Aha moments good and bad

Thep, one of my soi cats, is facing a problem. It's early evening, and I’ve closed the front door before the mosquitoes can get inside.

Thep also wants to come inside too, but he’s outside looking in. Through the screen door, he can see food, his best friend Thong, and my white lady Mekhala, who doesn’t like him very much.

Thep is one determined cat. He bats a paw gently against the screen, but Mekhala, on the other side, bats back.

Then, just by chance, Thep solves his problem. To fight Mekhala, he hits the screen not with one paw but with two. A push from those two paws knocks the screen off its frame. Startled by the noise, Mekhala runs under a table, and the boy quickly realises he can slip through the frame and into the house.

I love the expression on his face as he steps through the door. His eyes are wide in surprise, quickly changing to pride in himself. He’s had an “a-ha!” moment and solved his problem.

My poodle pup Wan-Wan is ecstatic. Her friend Thep finally made it inside.

Thep doesn’t forget what he's learned. In the next few days, that screen constantly crashes to the floor as Thep proudly steps into the house.

I get bored, though, constantly re-attaching the screen, and I finally tie it to the frame, much to Thep’s confusion until he learns how to say, “Please let me in”.

Luckily, none of the animals is hurt from the falling screen, and Thep, realising that Mekhala considers herself top cat, starts trying to make friends with her, treating her as politely as he can.

Unfortunately, Thong, the other soi boy, learns how to solve a problem in a much more dangerous way.

Wan constantly interferes whenever he’s greeting Thep in the morning. The dog just wants to play, but Thep and Thong want to touch noses, share breakfast and nap together.

Thong constantly bats Wan with a paw to tell her to stay away, but the dog doesn’t listen. She yaps, she jumps around, she pushes herself between the two boys. She’s annoying, but Thong doesn’t know what to do. As Wan dances towards him, he lowers his head. A cat lowering his head is being friendly, but Thong is big, four kilos or more against Wan, who’s less than three. Head lowered, Thong simply butts Wan on her side. She goes flying, rolling over and over, landing a metre or so away. Staring at Wan, Thong realises he knows how to solve his problem. The dog is not so happy. She doesn’t understand why Thong gave her a head-butt. Besides, her ribs and hips are bruised and painful. I’m sad too. Wan no longer plays with Thong, especially when he lowers his head. Sometimes a solved problem doesn’t give the best outcome.