Winchester's Mom here.
It's been a very long time since I've written in this blog. I've lived with the lovable brat for four years now and I feel that we've really bonded.
When I write for him in 'Day to Day with Winchester Feline', I really try to stay true to his personality and actual events. He is a content cat for roughly 10% of his day. (Up from 1%.) I have lived with many cats over the years with many different personalities. I possibly had one cat as a kid that was as discontented as Winchester, but I have never had one as finicky! His tail is in near constant motion and his tastes are...well, dry food only, no treats. He gets excited about wet food and tuna, but that changes once he actually tastes it.
During the winter Winchester will put on a little weight. The vet suggested that I cut back on the amount of food I give him daily...just a little bit. So, when springtime rolled around this year, I gave it a go. For three weeks I cut back on his food a little. For three weeks he sulked, complained and became generally inactive. By the end of three weeks he had had enough!
I was sitting in the recliner, watching TV, when Winchester appeared next to the chair looking up at me. This seemed normal at first, so I invited him up to my lap. He didn't react. Instead he continued to stare at me. He sat perfectly still, staring at me for what may have been a good half hour. I made a couple more attempts to invite him up, but they were ignored. Then, as my arm rested peacefully on the armrest, Winchester made his move. He reared up, placed both forepaws on my arm at either side of his head, and chomped down! He didn't bite hard, but certainly enough to make a point. I scolded him. So he did it again! I picked him up, grabbed hold of his scruff to make sure he was paying attention and told him 'no'. When I let him go, he walked down the hallway to his food dish and glared at. I took the hint. No more diet for this cat!
He is also the most talkative cat I have ever met. I have met some very talkative cats, but Winchester is downright conversational. He has the largest variety of vocalizations I have ever heard from a cat. I have had complete conversations with the little brat. Usually about how he wants this or that and how I won't comply fast enough if at all. He is very good at back talk. My hope is to one day capture these conversations on video for all to enjoy, but he always knows when the camera is running and alters his behavior.
One such common conversation is marked by distinct meows which I have learned well.
"Mom, come watch me eat!"
"In a minute, Winchester."
"Now, Mom! Come watch me eat."
"Daddy will watch you."
"Oh, alright." Walks down the hall, looks at various things; won't eat. Comes back. "Mom! I want you to do it!"
"Alright, Winchester! I'm coming!"
"Good." "Good." "Good." (As he leads me down the hallway.)
"What? Daddy's not good enough?"
Daddy chimes in, "Nope. It's gotta be Mom."
"Are there any monsters hiding?"
"No, Winchester. There are no monsters. Everything's O.K.. Just eat your food."
Begins eating finally.
"Can I walk away now? Good."
Of course, we all know what he does if I'm not available to watch him eat...Mimzy in the food bowl!
Of course, we all know what he does if I'm not available to watch him eat...Mimzy in the food bowl!
In the meantime, I hope you can enjoy one video I did manage to capture of Winchester whining. He doesn't mind if I touch his front paws, but his willingness to let me touch his back paws depends greatly on his mood. He won't even tolerate the slight possibility that his foot might get touched.
For those of you who read his blog regularly, I can't thank you enough! I'm sorry they've been sporadic of late. The rhythm of my daily life has changed. I hope to get a good blog-writing stride back in place. In the meantime, thank you for your loyalty and patience.
