Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Big Max Attacks

Our new cat, Max, took a while to grow on us.  He is definitely not a ridiculously cuddly teddy bear like Freddie---he purrs so softly it's hard to tell if he is purring at all, he is very tetchy about being picked up or touchy on his belly, and his default expression is grumpy.  However, he has gotten increasingly affectionate, especially liking to hang out with Clint and Ian, and likes to follow us from room to room upstairs.  Tonight we realized that he has also gone from being threatened by Freddie to seeing himself as Freddie's protector.

Freddie had to go back to the vet today (looks like he should be all right with some treatment, which is more than we can say for our Christmas budget).  One of the procedures he needed was an enema, and needless to say the vet's office did not clean him up very well afterwards.  Since he likes to sleep in the master bed, the two of us had to give him a bath tonight, which he did not appreciate after the hard day he's had today.  He fought like a wildcat, with much screaming and yowling.  While this was going on Max heard the noise and curiously peeked his head into the bathroom.  We laughed and said to each other, "No way Max is coming in here!  He doesn't want to be next."  



But a few minutes later there was a flash of white fur, and Max had run into the bathroom and was attacking my leg, batting me like a boxer with his front paws!  I shooed him out gently and shut the door.  We finished Freddie's bath and wrapped him in a towel, and Max came and sat nearby keeping an eye on things.  I've never seen anything like that---I really think Max was trying to protect Freddie and considering that they are two adult male cats who didn't grow up together, weren't friendly when they first met, and have only started to tolerate each other within the past months or so, that seems quite remarkable.  Not at all what you expect from "selfish" cats.