Cat Friends
I was working out in my garden office, and when I looked up I saw a really nice surprise !
Cat friendships are a complex thing, even more so than human friendships. Often, they only happen if cats are siblings or are introduced to a new place at the same time. Boy cats can be especially territorial !
But here's we've got Duncan and Stevie happily sitting inches from each other, separated only by the glass in the door.
Duncan's not allowed out yet - he's got to have his second vaccination, and we need to wait for another few days to pass to make sure he knows this is home for him.
Stevie, on the other hand, isn't even our cat ! He's our neighbours' cat, but spends as much time with us as he does with them. They know where he is, and are happy that there's someone keeping an eye out for him when they are out at work. He's incredibly old, deaf and frail now, even though he doesn't look like it in this photo.
Stevie only ever got on well with one of our cats, Tabby, who was my first cat and is long gone, sadly. That was a relationship where they were great friends, but Tabby was definitely the boss !
So to see these two so relaxed around each other is a wonderful sight. It also means that when we do let Duncan out to explore, they're less likely to get into an argument. I reckon it must be a black and white cat thing....
Photos by me, cropped to hide some of the embarrassing mess we've got lying around in the garden
Lovely boys -- they look like each other's negatives!
As far as cat names go, Stevie and Duncan are up there!
Thank you !
Our neighbours named Stevie. Duncan had his name when he came to us, although we're not sure if it was his original owners or (far more likely) the RSPCA who gave it to him. He knows it's his name, and we've always had a thing about not renaming cats when we adopt them. We always seem to take on the "hard cases", so anything to reduce stress and confusion has to be a good thing !