So anyway. The cat.
Oscar is one special pussy! The tale (see what I did there) of how he came to us will be told as legend throughout the generations to come and is perhaps a blog for another time. Today I'm concerned with his social skills!
Now Oscar likes people well enough and he has been an absolute star adapting to the boy; bearing in mind he was our one and only for 2 and a half years and he's an old cat (we think coming up for 13 - unlucky for some) his acceptance and protection of the lad has been a revelation.
He's not opposed to dogs either. Our neighbour has a cute, small, yappy thing (my breed of dog recognition is up there with my knowledge of cars - "What sort of car does he drive?" "Errrr I think it's a blue one!") and Osc (who incidentally is bigger than said dog) just sits and looks at him quite unperturbed.
So adults, children, babies and dogs are all greeted with the usual "Miaow" and sometimes a cute tummy roll if he's feeling particularly show cat that day.
It's just other cats he hates.
If they stole his food I'd understand it. If they came in the house I'd welcome it. If they marked his territory in that inevitable fashion that cats do I'd get it (and to be fair all these things happen, because we have a cheeky bugger of a ginger tom next door who thinks he lives at our house and does all of the above), but Osc gets out of his cat basket if they just walk down his path! He is so territorial he doesn't even like seeing another cat cross our garden.
Yesterday morning Osc chased a Tabby one way and seconds later Ginger tom went flying across the garden from the other direction. There was that terrible wailing sound only cats make when they fight and skin and fur went flying!
I know it's hot and it's scrapping season but there's so much tension and rivalry I swear it's like "West Side Story" for cats in our back yard.
It's all part of being a cat owner. Cats fight. Especially in summer. Fact of life or nine lives to be precise, but with vets bills at 50 pounds a pop every time he gets bitten/scratched/looses a tooth from every fight, I just wish he'd win one occasionally....
That's the upside of having a cat that is 19 and a bit. He doesn't have the energy to fight, the birds in the garden completely ignore him and, as he is deaf as a post, he doesn't hear other cats in the garden. The only downside is, he can't hear the awful din he makes when he is crying for food - I have lost count of the times that I have been asked by someone on the phone if I had acquired a child!! :)
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