Brotherly Love

Every day, when we pull into the carport, Bentley runs up to the front of the car, delirious of the fact the one day, our feet may slip from the brakes, and his burgeoning body may end up in a flattened mess.

Thank goodness, my precious mutt had learned to back up a little before charging to the headlights, repeating the motion until the car comes to a stop.

Is it animal instinct or is it his brother, Bubba, the wiser creature, who meows at him from atop the steps, warning him to stay away from the steel machine?

The sight of the little tabby meowing gently at his brother never ceases to bring a smile to us at the end of a long day. What is he saying to him?

"Back off, you idiot?"Nah, he loves him too much to use that language.

Research has indicated that different breeds of animal communicate by body language and phermones. So what exactly is Bubba trying to tell Bentley when he meows at him? www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htm

Some of you had never met Bubba. He's the first cat that ever stole my heart. While he's independent (selfish, some may say but I disagree), he's extremely affectionate and always returns home after a long day outside, and speaks with you. He meows, we meow back at a similar pitch and style. He purrs, we reply by rolling our "r's". This exchange carries on until we the human get well, tired. Then he'll just be content to plop down by us, usually me. He's almost like the ideal dog. While Bentley is a lovable dog, he's hardly what I deem ideal.

He doesn't care for toys nor play catch. Bubba doesn't mind chasing things.

Bentley will lie still, contently, when we rub him. Bubba loves to his belly rubbed and will playfully try to scratch or gnaw gently at our teasing hands.

Another endearing trait of Bubba is his brotherly love toward his jealous brother. When he gets a chance to walk by Bentley, he will swish his tail gently at his snout, and stop for a moment, pressing his little body to Bentley's chest. Sadly, Bentley doesn't reciprocate -- he'll just be really still wherever he is, thinking that if he doesn't return the favor, Bubba will move on. My smart kitty got the message. But unlike us humans who may hold grudges, he just presses on daily. It frustrates and tickles us at the same time to see this act of love and oblivion.

Bentley does engage in some contact with Bubba, most notably the one where he would walk up to the cat, sniff and snort, and go on his way. We have no idea what that meant. Is it a macho way of his, saying "Here, don't say I ignore you!"

It's hard to think that many years ago, I swear I'd never want a cat or that I would have time for a dog. Now we have 2 boys, and I couldn't be more happy we have them to come home to.