Frankie and Floki get along well enough, but they typically don’t sleep close together. That is why it was a pleasure to see this.
The second photo was taken an hour and twenty minutes after the first, so it wasn’t like they were close by mistake. Unfortunately, since these pictures were taken over three weeks ago, I have not seen them so close again.
We lost Chris exactly a year ago on September 7, 2024. Our home has not been the same without him. He was like a feline patriarch. He was the reason our cats slept together.
We don’t see this anymore. Occasionally, Frankie and Floki might be on the bed together, but rarely close.
When I think of Chris, I think of two different eras. There was the skinny era, where Chris caused trouble wherever he went, and he went everywhere. He was able to get on top of things that seemed impossible for any normal cat. He was also able to open almost any door. He even shocked me one day when he came through our locked bedroom door.
Then there was fat Chris. That was when he slowed down and didn’t do the crazy things he used to do. He napped more during those times, which resulted in more photo opportunities like the one above. He was also jealous of Frankie, which I found humorous. I was never sure if he was jealous that Frankie was paying attention to me or that I was paying attention to Frankie.
Chris was the most affectionate cat ever. Unfortunately, that affection involved kneading, which had to be on bare skin. Even though it was painful at times, I miss it.
I even miss the biting.
Chris was one of a kind and will always be missed.
My stepson, Nick, and his fiancée, Chandra, arrived late yesterday for a week-long visit. They brought along their French bulldog, Cindy. As I was helping bring their stuff in from the car, I witnessed a meeting between Frankie and Cindy. Cindy was on our catio, and Frankie was in the laundry room. The door was open, and they were both face-to-face, seemingly smelling each other.
I thought to myself, Oh, that meeting went better than I envisioned it. Just then, all hell broke loose. Frankie started whacking Cindy relentlessly. He chased her onto the catio and under the table, where he continued his assault. I tried to get Frankie while Rose and Chandra tried to get Cindy. We were delayed because it was difficult getting them from under the table. When we finally did pick them up, we had to remove Frankie’s claw from Cindy’s back. During the scuffle, Frankie got me. too.
We kept them separated for a while, with Frankie outside while Cindy was inside, and then with Cindy outside while Frankie was inside. One time, Frankie was on the Catio while Cindy was in the yard.
I did bring Frankie in on a leash at one point, hoping to introduce them in a more controlled environment. That went okay, but certainly no friendship developed.
Later, Frankie was outside when our neighbor’s dog went crazy, trying to bust through the fence to get at Frankie. I decided he needed to come in at that point.
Once inside, Frankie and Floki met to plan their next move.
I don’t remember exactly what happened next, but a few minutes later another one-sided fight occurred, this time under the dining room table, and again, my hand got in the way.
Later, we sat in the living room for a while with Cindy on Chandra’s lap with a pillow over her for protection while Frankie lay in a chair giving her the evil eye.
I don’t know how we are going to last a week.
My wife and I usually hang out in the bedroom for a half hour or so before going to bed. This is often the time Frankie comes looking for attention, although it is not the only time. Here he is a few nights ago.
My wife put a wicker table on the catio a while ago, and it has become Frankie’s new favorite spot. Floki’s favorite spot is near where you see him in this photo. Apparently, they want to be where the neighbor’s dog can see them and get all riled up.
Frankie’s second favorite spot is near the house, but also on the catio. In fact, he spends nearly the entire day on the catio, only coming in to use the litter box and eat.
We all know that when outside cats fight, it can get brutal, but what about when inside cats fight? I don’t know about all inside cats, but at our house, it’s pretty tame. The exception would be the early fights between Chris and Frankie when Frankie first joined our family, and one other fight a year or two later between those two. It was so bad that we had to separate them between a closed door.
Other than that, fights at our house are more like roughhousing. Sometimes it seems they are fighting in slow motion. For example, here is Frankie and Floki last night.
Do your cats fight? If so, how do they fight?
On our walk on Tuesday Morning, Frankie decided to check on our neighbor’s female cat, who is also named Frankie. He first peeked through the door, but the inner door was closed, and he couldn’t see anything, so he climbed onto her chair and looked through the window.
Here is a photo of Chris from May 17, 2011. I don’t know if someone yelled at him to get off the refrigerator or if he had seen enough and was on to the next thing.
Here’s Frankie on Sunday and Monday… and pretty much every other day.
Frankie helped me make the bed yesterday morning. When I’m done, I always put his blankie on the bed. Since he was in the way, he ended up under his blankie.
The scene repeated this morning, but Frankie moved while I got my phone to take his picture.
Bad Cat Chris 