the kitten chronicles - part 155

Rooney has turned the tables on the Big Cat. He is now training me. Very clever, this cat. He doesn't want to sit in my lap and get patted like his brother. If I pick him up and put him there he jumps off soon after. But he needs affection. So he has set up patting stations throughout the Casa Big Cat. For example, in the morning I sit on the wooden stool in the foyer to put on my winter boots. As soon as I do this Rooney quickly jumps up on the ledge where the mail is and rolls around to get patted. If I'm working at the table writing headlines he jumps into the Betty bowl and rolls around to get patted. At first I thought I was training him but it's pretty clear this isn't the case. He's in total control. He maintains his fierce sense of independence and still gets all the love he needs. My training is coming along nicely - just ask him. He's now working on getting me to pat him when he's in the kitchen sink - where Bee thinks I should be spraying him with water to stop him from jumping up on the kitchen counter. And like a big sucker I go ahead and pat him in the sink. What the heck. He's a very happy well-adjusted feline who often purrs just lying there on the floor in front of the hot air vent. He's probably thinking about how he's got me wrapped around his little finger -or make that paw. xxx dad