18 October, 1999

Well, the war has begun. Dave recently bought a new pillow - a lovely wool-filled one. Ted (calico beauty who rules the household) has decided that the pillow is *just fine* and has claimed it as her own. Both Dave and Ted get very offended when the other is using the pillow so a tug-o-war has ensued.

Last night Dave got to the pillow first and had just dropped off to sleep when Ted arrived to claim it. She stopped when she saw Dave using it, but after a moment's planning launched her attack. She's not so naive as to try the full-scale jump-on-head-with-claws-extended attack because she knows that those actions will get her bounced straight off the bed and locked in another room for the night. So she tried subtlety. She slowly and carefully crept up the bed, using me as a shield, until she got to the head end. She then very slowly, as if stalking, climbed over me and in between me and Dave. So far, so good.

Dave is sinking deeper into sleep and I'm keeping sum because I'm curious about how this will all turn out (not to mention insomniac!). Cat slowly makes her way to the very top of the bed where the pillow meets the bedhead and there's a narrow gap where Dave's head doesn't quite cover the pillow. She gently lets herself down so that she's curled around Dave's head like a mother cat around her kittens. Dave's still oblivious. Now comes time for Ted's crowning glory. She stretches out both front and hind legs so that her front legs are on Dave's bare left shoulder and hind legs are on Dave's bare right shoulder. She pauses. Reflects. Relishes the Moment. (I hold my breath) Then ... latches on with all four sets of claws - deep into Dave's shoulder. All hell breaks loose. Dave is no longer asleep and cat is no longer on the bed. Bedtime theatre is over for me.

Dave won last night's round, but I know that Ted won't give up. The war has only just begun.

2 November, 1999

As you all had guessed, Ted the calico beauty has won the pillow fight.

Dave, bless his cat-lovin' soul, has gracefully capitulated and now they kind-of share the pillow. Ted gets 2/3 of the pillow and Dave is allowed a meagre 1/3 if he's good and doesn't bother her too much. The funniest thing is that Ted only wants the pillow when Dave is there - the rest of the time she sleeps in the middle of the bed on top of the blankets (it's getting warm here in the southern hemisphere).

Ho hum!

Copyright © Tish Silberbauer