If you were to look into the dictionary to find the word skittish, you would find a picture of one of my cats: Penelope. Penelope (aka Penny) is spooked so easily that if I accidentally rustle my newspaper while turning the page she will run from the room in full panic mode.

This morning as I was shaving, I looked at a motion that I saw in the mirror. I was astounded to see Penny in the act of driving our dog Rosie from the bedroom by swatting at Rosie with one of her front paws. I don't think that the word thunderstruck would quite cover how astonished that I was. Rosie (a Brittany Spaniel) is at least four times the weight of Penny.

Gentle and mild are the words that describe Rosie, but I could not imagine that Penny would ever summon enough courage to actually try to push Rosie around. All of the cats think that Rosie must be brain dead, but all of them also know that they cannot normally bug her with impunity. Rosie has snapped at all of them at one time or another whenever her patience has run out. She has never chased any of the cats.

Anyhow, I thought that I knew Penny, but I guess that I was wrong.

Copyright © Fletcher Glenn
September 30, 2000