Kirby's Catty Furiends

Kaitlyn is 5 years old.  She and Kirby will play together but on her terms.  When they are in the back yard she teases him by getting just close enough for him to reach her and then she runs beyond his reach.  They play some inside until Kirby gets too rough.  Then she has the advantage of jumping up where he can't reach her.  I've watched him chase her around the house, him on the floor, her jumping across furniture.  She has her own bed in the laundry room but every now and then she will come sleep with me with Kirby's approval.  Once she settles on the bed, he'll sniff her, then settle down himself. 

When she was roughly 5 - 6 weeks old someone found her on Christmas Day.  Her whiskers were melted, she had a huge wound on her side, and she was skin and bones.  I took her home to mend with every intention of finding her a home.  Apparently she already knew she was home!  This girl is very affectionate and cuddly.

Chelsea is roughly 11 years old.  She had a litter when she was very young and we ended up keeping two of the kittens, Baby and Braxton.  We call her the mama cat because she was such a good, attentive mama.  Baby died at 3 years old from illness and Braxton disappeared at close to two years of age. I think Chelsea truly mourned them.  She accepts Kaitlyn lives here but that's as far as any relationship between them goes. She can be very loving when she wants but is immensely independent for the most part.  She does seem to be rather grouchy on more occasions than not.  She does show her love by regularly leaving us food on the doormat - mostly mice, rabbits, and birds. 

Kirby thinks she is quite mean and gives her plenty of room and respect.  Even though she has made him cry on several occasions he has been known to be rather protective of her.  Guess it's a family kind of thing, after all, she is one of his pack.  The only time Kirby ever stands his ground with her is at bedtime.  For some reason he decided that she is not allowed to sleep in my bedroom.  If she is in there when we are getting ready for bed, he will bark at her persistently until she leaves the room.