A Story of Cats' Behavior
cat family

This is a story about a family of cats that lived on a farm. They displayed exciting and unusual behavior, but that was only the beginning. The cats seem to delight in unexpected behavior. We will share a few gems with you.

There are three female cats on a farm. They consist of the matriarch, Kameron, and two of her daughters. There were other female cats on the farm, but people found homes for all of them. Cats, as solitary hunters, aren't expected to show any kind of social order. The three female cats do have a definite hierarchy. Of course, the top cat is Kameron, but it's the two daughters that have been interesting. The older daughter, Phoebe, is from Kameron's first litter she had on the farm. She is a sturdy, healthy calico breed that has not had any real problems. The second daughter is Abby. Abby is a couple of years younger than Phoebe. She is the tiniest cat on the farm. A black cat with flashy white markings, Abby, is active and elegant.

Since her birth, Phoebe has been Kameron's favorite daughter. Phoebe and Kameron hung out together much of the time. Kameron even allowed Phoebe to help her with her kittens. When Kameron wanted to go do something, Phoebe was right there to babysit. Even when Kameron was there, Phoebe was also there with her. You could often see her washing a kitten or providing a cozy place for the little guy to sleep. When Abby arrived, things continued quite a while in the same way. Abby grew up and had her first litter of kittens. Phoebe, as occasionally happens with calico cats, has turned out to be sterile. She has never had any kittens. Because of that, when Abby had her kittens, Phoebe lost her favorite daughter status. With Abby's kittens, Kameron became the doting grandmother. She was always helping Abby with her kittens. You could often see the two of them lying together, bathing the kittens or watching them play. Phoebe was banished. She was not allowed anywhere near the kittens since.

Phoebe didn't just lose her kitten privileges. She was not even allowed to play with Kameron anymore the way she used to. Poor Phoebe was very uneasy. She knew who to blame for her predicament: Abby. Phoebe and Abby fought several times. Unfortunately for Phoebe, Kameron would sometimes take Abby's side and run her off. Phoebe was banished and started hanging out with her brothers. A couple of years have passed. Abby is still the favorite daughter. Phoebe's position has eased somewhat. Last summer, Abby allowed Phoebe to help her with her kittens once in awhile. Kameron has allowed Phoebe to hang out with her again from time to time. Who knows? One day Phoebe may just be able to work herself back into her mother's good graces. Abby seems to think so. She oversees Phoebe. If she feels that Phoebe is going too well, Abby will start a fight with her. And life goes on.

It isn't only the girls showing some abnormal behavior. This past year two little brown kittens were born. Dexter, a handsome cinnamon brown with lots of flashy white, was born in the spring. Arthur is solid brown without any white at all and was born in the late summer. They both are fascinated by horses. There are three horses on the farm. Every day you can find Dexter or Arthur (or both) strategically positioned to watch them. When we call the horses out of their pasture, often we find Dexter trotting in along with them. If we throw hay into their cribs, we have to check before we throw. Quite often, Dexter or Arthur will be sitting in the manger, ready for a close-up study of the horse. When the horses are grazing, Dexter will walk along, nose to the ground until his nose almost touches the horse's nose. He will stay still for a few moments until the horse gently moves his head at the kitten to make him go out of the way. Arthur has recently fallen in love with the horse's tails. He walks behind the horse's heels and starts playing with the tailpiece. Fortunately for him, the horses never kicked him into outer space.

Cats are lovely, funny, and entertaining creatures! You can never guess what they are going to do next!

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