I'm listening to Mr Fuzzypants scold Big E.
He can see the bottom of his food bowl,
and that should never happen, dontcha know.
There has been an interesting transformation since
Mr Fuzzypants came to stay with us. The Tank,
our Not To Be Messed With cat, has mellowed.
To clarify, The Tank has always been a sweetheart
to me, and he's always tolerated Big E, and he's....
let the girls live in the house without maiming them,
but he has always been a cat who hasn't wanted a clan.
Enter Mr Fuzzypants, the intrepid and resilient kitten.
Mr F has "try, try again" tattooed on his soul.
"If at first I don't succeed, I try again, until I have worn down all resistance in my path, and the mountains have crumbled beneath my fluffy, kitty feet due to my hardheadedness." is his motto.
(He has a t-shirt with that written on it, honest.)
The Tank (this post is about him) has mellowed.
He is still above actually seeking out Mr F for company,
and he would be loathe to admit he liked the fuzzball.
But, the girls can pet him. He will purr for Sweetheart G,and even cuddle with her.
The only time he's swatted at the girls since Mr F came,
was a result of Little e chasing the kitten in play.
The Tank mustered himself to protect His Boy,
and swatted Little e hard on the leg in an obvious act
of "Hey, only I can harass that kitten!"
The Tank takes his Older Cat status seriously.
He works hard at training what is possibly
the densest kitten in the universe.
Perhaps it is mental exhaustion that keeps The Tank
from stalking out dinner guests, like he used to.
Our Tank, if he doesn't watch himself, may just be evolving into a Family Cat.