Pets & People
Stephen and Sifter - Temporary Friends
Pets and people can develop quirky relationships. The house pets at Mooseys are definitely creatures of quirky habits.
For Sifter the cat, being with people has a lot to do with the food that he will have access to. Any people will do, as long as they feed him. He first made the people-food connection by simultaneously living at three adjacent student flats, making sure that each flat thought he belonged to them alone.
Jerome Cat has her passionate moods, where she follows the gardener around, or bugs the dog. She sleeps in bed (winter), on bed (autumn and spring) and on the floor (summer). The dog, showing unusual wisdom, avoids the bedroom.
Mugsy the Brainy Cat
Mugsy is a cat who always seems grateful for foodless company. She likes to be in the house with people, or carried around the garden. It's as if she remembers how lucky she is to be alive, and is paying us back - saying thank you for the $1000 of vet bills.
A Hyperactive Cat
Stumpy is always in your face - she's hard to ignore, always on the bench or on the table, never still for more than a moment. She's a hyperactive cat, with a short attention span, easily bored, easily distracted, and being with people is something she thinks she's good at.
Different for Dogs
It's different for Taj-dog. People are members of his pack, and where the pack goes he wants to go. He wants to be with his pack-people, unless he goes out cruising, which he forgets is a naughty thing to do.
Waiting for Stephen
When his people are not there Taj-dog simply waits for them to return, particularly Stephen. A pie chart of the components of Taj-dog's life would consist of one 360 degree sector - Stephen. Taj-dog loves Stephen.
Footnote - 2010
All these cats, and Taj-dog, are now dearly departed, though this is not strictly true of Sifter, who simply wandered off one winter. Ungrateful cat!