Hrimnir has been happy lately. After having had to accept that the elder Brothers do not play, or rather reluctantly so and -in the case of Zorro- rather prickly, he had to settle for Bean Sidhe as a playmate. But having a playmate who is 3 times bigger than you are, and weighs 4 times more than you do, is not exactly the most interesting of options even for an enterprising and intrepid kitten. Often already have we, simian denizens of the House of Chaos, been regaled by the sight of 1 little kitty frontally assaulting 1 big kitty and getting crushed in response.
One thing you have to admit where it concerns Hrimnir and that is that the tyke has chutzpah by the tons.
Things have changed though. Two kittens have invaded the House of Chaos lately, staying longer and longer every day (no doubt worrying their owners to no end but how can we shut them out without shutting our own cats out ?). And they have taken their time getting used to the feline denizens here, with a lot of hissing and snarling during the first weeks, but now they seem to have settled in, apparently having been accepted by the others, and are slowly thawing to Hrimnir’s frantic overtures for play. Oh yes, in the beginning they snubbed him: he was left forlorn and unhappy, mrewing and chirruping for all he was worth, whilst the tiny twain would bunker and doze in splendid rebuff. His friendly invitations for play were hissed at, snarled at, swiped at. He did not understand why two fellow kitties would not want to play with him. And so he was forced to turn again towards a grinning Bean Sidhe, who lay eagerly awaiting his small playmate with open paws.
But now… now Franky and Frankette are willing. Even seeking Hrimmikins out for a bout or tussle. They are most happy to oblige and slowly and surely Hrimnir is introducing them to the many joys of toys that litter the House of Chaos. Strangely enough the Frank Twain did not know toys. They were afraid of the feathers-on-a-string-on-a-stick, which would touch them unexpectedly. They ran away from the balls with feathers or tinkle bells, who would mercilessly roll after them. They feared the faux rattlesnake, which would drop on their unsuspecting little forms when they were sleeping in the Couch of Chaos.
Not anymore. Oh-ho ! With a vengeance they hunt the stringed feathers, chase the balls, and tap away at the rattlesnake’s rattling tail with all the joy and merriment of 2 kittens happily and fully engaged in the serious business of play. They used to chase each other exclusively, but now -to Hrimnir’s eternal delight- they were chasing him. He is jumped at, ran over, tickled, scratched, tagged and bowled over. Two lovely playmates are now making his life joyous bliss and after the play sessions you can find all three of them happily snoring together in the Couch of Chaos, back to back, tail over tail. Hrimnir has fwends now.
Not so Bean Sidhe. The Bannster is left puzzled at the side. He wants to play with Hrimnir. He does not want to play with two strange upstarts that look too frightfully close like Zorro. (Indeed, Zorro and the Frank Twain are tuxedo’s and their spots look strangely similar. They’re not his get though. Zorro siring these two would have been a miracle of Biblical proportions ever since that ahem-ectomy almost 10 years ago…) Bannikins likes to win the games with the ease of a bull-dozer facing a motorbike. He does not like facing the chance that he might lose from three kitties ganging up on him together. And besides, having to service 3 kittens would take far too much energy, which is a precious commodity that he does not have in ample supply, he thinks.
Yet there is nothing he can do about the matter. Hrimnir is fully enamored by the Frank Twain and knows no longer his previous playmate. Should Bean Sidhe sigh in contentment that he is being left alone in perfect indolence at last ? Or should he mourn the missed chance of losing some of his excess weight by executing a pleasant pass-time ? He does seem to be of two minds about this new situation. But at least, unlike Zorro when confronted with a new situation he doesn’t like, he doesn’t take it out on the wee ones. Franky and Frankette can rest assured that their cat-naps will remain undisturbed by the Bannster. Unlike Zorro, who is fond of the sneak-attack and the swipe-by, Bannikins is wont to let sleeping kitties be.
I did catch Zorro doing a swipe-by against my fur hat yesterday. Apparently he thought it was a kitty dozing on that pile of books. His subsequent look of disappointment and his instant realization of the loss of dignity this caused was … marvellous.
Picture below: “Cant we be fwends ? … Plees ? … ‘Ello ? … Ooh-hooh ? … Hay dere ?! …”
Lots of furry friends are gathering this festive weekend on the Friday Ark and at the Carnival of the Cats. Enjoy the parties !!!
House of Chaos 