When Scruff was still in the streets, he was beginning to act as a sort of "little prince of the piazzetta." He was the one who came to me when I called and all the others followed. He was the one who ventured into the courtyard and started to play and just hang out because he was comfortable and felt safe. Several of the other kittens clearly idolized him and I often noticed Calzini mimicking him.
Then Tee appeared and she, too, was drawn to Scruff. She kept trying to get his attention. If there was a ball to play with in the courtyard and she got control of it (kitty soccer!) she would attempt to aim it back towards Scruff. In between "games" she schmoozed him every chance she had.
Tee was getting close to going into heat. We had to bring her in and get her spayed as quickly as possible. It wasn't difficult, she was begging to become a house cat, following us on our walks with our dog and trying to follow him into the house! Her "domestication" and her health issues are described in an earlier post.
Scruff was the second one inside because there is a large, mean predatory male cat that comes around and terrorizes everyone. He was out there one night and so was Scruffy and I panicked, fearing that miserable cat would injure, maim, possibly kill Scruff. My husband walked out the door and returned quickly with Scruff in his arms.
These two went through their adjustment to home life together. They went through recuperation from surgery together. They went through treatments for worms and fleas and gastric disturbances together.
Whatever attraction Missy Tee felt for Scruff not only endured but strengthened.
After things got more crowded (!!!) Tee and Scruff became roommates, sharing the cage where they eat and poop and where they slept.
With the passage of time it became apparent that these two had matured and settled down a bit more than the younger ones. We began to allow them to stay out the entire night and...lo and behold!...all they did was snuggle together.
That is not to say that they don't act like the kittens they still are. In the mornings, generally, the clowns have a long play period. Missy Tee is an excellent Ninja girl, and defies gravity with her amazing leaps, especially if there is a fuzzy mouse or ball to catch.
Scuffy loves his "mice" and always manages to hide them in his special spot. He becomes quite agitated when we find them again and take them out. One by one, he puts them back away. They are "his" toys and no one else can play with them!
Then, after play time it is breakfast time and the gang gathers around me in the kitchen as I get 7 bowls ready (some with medication in them). This is when Tee gets rather testy and starts smacking everyone. Imp tends to try to stay under or between my feet. It's a bit awkward, but he's trying to keep away from Tee's wrath. Percy has found that sitting on my chair keeps him relatively safe. Tee and Zini seem to always wind up hissing and hitting each other. Lupo and Notte get regularly bopped on the head.
Scruff, however, has no worries. Tee never, ever smacks him. He's her special guy and she never gets mad at him. On really good days, they stroll into the back room, heading for the food bowls, side by side, swaying in unison, giving each other little love bumps along the way. It's love, and that's all there is to that.
No comments:
Post a Comment