It's raining CATS AND DOGS-- It actually is

Today Face moved back home. Face is Patrick's cat. Patrick is in Europe doing music stuff and his beloved cat was temporarily staying with a friend who had to return him today as she was going out of town. The re-integration of Face to house, house that is now occupied by a woman and a dog, did not go well... to put it mildly. At about 9 am today, the cat (whose name suits him perfectly, he has a big, wide, open face that just stares out at you) was dropped off. About half an hour later Toad and I headed downstairs to meet our new feline house mate and in my not quite conscious haze I didn't think a) that maybe I should pre-plan how this introduction should be made, i.e. Toad probably should have been on a leash, b) that anything could go all that wrong.

The minute Toad's little paws hit the first floor and Face caught sight of him everything went ape-shit. I couldn't even describe exactly what happened because it went really, really fast and it involved furry bodies flying in each and every direction. I am pretty sure that Face literally tried to climb the wall and did at least two back flips while making strange hissing noises that were produced in some deep down part of his body. Toad was frantically trying to respond... dancing between trying to meet the cat and trying to escape the cat. I screamed. Dane looked at the these 2 animals, neither of them his, horrified. And then we went into phase two, the phase that directly follows crisis, the planning phase. So what the hell do we do now?

We haven't exactly passed through phase two yet.... but some developments have occurred. After the furry freak out, Face found a spot for himself on a dining room chair near the back wall and back windows of the house. Toad being the doy yoy that he is again attempted to make friends with this representative from the other species... Face made that weird growly hiss sound and his fur started flying off his body ( I am not kidding, he has been violently shedding his beautiful coat all day-- which is apparently a sure sign of stress in cats). Toad sort of backed off but didn't really seem to absorb the meaning of the poor Face's body language and vocals. Throughout the day, it seems that Face has allowed Toad to get closer and closer, though when the distance between them shrinks significantly Face's back goes way up and the noises start. Dane is of the belief that we should let them play this out on their own and I should not interfere. I don't know cats and he does, so I am letting him make the call on this one-- though I know it likely will result in Toad getting swatted in the face (no pun or whatever intended).

At the moment, the traumatized Toad is nuzzled in his crate so that the traumatized Face can have his run of the house without mr. canine goof ball popping up around every corner. It's a tricky thing that we have done to these cats and dogs, making them live together and share the same role, i.e. pet for humans. It's a role they don't want to share, they don't want to share the love of their owners, they don't want to share the physical space and moreover they don't want to be in a club or a fraternity/sorority with a creature of an entirely different etiological origin and orientation. I sympathize with them, I really do. And at the same time I am in awe at how these creatures take over our lives. Both Dane and myself (along with many other people on the peripheries) whole day was taken by thinking about, strategizing around and emotionally dealing with these two little wackos, it's unreal! My feeling is that it will all work out in time and I am sincerely looking forward to getting to know this intense little (not so little really) cat.

Any tips from those of you have experience with the forced cat/dog family?

X.O. My.

P.S. I made a drink of vodka and pineapple juice and it's delicious.

P.P.S. I am going to see Skratch Bastid tonight which is very exciting as I have heard nothing but good things about him but somehow have never seen him, even though he lives in T.O. My roomies are apparently really good friends with him, so I am being brought along! Fun.

P.P.P.S. Remind me to write about the art show I saw today, video of sex workers talking about their grandmothers, it was great--- there is good art here after all.