dinner

Dinner is served

| AnnaM

b and hank on the table

When I’m sitting at the table I often get company.  If you didn’t know better, you might think that they were on the table to be the perfect companions.  Sometimes that’s true, but that’s usually also includes sitting on my lap for warmth.  You see, when they are on the table giving me the stare, it means they want something.  When both of them are on the table, it means they are hoping to combine their powers of influence.  If you guessed it’s food they want, you are right.  Of course, after I fed them dinner the table was cleared.

Come here! I want to pet you.

| AnnaM

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When I get home from work, I’m usually greeted by both cats.  It varies which one gets to me first.  Sometimes they are both waiting at the door, wondering when I’m getting home.  Other times, it takes them a few minutes to make it out of their respective sleeping caves.  They walk out slowly with squinty eyes and stretch as they make their way over.  I try not to go straight to the food, which I’m sure is what they really want.  Instead I spend a few minutes giving them attention and pets, which can be challenging when there is two of them and one of me.  B likes to get her back scratched while hunkering down on her cardboard scratchpad.  Otherwise, she’s always moving away from you, making her just out of reach.  Hank likes to stay in one spot and get two handed full body rubs.  I always worry that I’m neglecting one of them, especially B since she’s harder to pin down.  When they are both in range it’s a mental adjustment to pet one and scratch the other, unless maybe you are a drummer.   I am usually on the floor at this point, with both arms stretched out.  It only lasts a minute or two, at which point I give up and go get their dinner.

One of the dogs

| AnnaM

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Hank’s first experience with dogs was pretty traumatic.  It wasn’t a good decision to agree to watch a friend’s dog within less than a week of adopting Hank.  I didn’t know him well enough to know that he’s a bit of a scaredy-cat in new situations.  I was especially worried since I co-parent two dogs and it is extremely important that everyone gets along.  Thankfully the next time dogs came to visit, Hank was a completely new cat.  He was in charge of his domain and didn’t concede the living room easily.  He kept pushing the boundaries, to the point where I had to push him aside at dinner time.  He would get a jump on the dogs and eat out of the bowl while it was still on the counter.  Henri would never let Hank anywhere near his food, but Hank still tries to find other ways to get the upper hand.  It’s a hilarious battle of wills, where the winner isn’t always pre-determined.