The Writer’s Cats - A Tale of Two Personalities

For the last few weeks in our house, we have been trying to integrate Saphie, our tiny tabby kitten, with Hendricks our two-year-old cat. There have been many endearing and hilarious feline moments, but to be honest, many more trying ones. Saphie still crawls on my lap to sleep while I write at my desk, occasionally shredding a piece of paper or hiding a pen – all quite charming.

Big cat, Little Cat

Yet since my last blog on introducing a little kitten to a big cat, we have found the big cat, Hendricks, to be the very least of our worries. After a couple of weeks, Hendricks stopped whingeing about little Saphie and became more intrigued by the incredible speed she could move at and her endless capacity for play; he soon realised he had a little playmate for those many rainy days to come. 

As for Saphie, she followed Hendricks around the house in awe, trying to mimic his actions. It was not long before Saphie’s confidence grew. Did I say ‘grew?’ Well, it actually soared to unbelievable heights. Even though she is less than a quarter of his size, Saphie now stalks Hendricks, chasing him from room to room, biting at his tail and ankles and wrestling him to the ground at every opportunity. She will wait until he is asleep, then showing him the ultimate disrespect, climb up and stand on his head to nip his ears. 

The more we pull Saphie off Hendricks, the more persistent her naughty behaviour becomes. So we move her to another room to cool off for five minutes, after which she returns to being a well behaved, purring fluff-ball…. for a short time.

Poor Hendricks is far too soft and sweet natured to rise to Saphie's provocation. I’ve been told it’s very much up to Hendricks to tell Saphie off, especially if he does not want to make a rod for his own back, but all he will do is give her a gentle bop on her head, leap to a height she cannot reach, or hide in a paper bag. So all we can do for now is distract and supervise the two.      

 

Hendricks hiding from Saphie

My novel The First Sense is available from several online retailers. Please visit my website www.nppostlethwaite.com for more information. 

The Writer’s Cat …. And The Other Cat

Many  authors are known for their love of cats .  For writers, cats are unbelievably inspiring, not least because they are creatures of sophistication, forever youthful but alarmingly wise, affectionate on their own terms, and masters at flitting between ‘bonkers,’ ‘distant’ and ‘intense.’

My cat, Hendricks, has just turned two, he looks like a little tiger. He is soft, cuddly and adoring, yet will shoot me a steely-eyed look if I’m too soft and adoring back. He enjoys being the lone kid of the house, lapping up as much attention as he wants from my husband and I.

Hendricks - Top Cat 

This week, we brought home a tiny seven-week-old bundle of fur from the Animal Rescue Shelter. We’ve called her ‘Saffie’ (short for ‘Sapphire.’) Saffie is beautifully strip-striped like Hendricks but her nose and paws are jet-black instead of pinky-orange. On his first journey home, Hendricks was tense and shy, whereas Saffie punched at us through the gaps of the cat box, squeaked and fought at the air. 

Once home and fed, Saffie jumped onto my chest, squawked in my face several times with full force, before snuffling in my hair, climbing back onto my lap and sleeping there for over six hours as I sat writing at my desk. 

She is just perfect. Between food and play, Saffie nestles on me or behind me as I write, or she places her paws on the edge of the desk and stares at the computer screen. Occasionally, she’ll venture up onto the desk to take a swipe at a word she doesn’t like, or dance across the keyboard.  I have never known such confidence in an animal so small. Often, she’ll jump onto my chest, stare right into my eyes before cuddling into my neck.

The integration progress with Hendrix is slow. On day 1, Hendricks hissed at Saffie and hid; Saffie was unperturbed. On day 2, Hendricks glared at Saffie from a distance; Saffie just wanted to play. On day 3, Hendricks  touched Saffie's nose with his own and then glared at her from a lesser distance. 

We reassure Hendricks he is ‘top cat’ and he’ll come over for a cuddle but whinge like a teenager. He’s taken to sitting in a shoe box in a huff; I soothe him and whisper ‘I understand,’ or ‘it’s ok’ and Hendricks will forget himself, climb out of the box for a cuddle, before stomping back into it to pick up his sulk. It’s a slow, slow process but we’ll get there.

Saffie - New Addition to the Family 

Some great pictures of famous writers and their kittie kats 

My eBook novel with cat character 'Cinko' is 'The First Sense'

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