As I mentioned, Edgar is really an expert at this, having been an indoor cat for ten years now, so here are a few more little tips from his store of “avoiding cabin fever” wisdom.
DAY TEN
Hello from the outside …
Edgar reminds you to get some fresh air, even if you just stick your face out of the window and breath, for a slightly different perspective.
DAY ELEVEN
Don’t think, even for a second, about slacking on the physical distancing.
Edgar has his eyes (both of them) on you!
Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe, in the words of the wonderful Dr. Bonnie Henry.
You can do this!
[The actual story behind Edgar’s disgusted look — I was finally baking Phillip’s birthday cake and it overflowed in the oven, so batter was burning and making everything smokey, in spite of open doors and window. He did not appreciate the pollution of his indoor air quality.]
GETTING ALONG WITH YOUR POD-MATES
By now, things could be getting kind of tense with those you are sharing your socially distanced “pod” with, no matter how much you love them.
Small grievances or failures of etiquette can lead to dark places, without the use of some careful diplomacy.
Edgar, having led a harmonious indoor life for so many years, getting along with so many uncouth species, shows us how it’s done.
The morning begins with Edgar in his “rightful” spot in front of the fire.
Geordie wanders over and Edgar gets up to give him his morning head bump.
Geordie accepts the morning caress but then — oh dear — misinterprets the situation and moves into the fireside vacancy.
Now, this could have gone rather badly for Geordie (and you can see he’s thinking the same thing) but Edgar decides to take the high ground, satisfying his honour by subjecting Geordie to a slightly passive aggressive “butt in the face disguised as a snuggle” manoeuvre, before retiring gracefully to his second “rightful” place beside the fire.
So that’s how it’s done folks. Win, win and no noses scratched.
Edgar would love to hear about your domestic diplomacy victories in the comments.
Beautiful! Such fine models! : )
Dr. Bonnie Henry is truly wonderful❤️
And thanks Edgar and Geordie…
This is wonderful!
Such a wise sage is Edgar!
Love their communication. I’m guessing Geordie thought, if not knew from his eyes, that his fire minding spot could be trouble. But Edgar in his wisdom simply made his point with simple posturing, which was accepted by Geordie without bristle, small price to pay. At which time Edgar took the high road, elevation being quite suitable for kings anyway. The loveliness of sharing a home with two animals who have found companionship.
Ah, the one occasion when we crossed the line and invaded our Calico cat Catinka’s sanctum was The Great Duck Delivery! Having just acquired 2 ducklings, we set up a large box in the kitchen, with a heat lamp inside. Scuffling noises and “peep, peep ,peep!” kept emanating from the box. One VERY offended cat! So.. in the interest of Zen calmness, if your house is owned by a cat, now just might not be a good time to insert ducks into the kitchen!
Our three cats are reveling in the work from home situation we have found ourselves in. There are so MANY laps to curl up in and no lack of attention. In fact, they are the ones practicing social distancing. It’s absolutely exhausting having to visit people all day and every third day or so they disappear into the basement for a full day of cat napping then return the next day to start their rounds again. It’s gonna be a BIG shock when we all go back to the office!
Love the smart animal interactions.
The masters of social distancing, the crows now come closer to me than people in the park but not close enough to satisfy my desire to hug and pet them.