Caught up

I needed some distance on current events. Egypt is a war to be fought by Egyptians, not arm chair generals. At the moment it seems clear that the entrenched regime is shuffling its cards, the procrastination game the US has enabled since '52 goes on and on. Life has germinated in Tahrir, a whole system evolves and each night I look at it teeming over the shoulder of Nic or Ben Wedemen the same thought comes, when are the bulldozers going to be sent to clear the Square. Egyptians are already saying the police are back pulling people aside, arrests...it doesnt end, the Army has been flexing its muscle.
I have more innocuous problems at home with a gentle souled cat who has suddenly turned on his roommate and hisses and smacks at him, physically tries to intimidate by jumping over him as the youger one waits to play with him, chasing him into another room, then strolling back to sit with me. The younger cat, only by a few months, is now equal in weight and size, they've both reached adulthood at age 3.5, the younger one who patterned all his cat behaviour on Mr. B cant understand why he's being rebuffed and bullied. He lies back belly up in submission, doesnt work. He usually doesnt strike back unless he's being hurt. Sometimes he falls asleep next to me and whimpers in his sleep, twitching. But more difficult for me is that Bootie loves Mr. B, he knows no other cat. Sometimes I'll call him to come back or come into the kitchen, he wont cross Mr. B who just chased him away.
It's such a small apt, there's no room for this tension and drama between 2 animals who should be companions. They want for nothing. I thought maybe Mr. B was sick. He never wants his stomach or back paws touched, but he's been that way since a kitten. Other times he comes near me, lies down and purrs very heavily...this only started in the past few months, he's never purred that I could hear. But Bootie purrs all the time, he chatters and mews, grumbles, comments about everything, makes his dislikes very clear...i.e. I am sitting down to dinner and it doesnt include any chicken for him to nibble.
Bootie discovered snow this year, its not the first year he's seen it, but now its an event that he loves. I made the mistake of opening the screen to show him the snow on the window sill and he reveled in the beauty of it. he pushed his paws through it, tried to catch the snow before it fell away from him. Now, snow or no snow, he wants to sit on the window sill with the screen up. If I open the window and kneel nearby, he paws at the screen, then stands on his hind paws to stretch trying to open the screen or show me to open it for him. So I do and then he curls up in his corner like a yenta and purrs as he lifts his nose to sniff whats going on.
He likes to throw crumbs out in the morning, we stop by in the evening...he would do well as an outside cat, but his being on a window sill 2 floors up requires full attention.
Since Boots discovered the snow and the world outside this tiny place, he wants to go on the sill every time I walk in that direction. And this it seems was about the time that Mr. B became incensed. Last year we had a squirrel coming by who would sit on the other side of the screen while it remained down and chatter and sit with Bootie. Mr. B was offended, sulked and then would simply chase Bootie out of the kitchen and sit on the window sill himself. And not in a position so that Bootie could sit with him, nope, all 18 pounds were spread across the sill making it clear the window was "Occupied."
Bootie is a very smart cat. He watches EVERYTHING and learns very fast. While he respects Mr. B as the alpha cat, he refuses to give up what he loves and that includes the great outdoors. So despite being chased and whacked on his little potato head (his head is as round and full as his tummy) he continues to demand some outdoor fresh air whenever it can be fit into our kitchen time.
I offered Mr. B the same option, his tail went up and he strolled out of the kitchen. I thought he sniffed as he left or mumbles something about 'the unwashed masses,' but I've taken in too much current events of late and my wires may have crossed.