Category Archives: L Rufus Alexander

SAST 10: Feline Edition

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It’s been a busy week in the feline world, so we’ll hit the highlights in a Very Special Edition of Short Attention Span Theater.

20-1For those among us who love toe beans, there are fewer cuter than ‘Nuki’s. They’re amazingly soft and delicate looking; quite the contrast to his thuggish personality.

20-2Kokoro and Sachiko are far from the closest of friends, but when the weather turns unexpectedly cold, they manage to share a heat vent in relative tranquility. Note that Sachiko is kind enough to place a paw on the dome to ensure it doesn’t slip out of place. Kokoro, as is her wont, returns the favor by not alerting her junior to the fact that it’s warmer in front of the dome than behind it.

20-3Rufus has been in one of his exploratory moods this week. And he’s slowly getting more comfortable being around the other cats. Except ‘Nuki, of course. The Two Roos spent an hour or so hanging out on the stairs together–a definite first.

20-4And there’s action outside as well. Only a meezer would choose to sleep on a piece of old school, hard plastic Astroturf. Maybe MM was guarding the water bowl. Maybe she just didn’t want to get dirt on her fur. Regardless, it’s more proof–not that any was needed–that meezers are weird.

Ups and Downs

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Lately we’ve been experiencing double-decker cats.
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Which is not to say Rufus and ‘Nuki are getting along. There’s still a lot of wariness and the occasional verbal disagreement. Not much in the way of actual combat, however, much to our relief.

My apologies for the lousy picture. Let me move in closer and see if I can get a better–
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Thanks a lot, Buddy.

Anyway, we tend to think of cats as being creatures of habit. We expect them to stake out some turf, and return to it over and over again.

Oddly, that’s not the case with these sleeping tubes. Twenty-four hours later, I got this shot.
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Rufus upstairs, Watanuki down below. Not that you can see much more of the latter than those glowing, yellow eyes. Let me–
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Oh, come on, Rufus!

You know what? Screw it.

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Sachiko’s quite the cutey, isn’t she?

Feline Fragments

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It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our little fetishes. That’s just part of being human. Not just sexually, either.

“Such beautiful eyes.”

“I could watch the waves forever.”

“Give me chocolate, and I’ll follow you anywhere.”

And, of course, we all have our own reasons for appreciating our furry fellow-beings.

I’ve imposed on our crew to bring you a selection of feline fragments suitable for seven different fetishes. Regrettably, Kaja declined to participate, but ‘Nuki was kind enough to cover for her. Camera shy isn’t in his vocabulary.

Let’s begin with Rhubarb’s eye, exquisite in gold and black.
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Wild and untamed, Watanuki’s whiskers mirror his soul.
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Yuki’s ear, black and floofy as befits the handsome soot sprite.
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We’re fairly sure Sachiko is an invading alien. Her antennae are a dead giveaway, after all.
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The most elegantly curled tail of Her Majesty, Kokoro.
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Watanuki’s toe beans are the only flaw in his dapper exterior.
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And, finally, Rufus’s startlingly brick-pink nose.
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Now!

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Baseball is upon us and everyone around here is getting in the mood.

They’re coming out of hiding.
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Checking to be sure they’ve got all their gear.
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Come to think of it, this may explain a lot about the relationship between ‘Nuki and Rufus. NL vs. AL. Both teams with storied pasts–though, granted, the Giants is a heck of a lot longer and holds more stories–trying to return to the glory. And yet, at the end of the playoffs, there can be only one. Very Highlander.

But I digress.

They’re making sure everything still fits.
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Even if they’re a little unclear on some of the concepts.
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Never mind. Play ball!
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New Hangout

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Rufus has a new cave.
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Well, okay, new to him, anyway.

He’s been hanging out in Maggie’s office lately. He likes it in there. It’s usually warmer than the rest of the house. His chief antagonist, Watanuki, isn’t allowed in there. And it’s got the cave.

Mind you, the room does have its downside from his perspective.
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Kaja lives in Maggie’s office, thanks to irreconcilable personality differences.

And, by and large, Kaja doesn’t much care for intruders on her turf. She tolerates Maggie, thanks to frequent pettings. She’ll put up with Kokoro in recognition of her status as eldest female and queen of the crew.

But boys?
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There are many wary looks. Peeking, peerings, and porings over. Glares, glowers, and gawkings.

Occasionally relations break down into hissing.

But for the most part, Kaja seems to recognize that Rufus is an amiable fellow.

And so the room remains largely at peace, and Rufus can enjoy his new cave. At least until Kokoro comes in and wants it back.

Polite Cohabitation

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By and large, we’ve given up on promoting feline friendships. If we can manage peaceful coexistence, we figure that’s good enough.

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Although, to be honest, “peaceful” is a word capable of displaying endless gradations. Rufus is much more relaxed around Kokoro than she is around him. But they usually average out to “wary acceptance”. That’s close enough.

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Sachiko alternates between “I finks I opposta hiss nao” and “Oh, it you again. Okays.” Either way, Rufus usually lands on “cautious ignoring.” But then, that’s pretty good, considering he’s used to black and white cats–Tuxie and Watanuki–who are in his weight class and far more aggressive than he is.

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When Yuki and Rhubarb aren’t feuding, they’re the best of buddies. And they’ve both developed a policy of mutual neutrality toward Rufus. “You don’t hit me, I won’t hit you.” And Rufus is fine with that.

Christmas Gift

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A couple of weeks ago we got home late after a games night.

Rufus had gotten tired of waiting for his dinner, and came down to the kitchen to see what the delay was. In our absence, he investigated the empty cans from the previous couple of nights’ feedings.
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That wasn’t the first time he’s spent time in the kitchen and dining room, but it was almost certainly the longest sojourn, and the first in which he didn’t slink around under the furniture trying to avoid notice.

Once he saw us start preparing his food, he returned to his usual haunts upstairs. But apparently he’s reached a new plateau in his general comfort level.

He visited the kitchen and dining room a couple of times over the following week, and then while Maggie and I were exchanging gifts Christmas morning, he strolled downstairs again and took possession of the catnip rug.
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That’s the designated stoner zone: there are catnip toys all over the house, but the bare herb gets distributed on that rug.

Anyway, Rufus hung out on the rug for the better part of an hour before an opportunity arose. Or rather, before I arose.
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A well-cushioned chair, nicely warmed by a biped’s rear end: what’s not to like?

I’m not sure how long he stayed in my chair, because I left the room first, but it was a significant length of time.

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Upstairs is still Rufus’ home turf, but the staircase doesn’t seem quite so long and forbidding as it once did. I forsee a new era of exploration, colonization, and diplomacy of the “swift paw to the top of the head” variety.

One Step…

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We had an unprecedented event last weekend.
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Rufus jumped up onto the bed without encouragement, and while it was already occupied by cats and humans. He’s been on the bed before, but only when it was empty or when one of us put him there for easier pettings.

So this was a big step forward.

He stayed there for several hours, using my leg as a pillow while he slept.

Even more impressively, he hung around after I got up.
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And went back to sleep, despite Mr. Thugbutt’s presence.
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Of course, he hasn’t returned since, preferring to return to his usual haunt:
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That’s the back of the futon in his room (formerly known as the library).

But overall, we’re pleased. It’s nice to see him try something new from time to time.

House Work

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We’re having a little pre-Winter work done on the house. It involves the usual construction noises: hammering, sawing, and the occasional random crash/thud.
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Most of the cats have been conspicuous by their absence.

Watanuki takes his position as Head of Security seriously. He may look a little crazed, but by Bast, he’s on the job.
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A little more crazed than usual, that is.

There’s always one weirdo in the bunch, though.
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Somebody who shrugs and says, “Wake me up when it’s dinner time.”

Expressions

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Rhubarb may be the house champion at loxing out, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. But Yuki’s no novice at relaxation either.

Ever see a puddle of floof?
03-1If he was any more relaxed, we’d need to squeegee him out of the carpet.

That wasn’t an easy picture to take, by the way. Somebody has decided that if pictures are going to be taken, there’s only one possible subject.

So I got a lot of shots like this:
03-2And that’s actually one of the best shots of Yuki.  Most of them have a substantial portion of his body hidden by Rufus’ butt.

Don’t believe me when I say he’s doing it on purpose?

Is there any other interpretation of this expression than “how can you cheat on me with another cat?”
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