Cat sociology is so fascinating. When Basil was at her worst, the Boy gave her wide berth and didn’t bother her at all. He also stopped harassing Bennie. After he came to live with us, he couldn't get the #1 spot away from Basil, so he bumped Bennie out of the #2 slot. We tried every way in the world to get him to stop picking on her, but nothing worked.
Bennie naps with some friends in more peaceful days.
How can anyone so cute be such a meanie?
As Basil started to get a little better, but was still isolating herself, he made his move for the number one cat spot. He started doing things like cutting in front of her to eat and such. He never really got physical with her, but it was obvious what he was doing. When he thought he had rule of the roost, he started to leave Bennie completely alone.
When we thought Basil was bouncing back, he started letting Basil eat first, but it was obvious that the dynamic had changed. She used to be able to drive him back from whatever dish she wanted with a look. We were wondering what would happen when she came back 100%.
She did reassert herself some, but I don't think she got top spot back from him. The second she started, he started picking on Bennie again.
Bennie ran and hid when we came back from the vet without Basil. The last night when we sat up with her all night in the living room, Beenie sat in the kitchen door at the other end of the house and watched us. Basil was laying by the front door, and since we have a shotgun house, Bennie could see us from her spot. (Do I need to explain shotgun houses for non-Southern folks?)
She's cried some at night, and the other day came bursting in the bathromm searching for Basil, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, given that they were never apart their whole lives. The Boy has been glued to my lap and has started sleeping on my side of the bed, right next to me. He'll even sleep on the back of my legs like Basil used to, except he's not as patient with my wiggling as she was. Until this weekend, he left Ben alone, but he started bring a little shit again on Saturday.
Of course the hardest adjustment for everyone right now is the return to the diet. When Basil wasn't eating well, the vet told us to feed her whenever she wanted as much as she wanted. Well, feeding Basil meant feeding everyone. Bennie and the Boy must have thought the famine ended or something. They're back to being little porkers again! Bringing back the diet is causing quite a bit of kitty consternation!
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