This is Mouse:
When we got him, he was somewhere around 3 months old and he was born feral; he was incredibly skittish and it took a lot of persistence to get him comfortable with us, and it still takes a lot of persistence for him to become comfortable with new people. Now, though, he’s our most affectionate cat, always insisting that we sit on the couch so he can cuddle. Captain Wentoworth, our other cat, has many a hiding spot and always naps in one of those out of the way places. Mouse often sleeps on the couch or another in the open place, probably so he won’t miss a cuddle opportunity.
And because he’s often out in the open, Evie can get to him and frequently does. She means well, but she doesn’t quite understand her strength, whether she’s too strong one moment -like when she lays on top of him -or too weak -like when she tries to pick him up.
But she loves Mouse. LOVES him. And I don’t know why, but Mouse won’t run away when she comes near. Captain does. Captain didn’t need more than one instance of Evie’s affection to know that he didn’t want any part of it. Mouse, on the other hand, will sit there and take it all. He won’t like all of it, like when she pulls his tail, and will even do that hiss/growl/meow thing that cats do but doesn’t necessarily precede violence. But he won’t run away. I mean, he’ll sometimes get up, take a few steps, and then plop down again, but he doesn’t run away. And, i mean, he plops down and just seems surprised to see her again. Like, “Wh-?! HOW did you find me again?” Or, “How did you get to me SO FAST?!”
I can’t stop her every single time so I try to keep her from getting out of hand but there are times when I’m late to the party and I hear that hiss/growl/meow thing and I try to stop her, but barely a minute later, she’s back to her old tricks. And it’s so sad and yet so funny. But then there are moments, where he shoots me this look:
And I think, “He is going to kill us in our sleep.” This situation is seriously like all those stories you hear. I mean, other cats in the neighborhood will meow among themselves: “he was so nice” and “he was such a quiet cat; always sitting at the window, gazing out into the world” or even “I would never have thought… The other one, maybe, but the little one?”
I mean, I watch a lot of Criminal Minds and the like and they often talk about how a serial killer is made and I can see that cycle of abuse and complacence between all of us and Mouse.
So now you know. If something happens, blame the cat.