It's A Cat Thing

The youngest cat watches me walking toward her but it doesn't occur to her to get out of my way. The very second I step over her though, she puts it in gear and skitters backwards. When I compensate to avoid stepping on her, I lose my balance and abruptly find myself on the floor. She watches from a safe distance and I'm absolutely, positively convinced it was an intentional act on her part. She has developed an amazing talent for being indifferently underfoot and/or in the way.

I am not her only target, of course. When she's not running randomly from room to room and feverishly meowing with every other step, she lies in wait - around corners, behind doors, under furniture - for the other cats. She's not much on technique, seems quite content to wait for them to pass by then launching herself like a heat seeking missile. Even when she misses, which is pretty often, the target cat is startled and defensive and a quarrel invariably follows each ambush. It sounds quite a bit worse than it actually is but it's still enough to rattle my nerves and aggravate the dogs, both of whom are unexpectedly tolerant of her. They patiently let her chew on their ears, knead their bellies and even steal their food with barely a whimper. On the rare occasion that she crosses the line, there might be a low growl from the little dachshund but it's perfunctory at best, and usually ignored.

About the time I decide I could cheerfully smother her with her own double paws, she changes tactics and quietly crawls up on the love seat, burrowing into my side and purring like a runaway jackhammer. I scratch her ears and under her chin and she looks at me with those trusting and totally innocent green eyes. My mad instantly fades away and my impatience and aggravation with her evaporate. It's a cat thing.