Drawing Boundaries

BELLA'S BITS:

"I had 'words' with mom tonight.. See, I jumped on the bed and discovered that it was missing the 'blankie'.. it was all empty and she suddenly yelled at me to 'get down'. It was so sudden and so ... harsh, I thought. I jumped down allright with my tail all bushed out, I didn't know what had hit me [my tail bushes out at the slightest provocation to be sure.. ]. So I just stood there on the floor then, contemplating on taking it out on Pipi who was lurking around out in the hall. Then mom leaned down to pet me and I let her have it:

"Mewowwrrrrrr! meworrrrrrrr! RRrrrrrrrr! meeeh.. meeerrrr... RRRrrrr", I kept protesting as her hand stroked my head over and over... "I DIDN"T like the way you talked to me back there!!! ".

I can't be disrespected like that.. And I'll let her know about it too. I choose to be vocal - instead of a clawfest..

Not Sure What The Big Deal Was

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"I guess I'm still doing certain things wrong... They always have to correct me it seems.. Like dis one time when I was snoozing with miss Pipi.. She got real upset at me for no apparent reason.

And now I've butt-bonked miss Bella by the bowls. SHE didn't seem to care... "

Lots of Making Up To Do

BELLA'S BITS:

"Mom woke up this morning and came down to find us all downstairs... None of us had gone up to greet her, this was a different kind of day. I can't tell you what each of us was doing but ... we didn't quite get wind of her getting up. So she starts telling us " WHERE have you all BEEN? Huh? ".

After the third time of hearing this, I stepped up my game and quickly trotted behind her with a worried look on my face...

We all followed her again when she went back upstairs to her room, Googie hot on my trail but I didn't care.

We had a lot of making up to do.

Today's Pawing

GOOGIE MUST START HIS DAY HAND-IN-PAW...

Pipi's Point

"This was totally unnecessary. And I took action. You see, we all watched mom try to get close to baby Getty.. We watched her as she started to tell her "kiss-kiss", we all gathered round to encourage and oversee. Miss Bella gave her the disapproving look when baby Getty tried to run away - and that stopped her in her tracks. She stopped and .. had to rethink her stance!.. She then started to meekly crawl across the floor, her belly almost to the floor. Googie was on standby. Mom tried to extend her finger to her again, begging her for a "kiss-kiss".. But baby Getty kept flitting about and refusing, finally fleeing for the upstairs steps. Well, I have had it! I ran after her and we got to the top up there: "WHAT are you doing?!!! ", I started in on her and let her have it with my paws, once or twice. I stretched my neck out to her face. "You don't act that way to mom!! " She stood up on her back legs and gave it back to me: "Leave me alone! I CANNOT let that lady touch me, okay?!! I just... CAN'T!!". And at that, she crawled under the bed like a coward.

Well, at least I showed HER. I stood there after our skirmish and looked back at mom who watched the whole thing go down. I was soooo pissed.

That One Phrase

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"I plopped it halfway up the steps there, by the small landing area. I could see daddy-Googie up at the top, he wanted to be close by mom lady I guess. And then mom lady decided to start to come down the steps and she saw me lounging, spread out and all. So she starts telling daddy to 'come down and be with baby-Getty cause I don't wanna scare her' .. but he didn't budge. So then she starts talking to me and I heard that key phrase: "Excuse me?".. I remembered that the others start to move away every time they hear this.

So it finally hit me: I got up and moved down the steps the second time I heard her say it.

[Getty's rehabilitation may be slow but nonetheless happening... :) ]

I Don't Miss Much

BELLA'S BITS:

I retire to the 'downstairs' to sleep in peace when mom's away. It's nice and cool down there and I have found a very comfortable spot on top of that big couch, up and away from prying eyes; and Googie can't easily get to me that way and give me a rude wakeup. So, I'm deep in snooze usually when mom comes home; most of the times I hear the door and snap awake and go greet her. And sometimes I sense her presence outside, and I will go up to the door and get all worried and look through there and see her. But other times, like today, I ... slip. I did not realize she was out there for quite a while until she opened the door.

I was already at the last step up by the time that door opened, see. I don't miss much - only when I'm ... groggy.

Displaced by a Brat

BELLA'S BULLY BITS:

"I am reaaaally perturbed cause Googie took up my spot after dinner.

And he had the NERVE to bring with him baby-brat Gettty.. And here I AM, sitting here watching the brat lounging at MY spot!!

The Honeymoon Is Over

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

I was hanging around at this very spot dis mornin when daddy Googie got mad at me. He began to hover over me in his menacing way, I've seen it before many times with Pipi.. But I never tought he would be like dat to ME. So I crouched on the spot and despite my submissive posture, I spoke out. Pleading. "Meowww! But daddy ! I didn't DO nuttin ! " He kept staring at me with his neck in a strange way... And in that nick of time, mom lady called out from above.. "Gabriel ??!! What are you DOING!?? ".

I looked up.. I got away and now I had to tink about dat.. She came down and said her usual. "Are you okay ??? "

"meeeeh", I answered.

Chit Chat Cat

BABY-GETTY:

"I caught mom lady's attention dis evening.. She came crawling under the table and talked to me. I chirped back at her a couple of pleasantry meows.. but I began to feel apprehensive again. Right about that moment, I sensed daddy Googie approaching from behind there... He is very clever when he does that.. He comes up to mom lady and tries to distract her and schmoozes with her and parades back and forth in front of her with his tail up in the air... And every once in a while, he'll look up at me to make sure I'm okay..

I relaxed then.. I tucked my one paw under my chest and heaved a sigh of relief, closed my eyes for a moment and blinked back at mom lady.

Caught In My Game

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

I almost got caught red-handed. You see, one of the games I like to play involves mom's things.. the things that have her smell and she has these on her when she comes in. And she sometimes leaves them hanging on the railing here by my habitat... I like to jump up and knock them down, it's kinda like my sport..

So I started eyeing my next game prey there, ready to jump up and knock it all down. But I suddenly became aware that she was behind me. I had to stop at that last moment and act as nonchalantly as possible. .. I kept going as if nothing happened.

[Those would be my clothes... She likes to knock down my jackets or other clothing items I drape over the bottom of the railing before I take them upstairs. ]

If I Could Only...

IF I COULD JUST BE THIS RELAXED, ALL THE TIME.

The Power Post

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"When mom lady tries to talk to me and get close to me, I prefer to take the power position. I go up to a level higher than her head and park it there.

Now I can stand there and look back at her and hear her talk to me."

Stepping Up

GOOGIE'S GRITS:

"Ah greeted mom this mornin along with mah pack, mah Pipi and babeh Getty. Ah keot Bella bah the wayside, she done kept to herself at the downstairs. But mom kept cawlling for her: "Bellaaaa ?? Where IS Bella?" she looked right at me.

Ah came closer and brushed mah flufftail bah her. She looked over the railing toward Bella diwn below. Ah was half way down the stairs trying to monitor the situation and she kept tawlking to Bella... "Bella come on up here! where have you been?"

Aw nooo ! Ah sprinted back up the steps as fast as Ah could and ran to headbonk mom.

You don't need Bella, you got ME.

Instant Karma

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"I started looking over the railing there to the downstairs at miss Bella, tee hee heee! See, she was.down there refusing to come up even when mom lady was calling out for her,.teee heee heeee ! And I wanted to watch her and stuck my head thru the railing. Daddy Googie was nearby making sure, you know. But then mom lady came too close and I.started to scram.... headed for down the steps myself and then had to stop abruptly half way down cause miss Bella was there looking up. "So what are ya gonna do NOW, huh ???! " mom lady yelled out at me.

I panicked. "GOW!!! " I yelled out myself. Ahhhh! miss Bella is staring at me !

I took the courage and scrambled on past her real fast.

Mornin' Bonding

AH KEEES HER AWL OVER...

Getty To The Rescue

LITTLE GETTY:

"Ooooh- noooo! Mom lady started coughing dis morning and I heard it and since her door was already open I ran in. I ran toward her bed in a panic, my tail up and my neck craning to see her. "Meeeeh????", I shouted at her. "I'm okay ", she said just as she stopped her long freightening cough..She was up aready. With my tail up in the air I bounced back out now.

Groggy Getty

ONE DAY, I'M GONNA HAVE MY OWN BIG BED...

A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You

I HAVE WITNESSED THE UNBELIEVABLE -

Came home tonite, went to the 'loo' :), and as I sat on the throne, what did I see ! BELLA chasing Googie at full speed. He ran all the way across the room and literally jumped over the coffee table to get away from her. She was on his tail I tell ya... And then if that wasn't unbelievable enough, they did the reverse: He started to chase HER and they both tumbled down the stairs - this time, no scream, no foul. They have finally learned to play together.

I kept my mouth shut as to not disturb this new ....harmony...

A Head Bob

BELLA'S BITS:

I plopped myself down on mom's bed and went into a leisurely slumber.. I was spread out quite a bit when I suddenly began to be aware that somebody was staring at me. I popped my head back up and what do I see: There are ...TWO somebodies: little miss-Priss was standing in front of mom, and mom standing in the bathroom behind her.

Both... staring at ...ME. I stared back at them quite perplexed - my snooze was now ruined.

[Princess would normally be up on the bed giving me a belly massage when miss Bella got ahead of her and took over... ]

Stare Her Down

Pipi's Contention:

"There she is... so close to mom again.. I'm just gonna stare her down.

Scruples

BELLA'S BULLY BITS:

"I don't like this one game. See, mom knows that Googie and I chase each other. And I've heard say this phrase: "Go get her" or "Go git him!". Well, we don't like to do it, frankly. It's one thing if I chase him or if he tries to bully me. But when I heard that phrase tonite? "Go get him!" ? It just wasn't to my taste. "Mehhh!", I replied back both times after she said it. We had just gotten done hugging each other in fact, she'd picked me up and held me and I had a purrfest. But I draw the line. I will NOT "go get him".. Even though he was looking right at me.

Waitin For Mom

BELLA:

Momma's come home! She been looking for food for us all day long, you see.

Ah Hung Back

Googie's Girl

Ah hung baaaack tonight to keep mah babeh-Getty companeh... Ah knew mom would be taken care of with Pipi and miss Bella upstairs...

So mom finally came down and saw us bah the steps... Ah didn't have the heart to leave babeh-Getty down there, she don't like to go upstairs to mom's room yaw see... Every time Ah tried going up the steps towards mom... So Ah gave een and stopped bah the stairs and babeh kept close bah mah side.

Stuck On the Chair

PIPI'S POINT:

"I just got yelled at for "you ruined the chair! ".. And I was actually trying to do the opposite! See, baby-Getty was on it and so I challenged her and told her to get down from there, that wasn't her place to be on THAT particular chair. We usually sit on the other ones. So I'm reaching over at her with my paw from below, tugging at her, standing on my two back legs ...and well, over-reaching.. I finally jumped up and took it to a whole new level in trying to make my point: I started to climb the chair's back.. That's when mom came out of the kitchen and saw me. "WHAT are you DOING?!!", she starts in on me. In my haste to get myself the hell outta this sticky spot, I got nervous and couldn't untangle my claw... So here I am, STUCK, with my claw eternally hooked on the chair, hearing mom's music. She finally untangled me to top it off.. After which I just stood there on the floor, thinking it was over.

"YOU RUINED MY CHAIR!! ", she yelled. My ears went half-flat and I walked away in defeat. I f---d up. I know.

[Meanwhile, "baby" Getty was nowhere to be found. SHE took cover immediately. ]

Shrimp-ing

LITTLE GETTY:

Mom lady gave sometin to daddy Goodie on the 'coffee table' and I smelled it so strong, I had to run over and check it out. It was sometin I'd never seen before. Daddy didn't know what to do with it.. So mom lady took it away from him sayin' sometin like "If you're NOT gonna eat it then I'll take it away!".. Next thing I know, mom lady gives it ... to ME. Awww! I smelled it good, tossed it up in the air, held it in my paw and tried to bite it like dat.. Then she comes over while I'm still playing with it. I'm not retreatin' mind you, I'm standing my ground on this one. I look up at her in all-attention while my pray is under my chin on the floor:

"Go ahead and EAT your nummy num honey", she says to me. "Go AHEAD". I looked down at it and started to take a real bite, I did. The more I heard her say that, the more I tried to eat it. I wouldn't run or anytin like dat. Well, it was just not.. edible. Wasn't like the nummy-num we usually have and even miss Pipi didn't know what to do with it.

[These cats don't know what to do with a small piece of ...cooked shrimp!! ]

Rethinking My Re-Route

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"Awww darn it! I almost ran into mom lady while hot on Pipi's trail.. I had to rethink my route and I still wouldn't give up, I ended up going in circles trying to reconsider.. "

I'm still gonna GIT you, Pipi!

[Getty sprints out of the shadows of her dining room habitat to ambush Pipi as she passes by.. :) ]