And Then There Was One

I lost Queenie this morning. She had liver cancer that was killing her. There was nothing the vets could do for her, so it was time to let her go.

She started to suffer last night. It was time.

This was Queenie....

I'm sad that she's gone. She was Beasley's favorite kitty and as prickley as she was, she was a lover, too. She always wanted to be the top cat in the house. She got to feel that way in her last few weeks. 

I'm still owned by one cat, Princess....

Princess is 17 years old. Seems to be in good health, so I hope she will stay with me for a while, yet. She's looking for Queenie every time she comes into the living room.

My heart can't take any more loss right now. It's breaking. 

I haven't talked about the "kids" lately...

Beasley got stepped on this morning. I stepped back while washing the dishes (no, I don't have a dishwasher - totally superfluous for one person!) and stepped squarely on his tail. He yelped, and I let up enough for him to take off like a shot. He was spitting out hair he'd nipped off, while bathing and laying behind me in the kitchen. Poor baby! I picked him up and apologized profusely!

He's much better. Overall, this is a true rarity.

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Their behavior since Queenie took over as alpha, is really different. Queenie is a heavy-handed alpha cat. She lords it over everyone - even me - that she is now the true queen. Man, what a big head!

She picks on everyone, even Beasley. She used to tease him, but now she chases him. I've seen one positive, though. Fluffy is now engaging in the chasing games that she used to ignore. She would ignore everyone and everything, just going about her merry way. Now, she's involved.

Princess, my dethroned lady, is very insistent on snuggles all day now. She still won't come to sit next to me on the chair, but she is very snuggly all the same. Kissing is still part of the package, too. Very hard nips, along the hands, fore-arms and on my wrists.

Bugsy is less an instigator and more disobedient. She's not getting into fights like she did, but she still is bearing the brunt of the "discipline" by the others. She has taken to snuggling in the chair, in the most unlikely positions! She just wants to be held and cuddled. A stroke will cause her for flatten her ears - and I'm not sure if she's doing that out of fear of being hit (she's never been hit) or if she's making room for my hand. I make sure she gets a snuggle session as often as she asks for it. She pops up at least once a day.

Queenie keeps picking on Beasley. He'll be sleeping quietly on the cat-chair, and she will jump up and kick him off the chair. She will sit there about 15 minutes, then leave. Meanwhile, Beasley's sleep has been disturbed for no real reason.

She is also hogging the back of my chair, which used to be Beasley's refuge and his place to be close to me. I don't pet her like I do him while she's up there. But she won't back off.

This little cocoa colored tyrant needs to be brought down a peg!

Change in Pecking Order

Well, Miss Princess is no longer my alpha cat...

I've been noticing that she is losing weight. Not enough to be really in a health crisis, but she is losing weight. Her fur is good, she is not dehydrated, and she seems healthy. She is snuggly, but still does not want to be picked up or held.

I was playing with the cats in the living room yesterday for the first time since we moved. They've had toys out, but I actually got out DaBird and played with them.

I noticed that each time Queenie would show up, Princess would cringe and cower to the ground. That tells me that something happened - probably just before we moved - and that Queenie is now the alpha.

Queenie has become "kissy kitty" and will get up on the arm of the chair when I'm sitting in it and "kiss me" repeatedly - nudging her nose/muzzle on my chin or nose - or even mouth!

These two behaviors, combined, tell me that the pecking order has changed. Princess is still a beautiful baby, and she knows I love her, but she is no longer telling me what to do.

She comes and asks, she snuggles, and will do the "hit-and-run" snuggle. But she stopped doing the prolonged "getting up on the arm of my chair" when I'm working late. She used to really demand that I quit and pay attention to her. She's not doing that any more.