Rufus sits on the back step, watching the wildlife around him, too hot to do more than think about chasing them. Levi, his arch-enemy, lays in wait under the flowers in his own yard for a change. Levi's crazy owner thinks Rufus is the cause of the war, and he is, but not in the manner she suspects. Levi is used to sauntering over to our yard to sit on top of the slide while proclaiming himself "King of the Mountain". All was fine until the Albuquerque desert cat objected to a strange cat in his yard. Levi refused to leave quietly, fighting tooth and claw for the right to claim his usual spot. Rufus wasn't fine with that. The first night they fought, the crazy lady ran around in our pitch black backyard, screaming cuss words, using her cell phone for light, until she threw it at the snarling pair. With her light gone and her cell phone swallowed up in the darkness, she found new things to scream about as we ignored the chaos, lost in a movie on the second floor.
We had a white flag of truce day later but I was unaware that a truce was needed. She explained her behavior, trying poorly to sound sane, and blamed our cat for the fight. "Maybe Levi should stay in his own yard," I suggested, as if that was a real possibility. I've never known a cat to respect human boundaries. We came to an understanding- I'd let Rufus out at night, and she'd let Levi out during the day, but I never said I wouldn't let Rufus out during the day as well, so Rufus comes and goes whenever he pleases, and Levi skulks in the bushes and runs for home when I yell at him.
She wanted to know if Rufus had injuries recently, but he's fine. Levi has been fighting with another cat lately and she insinuated that Rufus caused it. Rufus was bored by the whole situation and glared at Levi through narrowed eyes. Levi slinked back to his side of the driveway. "Maybe Levi should stay home," I said again.
I talk loudly to Levi whenever I see him on our property because their windows are open, even on the hot, humid summer days. "Levi, Go HOME!" I say, clapping my hands. "Quit peeing on my steps!" And Levi runs for home, unrepentant and plotting his next military action. Rufus rolls over on his back and watches the clouds in the sky turn gray and stormy. The sky isn't as blue as New Mexico, and the clouds are usually rain clouds. For a desert cat, Rufus doesn't mind the rain. He sits on the back step and lets it turn him into a soggy mess. Levi hates the rain as much as he hates Rufus and runs for cover when the first drops hit. Rufus yawns and opens one eye, "Stupid cat," he thinks. But it's too much trouble to do any more than sleep, so he does, ignoring me when I open the door and ask if he wants to come in out of the rain.
Comments (16)
@BoureeMusique - not sure who Rufus is like, but he is all personality! :)
@POETIC_ISIS - Rufus- like every other cat I know, has his own sense of what is proper and what isn't and it has nothing to do with human expectations, boundaries, rules, or decorum!
@The_Dream_Or_The_Nightmare - it's been a while! nice to see you again!
@jacksoncroons - maybe? hmmm....
@King_of_the_Worker_Monkeys - Rufus is the pure definition of cool!
@Karens_Potpourri - thanks!
What a great story.