The Purry Pride

Definition #10 of "pride" at Dictionary dot com is "a group of lions" - with lions being the immediate cat one thinks of when in a group. House lions are like that too, forming their own pride, a group with a definite hierarchy within the members.
For all the "King Of The Jungle" stuff with African Lions, it is the females who make up the majority of the group, and of course females who do most of the work. They are the hunters, the child-rearers, and the ones to keep the species going. Males get to sit around and roar and fornicate.
I will try not to draw parallels between lions and humans....
Like a pride of wild lions, a pride of house cats has a definite structure and pecking order. This is most noticeable when a new member is introduced to the family, whether through birth or through assimilation. When I brought Little Isis up into the trio of headstrong females that made up my family's pride, I frankly didn't have much hope of her ever being tolerated, much less accepted.
Yet this morning, both Daphne and Chloe were playing with Little Isis, and yesterday afternoon during Napurday, Spooker actually napped within eight inches of the little black intruder!
Spooker is definitely the old matriarch in our home, and she thwaps the youngsters into submission. Daphne is second in line, because of her tenacity and her not giving in to Spooker's thwapping. Chloe seems perfectly content being third, so long as she gets extra attention from me.
And then there's Little Isis. She's just so happy to have a home to run and play in, and a nice soft hammock to sleep in - and over the past few weeks she's become very affectionate with me. She's learned the value of cuddling and doesn't object as much to being held - even asking for it sometimes. Yesterday, she was napping on my chest and slid slowly over between my armpit and the back of the sofa, thus allowing Spooker to claim her place on my chest. Like I said, it was the first time that Spooker tolerated such proximity of Isis, and for a short while there was peace in the pride.

How does Jazper fit into this? Well, not at all, really. He and Isis get along great, running and playing and napping together during the day (she's the only one who goes up & down with me to & from work). I've tried to introduce him to the others, but he is very aggressive with them. At various times he's attacked all three of them, and he has a great chunk of fur missing from the base of his tail where Spooker decided she wasn't going to take it anymore.
But he is very strong and has awful claws, and I just don't want to put my girls through unnecessary turmoil. They've just now got adjusted to having to live in a small apartment, and adding him to the mix causes undue stress.
So for now, Jaz remains in the shop at night. He spends most afternoons exploring the basement - it's very nice down there, and he has a heated bed and all the amenities. He gets praise and Temptations for going down there, and he seems happy to spend most of his time in the shop. I'd considered a leash and walks for him, but he is deathly afraid of traffic noise, and that just isn't a good option for him.
He gets to be King Of The Shop, and that's good enough for all of us right now.
To learn more about any of the Purries here at Purrchance To Dream, click on their collage in the sidebar to be taken to their biography.
For more "pride" Manic Monday entries, see the linkies at It's A Blog Eat Blog World.
cheers,
Not The Mama
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Mo and The Purries

10 comments :

  1. Wow! What great news for Isis! She's being accepted by the other ladycats.

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  2. awww, how sweet is all this mo mo?? i mean ntm! sorry...

    smiles, auntie bee
    xxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

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  3. Well, I think since Isis has "mellowed" a bit, maybe the other girls can tolerate her more?

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  4. I ♥ Isis. She has such an adventurous spirit. Jaz is right where he should be. Have a great MM Not The Mama, Mo and all the little angels too. :)

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  5. What a great post NTM! I really needed to read that. :) Hopefully as he calms downs Toeshee will fit into our pride too. Cricket has taken Tookie's role as Queen, so "She Who Must Be Pleased" has the final say.
    Sending lots of Hugs to you and your five furbabies,
    Lorianna

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  6. We have a Pride here...all five of us. We still have little tussles now and then. Mostly Sam likes to pick on the girls and then they kick his *ss. Hee Hee

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  7. "Males get to sit around and roar and fornicate."

    That sounds like a few human males i know too.

    Good for Isis starting to be accepted. She looks just like my kitty girl Moe.

    Rattitude

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  8. It's so awesome how animals have different personalities just like we do. Great post!

    Happy MM!

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  9. Well not all cats like all others. I think if Jaz has a good situation he should relish it!

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  10. Jazper has a good life as a shop cat, and it's clear he doesn't get along with the others, except Isis!

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