Sachiko has a new favorite place to hang out.
It’s been cooling off for the past couple of weeks. It’s not really cold, certainly not by the standards of most of the world. By the standards of a certain catten who’s more used to the air conditioner running than the heater, it’s downright frigid.
Which makes my chair in the dining room the perfect spot for her to curl up. Not only is there a nice, comfy cushion to insulate her from the wood, but it’s directly in the path of a heating vent. Whenever the furnace comes on, the chair is warmed by a summer-like breeze.
Dinnertime has been delayed a couple of times recently while I’ve negotiated with Ms. Sachikritter for seating rights. So far, I’ve won all the arguments, but she’s been taking lessons in negotiation from Big Brudder Nookles–and her claws are even sharper than his. I may yet need to set up another chair at the table for myself…
Koi Scribblings 
Ah, yes. Territorial rights, and the negotiation thereof. Our somewhat elderly, and frequently cranky, cat has recently taken over (or so she thinks) MY spot on the couch, ignoring years of precedent and the fact of my opposing thumbs which open cans of cat food, and can also pick her up and move her at will, when she will allow it- and thereby lies the little, tiny problem. Like most cats, she is (as the saying goes) “pointy at five ends”, and she is perfectly willing to express her displeasure when I try to move her (after attempting to reason with her; why I would bother to do that is a whole other subject). However, Evolution, while failing to arm me with superior teeth and claws, has given me a clever forebrain, and I came up with a solution that works- when I remember to do it: I simply place a large pillow on my spot, on those rare occasions when I get up from the couch. Coming back, I find that Cat has settled in, on the pillow. Murmuring entirely insincere words of endearment, I pick up cat and pillow, and move them three feet to the right. She is a little bit annoyed, and seemingly baffled, but can’t seem to find anything, really, to complain about, so she settles in, and the Peaceful Kingdom is restored. I recommend this technique, if you happen to have an appropriate pillow about the house, as I suspect you do. Perhaps you can move the creature to a nearby chair that has equal proximity to the heat source. You are, actually, coddling the cat, while avoiding violence. I call that a win-win,and you have the secret satisfaction of having, for once, outsmarted our Masters.
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Unfortunately, Sachiko is not the only one who’s taken a liking to that chair. Rhubarb and ‘Nuki also grab it when it becomes available. I can easily see a situation developing where I move the pillowed Sachiko to another chair only to have Rhubarb hop onto mine while she’s still in transit.
Stacking multiple pillows to accommodate moving two or three cats seems excessive. If I start losing the arguments, I’ll invest in a pair of leather work gloves.
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