When Curtis first arrived in our home, he and Dodge quickly settled on a
heirarchy of dominance.  Baby Curt spent two days wrapped up by Dodge in a
bear-hug, effectively immobilized under five pounds of well-utilized ferret
chow.  Curt never had a chance.  The bear-hug tactic has worked well for
Dodge in subsequent territorial expansion disputes.  ("I have visited this
hallway before, therefore it is MINE!") Non-violent, yet effective.
 
Curtis is getting bigger, though.  He still doesn't have the mass to flatten
out Dodge, but it occurs to him that someone ought to show him a bit of
respect.  Someone should be reporting to HIM...
 
...Yesterday, I think he thought he had the solution.
 
I was reading in the livingroom, cats quietly sleeping around me, and
ferrets cruising the carpet...when I heard "mmmrff".
 
(Background: "Mmmrff" is a sound particular to Mad, the siamese.  Mad is a
wonder of modern engineering that converts from a 36" tubular cat into a 7"
diameter cat ball.  Sid, the balinese, on the other hand, is an equally long
cat that converts to nothing more than a 36" long sprawly cat lying on its
back.  Sid needs space.  Often Sid will attempt to lie in a spot occupied by
a 7" cat ball.  Since lying on a ball of cat is not comfortable, Sid will
simply attempt to pick up and drag the ball off of whatever it is sleeping
on.  When this happens, Mad goes "mmmrff", I yell at Sid, Sid stops annoying
Mad, and comes over to purr and thrust his ears in my mouth in a gleeful fit
of head-butting.)
 
So, at the "mmmrff" prompt, I yelled "SID!"...and Sid yowled back, from the
top of the cat tree.  Whaaa...huh?
 
I had to look up from my book.  Mad was indeed being molested.  Curtis had
climbed on Mad's back, and without biting, was desperately trying to grip
him in bear-hug fashion.  It was evident that he was suffering from a
shortage of arms.  His stubby little limbs were straining, and he had a dire
look on his face:
 
Curtis:
"I...mmmmphh...just...want...mmmph...to...prove...MMMMPH...a...point."
Mad:
"???????????????????????????????"
 
Needless to say, Mad was deeply confused.  He kept slllooowwly turning
around, trying to see what the ferret was doing.  Carefully, he got up,
slowly twisting and stretching until Curtis slid off into an impotent pile
in between the cushions.  Mad then curled back up and went to sleep.
 
I think Curtis really thought he had something brilliant going there for a
minute:  Mad plays contact sports with Curt all the time.  Curtis may think
of Mad as an Honourary Ferret--but the honours don't go so far as to
have Mad outrank him.  Maybe what Curtis *really* needs is another ferret...
 
Nic:  "NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!"  (and Lynn:  "Maybe...")  --L.
[Posted in FML issue 1535]
[Posted in FML issue 1535]