Ivan the cat is a lover, not a fighter, and lately, he can’t catch a break.
When Chester the cat catches him in the crosshairs of his golden eyes, all hell breaks loose!
Part of me feels Ivan brings it upon himself.
When he sees Chester looking at him, he goes into victim mode and skulks away, as if goading Chester to give chase. Which Chester is happy to oblige. They then tear down the stairs to the basement, with Ivan shrieking full out at the top of his lungs as if he is being murdered!
It’s a scene that has been playing out quite a lot lately. And as strange as it may seem, they both seem to enjoy it!
Although it sounds like Ivan is being torn to shreds, there is never a mark on either of them. Chester seems to like the chase more than the catch, if he ever does catch Ivan. And Ivan seems to like the drama!
And even stranger is that if Ivan stands his ground for even one nano second, Chester respects that and walks away.
But in the backdrop of all that pretend fierceness and cat-sanity, is what I call the Bed of Truce.
That’s the bed where we all sleep. Chester sleeps near my pillow. Ivan just mere inches away by my side. They are sworn enemies almost anywhere else in the house. But on the family bed, we are just that, a family.
I have even caught them lying on the family bed during the day. And sometimes they are so close, they are almost touching. And then moments later, they are eating together side by side at their food bowls.
I can’t explain their dynamic. Or why they act the way they do.
But I am glad they find their peace at the end of the day, and sometimes even during the day, on the Bed of Truce.
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