Poor Ibid

[james_davis_nicoll]

Groucho has taken to growling at Ibid so Ibid will move, allowing Groucho to commandeer the warm place where Ibid was sleeping.

Note that Ibid is three or four times larger than Groucho.

Comments

[w. dow rieder (from livejournal.com)]

Thus making for nice big warm spots.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

Ibid's just showing a decorous respect for Groucho's venerable years.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Must be, because Groucho is a wizened old dude these days and would not win a real fight. But G takes I's food and his spot.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

And Ibid will spend quite some time inching across the bed to curl up next to Groucho.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

Aww. I am getting a certain feline-translation of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, here.

Or perhaps Ibid is just not capable of believing they could win; I've known cats like that. But that doesn't go with the curling-up-next-to very well, so I'm going to go on believing Ibid has good manners and makes allowances for Groucho's crotchety age.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Many boy cats are reasonably happy being not just beta, but wayyyyyyy down in the household priority list. It's one reason I like cats - there are certainly plenty of dogs with this characteristic, but cats don't tend to show it through submissive peeing.

My Auxiliary Back-Up Cat, for example, is 24 pounds, 3 times the weight of my Supreme Overlord and Mistress and a good 30% bigger than his foster sister, the First Lieutenant Feline. But they run him off his food dish if they're so inclined, and elbow him out of the good sleeping spots, and he takes it all with equanimity.

[seth ellis (from livejournal.com)]

My parent's previous cats were a big bruiser male, champion of the neighborhood, and a timid older female. The male was absolute boss of everywhere except wherever the female wanted to sit, and it never seemed to bother him. In fact they had a sort of ritual in which he would drag pieces of cloth around the house—towels, scarves, etc.—and leave them here and there, and then she would come along and sit on them.

[kithrup.livejournal.com]

Polly deferred to Norman's spot as boss cat until Norman was no longer around. And now she's boss cat.

Ibid is simply thinking long term. As he's so often demonstrated, this is his strong suit.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Interesting.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Ibid came into the house as a fairly young cat, yes? Groucho had ample time to establish himself as alpha cat.

Bruno and Keegan (who is half his size) are still working out the details of who is in charge. Apparently Bruno's tail is *irresistible* and Keegan MUST ATTACK THE TAIL. And then he gets pasted, because Bruno does not appreciate anybody messing with his tail. Messing with the tail is a biting offense.