This is Miss Scarlett, sister to Mr. Rhett. They are my yard sale kitties. Scarlett "mothered" Rhett for one year. He would lay next to her and knead with his front paws while he licked her belly. She washed his head and ears. It didn't matter how many times you separated them, he would come right back. Then, it stopped. I don't know if she just got tired of having a wet stomach or if Rhett outgrew his need, but it was done, finito. Now they only rarely sleep together or clean each other; they have an "I'll tolerate you most of the time but stay out of my face" relationship.
Miss Scarlett has many of the characteristics of her namesake in Gone With The Wind. She loves to be the center of attention, circling around and around your hand to be petted, purring so loud you can hear it across the room, nudging with her head, and meowing with her squeaky voice. She makes visitors think she is woefully neglected, that no one ever pays her any mind and that she may faint or fade away if they don't respond to her advances. Unfortunately for her, just one look at her rounded, rotund, bowling ball figure tells her true story.
Yes, she is a bowling ball, once evidenced in Mississippi where she was coming down the stairs a bit too fast and her backend got up over her front end and she actually rolls like a bowling ball. She is a cat who will not be able to turn right side up if dropped on her back. She is obviously not neglected nor hungry.
She is however, the ultimate actress. She has many perceived fears. These have been obvious to all, including the other cats. She is afraid of the other cats because they pick on her. They pick on her because they have learned they can. In response to this, Scarlett has developed an elaborate drama queen routine. Should she be chased, swatted at or simply cornered by any cat, she performs her routine. The other cats often get bored, so for a good show, they irritate Scarlett.
Sitting in another room, I will suddenly hear the most horrible racket with hissing, screeching, howling, spitting, and yowling. Imagine the sounds of a cat fight at night with three or four cats involved. I jump up, run to the other room and there is Scarlett in one corner of the room. In the opposite corner or corners, generally ten or twelve feet away from her will be her brother Rhett, or Willow......doing absolutely NOTHING, just looking at her. All the hissing, spitting, screeching, howling, yowling cat fight sound effects are coming from the mouth of ONE cat. She thinks she is under attack but she's not. True, they chased her into the room, but that's all. Then they just stop, sit and watch the show from across the room. If she would just ignore them they would go away. But that wouldn't be very Vivian Leigh of her, would it?
She loves Nyssa, but since she is at college, she has taken up with her grandma. They sit together and Scarlett helps her knit, sleeps on the back of the chair in a tight ball, sits on the arm of the chair to watch TV or in the kitchen next to her chair during meals. She loves to hide on the chairs under the table and sit in the dining room window looking out at birds, snow, people, whatever.
She has started to love ice. Open the freezer door and she's there, waiting for a piece to fall on the floor. Every morning we have started giving her a little bowl filled with ice cubes. She will sit there hunched over in the corner, licking the ice until it's gone. It seems to be her treat for the day. Mom keeps saying she looks a bit thinner....but I just don't see it. I'm sorry Miss Scarlett, but all the corsets in the world will not give you an "hourglass" figure or even a Siamese one.
To see more Friday Cat Blogging go to Friday's Ark and remember to check out this weeks Carnival of the Cats, hosted by Conservative Cat.
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