So, Twinkle-Afar, the teeny little white cat, is now part of the household.

We are definitely winning her over!

Clues:

• She goes looking for Loen if he goes into the back or into the bathroom.
• when I get home, I give my usual loud holler to the cats, "Hi, honeys, I'm home!" several times, and hear her return greeting in a high pitched squeak from way upstairs.
• I can hear her playing with crumpled paper balls in the back hallway in the middle of the afternoon. When I go to look, she dashes for the stairs... but stops part way up.
• She is learning the Magic Words (C** F***) and arrives in the kitchen when they are spoken. Chows right down beside the other two and doesn't back down if Yukon forgets himself and tries to stick his fat head in her dish.
• Loen & I often sit in the parlor of an evening, reading books, doing marking, playing Scrabble, whatever. Once in a while the cats honor us with their presence, and a few times now all THREE cats have so blessed us.
• Twinkle-Afar has discovered Windows, from which one can see Birds. Yesterday she & Polaris were sharing one of the parlor windows and chattering at starlings.

Polaris is apparently the Arch Rival. She feels the same. When I bend down to pet Polaris, if Taf sees me, she will actually approach and squeak. But when I use my other hand to touch Taf, then Polaris takes a snit and withdraws her presence from my hand. Apparently if I'm going to pet Taf, then Polaris doesn't want to be petted by me At All.

Every so often I see Polaris heading for the stairs with a determined look, followed by the sounds of a chase overhead. Of course, I've also caught Twinkle-Afar sneaking up behind Polaris to goose her and then dash like mad. And I'm trying to explain to her that standing on the stairs and watching other cats in the litter box is very bad manners and not a way to win friends.

Today Yukon was down the back hall and I saw Taf put her back up, brush her tail way way out, and hop-dance-leap toward him, scolding him all the way. Poor Yukon. I told him to "get her," and he "got out of there" real good. Yukon is very brave when it comes to escaping.

Copyright © Krista Clement
April 18, 2000