Sweet or Sour?

  Cats can be the most aggravating or the most lovable animals in the universe.  They ignore you or they adore you.  They love to be petted or will scratch the tar out of you.  They can almost communicate with you with their meows or will sit and glare at you for hours.  Cats are fickle...definitely fickle.  Let it be known that I have (or rather they have me) two of positively the most aggravating yet adoringly lovable cats to ever exist.  They do, indeed, bite, scratch, hiss and howl but they also love being petted and cuddled...when they desire.

   Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, has changed her habits this month.  She knows that winter is on its way so she has taken to sleeping indoors at night.  This might also have something to do with the fact that yet another stray cat has wandered into the area.  The newcomer is not welcome by the other two and, since she is the older, she lets Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, handle the dirty work of the nightly squabbles. Come morning, Ms. Put wishes to bask in the sunshine so she patiently waits at the door until I grant her wishes.  Out she goes for the day.  This morning, I was certain that the spat would be between the two resident cats as Nycto was lounging not far from the door.  To assure that the old cat would not have to contend with the young whippersnapper, I quietly watched from the window.  Ms. Nycto eyed the wanderings of Ms. Put but never moved an inch.  All was well.

  I had to smile when I spied Nycto and her choice of snoozing spots.  She had claimed the outdoor wicker coffee-table as her own.  The lower shelf fit the bill perfectly as her new bed.  She filled the entire shelf with her massive body and copious amounts of fluff.  While she napped, her tail bobbed over the edge of the table and flicked grass blades into a frenzy.  What a pretty sight she was!  The inky blackness was in stark contrast to the bright red of the wicker and showy greenery around her. My sweet kitty appeared to be in a perfect state of bliss.  I eased over to her side and she stared at me with her large, green eyes.  She blinked but never moved.  Thinking this was an invitation for a petting session, I reached down to stroke her head!  The cat shot out of the other side of the table like I had doused her with ice water!  So much for lovable, sweet cats!  Oh, well...they are both well-loved regardless of the fact that they are fickle!