the alpha female even though Kensei in a matter of month has become twice her size. Kensei tries to get my attention when Zoey is asleep or else there is hell to pay. Initaially we both are give the cold treatment for being 'unfaithful' and then Kensei get beaten up.

Cats in many ways are like dogs. They both wait by the door when Aaman's car pulls into the driveway. If a family member falls sick the cats offer comfort and like dogs they are always hungry.

What makes them different from dogs? They love to watch television, sit on my laptop keys, they love to climb into all kinds of places I have a tough time getting them down from and their nocturnal habits cause a lot of crashes around the house which used to make us jump in our beds but not any more and best of all they don't slobber.