We are having a bout of illness here. First me, with that horrendous ear infection. Both ears completely blocked and aching. I had close to a month of being out of it from drugs, pain and deafness. Now Kathleen, my lodger, is ill with a vicious sinus infection. She missed several days at school and is sleeping round the clock. I've been making healthy soups and stir fries to keep up her strength. For the time being, Willy has escaped it. He had a really difficult time when I was deaf because I couldn't hear him and didn't respond appropriately. He chatters all the time and I respond but when I wasn't answering him he started to become withdrawn and mopey. When I returned to normal, Willy was wary, then jubilant. Another example of how sensitive our pets can be to our health and mood changes. Now he is disturbed by Kathleen being shut in her room. He sits and picks at her door but she doesn't respond. This troubles him. Sometimes he'll stand on his hind legs and rattle her door-nob. I call him away so he won't awaken her.
Much as I love cats, I draw the line at cat fisticuffs and caterwauling on my back deck. They are not even my cats. One huge white male belongs to a neighbour. He is a bully and Willy instinctively dislikes him. The other is a dark grey feral tabby. I have been leaving a bowl of kibble and water in a sheltered spot for the feral cat who is too shy to come out if I'm there. The white cat is well fed and should stay home but clearly has owners who put him out at night (even if it's freezing). The feral cat has nobody, and my food eases his rough life slightly. Tonight the bully showed up as the feral cat was feeding. There ensued such a territorial dispute, it was alarming. The white cat decided to launch an attack on the feral cat, who wanted to escape but was cornered. I seized a broom and intervened. They both ran off in different directions. The bully will go home and the feral lad will sneak back to eat his supper. Willy, inside, became over stimulated by all this and had to do his cushion to unwind.
