Sailor here.
Mom decided to have something called an Omelet for lunch today and I got to watch. My friend, the cold meaty bone box threw out many things, munchrooms, eggs, cheese, and butter, and I got to watch. Mom waved a bowl and her frying pan around gracefuly, so gracefully, in fact, that she dropped an egg onto the floor and I got to have lunch! That was much better than watching.
Josie the FatCat is staying with Mom and me this week, and I must say, ever since I gave her a smooch in the middle of the night and she accused me of tasting her, our relationship has been a bit strained. She gives me a wide berth made even wider by the amount of girth stuck to her ribs. I politely sidestep to allow her by, too, every chance I get.
This morning, Josie jumped down from the chair in the pouting room and started across the newly polished floors just as I rounded the corner. She caught sight of me in the mirror and up went her back, her fur bristled, and her tail puffed up and she began to lash it back and forth. Now many months ago, even years ago maybe, Hiss-Spit (may she chase mice with glee) taught me that this behavior is NOT an invitation to play no matter what Dog Language says. This is a threat gesture caused by great fright or danger. I could tell that Josie was indeed threatening the mirror. I was at first faintly puzzled at what she was doing.
She whipped her body sideways with back arched and claws extended. Then, crab-like, Josie began to tango. She took five small leaps to the right, followed by a hiss, then five small leaps to the left and another hiss. During this, she kept her body parallel to the mirror. Right she crabbed – hiss – left she crabbed – hiss - back and forth she went. It was all I could do not to bark out loud.
The game ended, though, when Josie, for reasons known only to herself, did a lovely pirouette, saw me laughing on her, and with a screech and a hiss, she scampered up the stairs to the safety of her room.
Now what was all that about?
This morning, Josie jumped down from the chair in the pouting room and started across the newly polished floors just as I rounded the corner. She caught sight of me in the mirror and up went her back, her fur bristled, and her tail puffed up and she began to lash it back and forth. Now many months ago, even years ago maybe, Hiss-Spit (may she chase mice with glee) taught me that this behavior is NOT an invitation to play no matter what Dog Language says. This is a threat gesture caused by great fright or danger. I could tell that Josie was indeed threatening the mirror. I was at first faintly puzzled at what she was doing.
She whipped her body sideways with back arched and claws extended. Then, crab-like, Josie began to tango. She took five small leaps to the right, followed by a hiss, then five small leaps to the left and another hiss. During this, she kept her body parallel to the mirror. Right she crabbed – hiss – left she crabbed – hiss - back and forth she went. It was all I could do not to bark out loud.
The game ended, though, when Josie, for reasons known only to herself, did a lovely pirouette, saw me laughing on her, and with a screech and a hiss, she scampered up the stairs to the safety of her room.
Now what was all that about?
This Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons image is from the user Lmbuga and is freely available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Gato.jpg under the creative commons cc-by-sa 2.5 license
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