Good health and the joy of fighting
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Wan-Wan intervenes to prevent an all-out cat fight between Manohra and Phantom
AS I wrote last week, I’m so very pleased about Phantom’s renewed health, after all the problems this elderly cat has been suffering for months.
Although he’s lost weight, he’s still a big cat. An American shorthair breed, he has big bones, and he’s much larger than the other cats, who are all Thai.
Much to my surprise, he enjoys going (slowly) up and down stairs. He really shouldn’t. He has arthritis in his hips, and he’s lost a lot of muscle because he was so inactive when he was sick.
As soon as I give him his medicine in the morning, I let him out of his bedroom. He loves the freedom, even though he spends a great deal of his time sleeping. He’s 18 years old, after old, and seniors need their naps.
Everything seems to be going well, until one morning, I hear Manohra start screaming. The youngest of the cats, this kid makes everyone’s life miserable. She yells, she wails, she attacks, mainly my boy Yoyo.
This time, though, Yoyo is upstairs. Manohra is downstairs.
I look again. Manohra is hiding under a chair – and there is Phantom lying nearby. He’s staring at her, and then he moves closer.
Manohra screams again and lashes a paw full of very sharp claws at him.
Phantom doesn’t stop. He stands up and starts moaning. He raises a paw and gets ready to attack.
When Phantom first came and we had lots of cat fights, Phantom would usually just jump on his prey and hold them down because he weighed so much. Even though he’s lost weight now, he still weighs more than Manohra.
Her claws are sharp, but Phantom has the advantage of bulk.
There’s no way I can pull the two cats apart with my hands. Manohra has already ripped my hands several times, and Phantom, when he’s about to attack, would probably bite me.
I grab a soft plastic mat and try to place it in between the two cats. Sometimes, if they can’t see each other, they stop fighting.
Not this time. From her side, Manohra growls and hits the mat hard enough to rip holes in it with her claws. From his side, Phantom simply whacks the mat out of my hand.
Who will save these two cats from harming each other?
Who else but my poodle Wan-Wan!
Wan has always considered herself Cat Guardian. It doesn’t matter which cat is misbehaving. If she can, Wan will rush in and stop the bad behaviour. She’s even barked at Manohra when the cat is making life difficult for another cat.
This time is no different.
Wan’s smaller than Phantom. She’s even smaller than Manohra, but she shows the good sense not to attack face-to-face. She knows that if you aim for a nose, you risk being bitten.
Since Manohra is under the chair, Phantom is a much easier target. Wan takes aim and head-butts him on his side as hard as she can, but it isn’t strong enough to move Phantom.
Wan knocks him against his side again. This time, she has his attention. He hisses at her and tries to hit her with a paw.
He’s healthy, but he still doesn’t have his balance back. When you swing one paw, you’re balancing on three feet. Without that balance, he nearly falls over.
Before he can stand normally again, Manohra races for the stairs. Phantom is right behind her – for about four steps.
Then his back legs stop supporting him. Arthritis and weak muscles are against him. He slips, then slowly returns to the floor below and lies down near the fridge.
He’s not too upset. Manohra has stopped yelling. Since she’s silent, Wan has stopped head-butting him.
The old guy knows his priorities. It’s time to eat.
Peace settles on our home again.
