psycho kitty(ies)

I know that I've written about the cats before. Certainly about how much we miss Lenny, the sweetest cat that ever lived (before he died) and I've extolled the virtues of Cici and Carl, the antisocial cats of the house. And you were all with me through the whole search for a new cat for the Hethan, ending with the arrival of Joe (who Ethan said that he was thankful for before he said that he was thankful for Mommy and Daddy....).

But have I ever told you about the Psycho Kitties that sometimes take over the bodies of our otherwise nice and docile cats (if there is such a thing...)? It happens more frequently with the phases of the moon. You know, if there's a full moon, the Psycho Kitties come to visit for longer periods of time than if there's not a full moon.

Joe has the best Psycho Kitty inside of him. See, when the cats are under a year, the Psycho Kitty is stronger. And Joe is only 7-8 months old. So he's prime age for Psycho Kitty possessions. What most amuses me about Psycho Kitty in Joe is the retrieving. Dogs retrieve. Cats don't. But Joe does when Psycho Kitty is inside of him. If you throw something, he'll go after it. He may decide to be a Regular Cat at the last moment, and not bring it back. But lots of times, he will. And frequently, he likes to leave things he's retrieved at the bottom of the stairs for me to step on in the morning. He's especially fond of the Hethan's rubber stretch frogs and other stretch toys. Not the most pleasant of things to step on when you're barefoot and it's 7 am. But eventually, Psycho Kitty goes back and relenquishes posession of Joe, leaving in its wake, a limp noodle of a cat stretched out in at the top of the stairs.

Joe also has a tendency to take on Cici when he's got Psycho Kitty in him. Now, Cici is about 15 lbs. Joe is about 5 lbs. Cici is 10 years old. They both have claws, but let's be honest, Cici has the advantage of age and street smarts on Joe. Joe's terrified if he gets locked out in the garage. Cici begs to go outside to kill moles. So when PK Joe takes on Cici (who may or may not have some PK in her) it's a sight to behold. Cici warns him. She growls. She hisses, but PK Joe is either very brave or very stupid. I'm going for the stupid, personally. Tonight, PK Joe challenged Cici over the newly put out cat food. Have I mentioned that Cici likes her food? (Or could you guess, since she's 15 lbs???) So messing with her food, yeah, not a bright idea. PK Joe took one swipe and then turned tail and ran. Cici poofed out her tail, and claimed victory by munching on the food and growling low in her throat.

Carl, well, his PK isn't quite as fun as either Cici or Joe. He's so laid back. But I love it when he gets PK and pounces on Joe (despite the fact that Joe has claws and Carl does not) and beats him into submission--- all so he can clean Joe's head. :) Yeah, Carl has other issues, which are best left alone, since he's such a sweet and handsome cat.

I'm tired now, and there's a warm, calm cat asking to be cuddled.