Will the fighting end?

            Today is Saturday, a gray and cold, but beautiful day. It’s mid-afternoon and I figure that I should get out of the house and go and play in the snow. Not really, just kidding.

            I thought I would write something about my cats, Tom and Jerry. I really don’t know what has gotten into them the last few years, but it’s driving me nuts. A couple of years ago my cats got wind of some female pheromones. I found out later there are a few female cats or just the one, living under my porch.

            I know that this had been going on for quite a while but, at that time, all of a sudden my cats started to fight and I mean bloodletting and blood-curdling screaming at each other. I’m talking about scars across their faces, legs and their ears. These fights would go on about every couple of times a month or so. It seemed like in the winter, the fights would stop, but only because I closed the windows and doors to keep those smells out.

            Last year, 2012, it seemed like the fighting would end and it did for the most part. Then there was a new lady in town and she too decided to spend her time in my yard and under my porch. This lady calico cat not only caused a dysfunction with my cats, but she stopped the birds from gathering in my back yard and now that I think about it, the squirrels have disappeared, too. The only things that come into my backyard now are deer and a few dogs that feel they have to take a dump in my yard.

            Now, this past winter Tom and Jerry had, kind of, been cordial with each other. Not really fighting; Jerry just hisses at Tom when Tom wants to play. Tom loves to play. He loves to bat his foam balls around the house and I do love watching him chase those balls. Sometimes I open the basement door, just wide enough that he fits through and I toss the ball through the door and watch him chase it down the stairs.

            Every now and then he would bring the ball back up the stairs then drop it and go about his business. I usually get the hint at that point. But I pick it up (I think they are training me) and throw it back down the stairs. Or I throw it anywhere and he go nuts over that ball. Of course Jerry just watched.

            The only problem is that he doesn’t bring the ball back to me. He brings it up the stairs bats it a few times then moves off to do something else, like rest.

Jerry on the other hand is the “A” alpha cat or so he thinks. He has gotten big, maybe fat, I have caught him eating Tom’s food and I just yell at him to, “Eat out of your bowl!” and he goes and eats out his bowl, until I leave. Jerry is the, “I’ll wait until Tom does something before I will do it” kind of cat.

If Tom doesn’t do it first Jerry won’t try it. Jerry will go to the basement door, stand on his hind legs and tap the doorknob. I get up and open the door. He will back off and sit across the room. Then Tom will come out of nowhere and go down into the basement. Jerry goes to the door and just looks on for a few minutes before will go downstairs.

            Anyway, as of the last few weeks, Jerry will play; wrestle, with Tom and then run up the stairs and all over the house. When he doesn’t want to be bothered he will hiss at Tom. Tom kind of looks at Jerry, like, “What did I do now” kind of look, and then goes and looks out the window.

            Last Saturday was my birthday (60^th) and the cats were with cool with each other, Jerry still hissed at Tom but nothing came about it. This past Tuesday I noticed that darn Calico cat (Now that I think about it, it was that male cat that has been hanging around as of late) at my window but this time it sprayed my window, twice and Tom went off. He was so loud and angry it scared me. I was afraid to touch him. Tom was so hyped that he broke the plastic slat in the blinds trying to get at that outdoor cat.

            So, Tom and Jerry, for the past few days have been at each other’s throats. Tom chases Jerry into the kitchen where Jerry jumps into the chair; he thinks that chair protects him. In the meantime Tom has destroyed my suede chair with his swiping at Jerry perched in said chair.

            I woke up this morning and Tom was curled up on my left side and Jerry was curled up on my right side. So far so good. Usually Jerry had been spending his time sleeping on the sofa downstairs or in the hallway outside my bedroom door. But he has calmed down for today.

            Tom, when the alarm goes off in the morning jumps off the bed but comes back a few minutes later. This time he goes to where Jerry is laying and they touch noses.  Another good sign. So, Tom decided that things were fine and he then decides to mess with me until I get up and feed him. I get up and feed them but Jerry doesn’t eat, at first. He just watches from the top of the sofa on the other side of the kitchen.

            Later they were running and playing (wrestling) but not hurting each other. Another, somewhat, good sign.

            As I sit here typing, I hear the hissing so, I am guessing that the truce is over. It is quiet now. And Tom is sitting behind me playing with a stuffed (with catnip) mouse. I guess he is tired of Jerry, but in a few minutes he will go and mess with Jerry and the Hissing from high places with start again.

            My cats are seven years old going on eight. That’s about 49 years old in human years. I am guessing that Jerry is getting to be that old guy who yells at the kids to keep off his grass. And as of late he has been spending the most time sitting on my lap. I had to kick him off so I could write this piece. I am guess that is probably why Jerry is mad at Tom right now.

I now see that Tom has gotten into a bag that I have sitting on the floor. But, of course that’s going to end in a few minutes when Tom wants to play with his brother, Jerry.

Nope, it’s been 20 minutes, Tom is gone, out of sight and it’s still quiet. All is well…