Oh, Missy, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind. Oh, Missy!
Missy the shorthair cat belongs to John's parents. For the Christmas Holiday, his parents, Ann and Victor, dropped off Missy for us to look after while they vacationed in Mexico with some other family members. John and I were sad to not be able to go with them, but as I couldn't get the time off work (cheers to working in tourism) and we didn't want to leave Kap alone for so long (cheers to separation anxiety in a cat that needs medication twice a day) it worked out that Missy could stay with us instead of going to a cat hotel.
I was a little anxious about having another cat around. Kap is great with people, but Franklin is not. He was skittish around Ann and Victor both nights they stayed with us, and in the past both cat sitters we've tried have taught Franklin the true meaning of Stranger Danger, causing him to hide and not trust any food they leave out for him. Yes, cats are different to humans, but I was worried that Franklin, having only ever met Kap in his whole six months of life, wouldn't take well to having another cat around, let alone a senior cat like Missy.
Boy, was I wrong.
Franklin was in love the moment Missy stepped out of her carrier. He tried to approach her, and he was met with the exact same response Kap had when they first met: hissing and growling. Poor Fran. Missy wanted nothing to do with him. And poor Kap, she wanted nothing to do with him either, even though she and Kap used to live together for a short time. It took three days to wear down Kap when we adopted Franklin, but unfortunately Missy was not as easily swayed. Franklin embarrassed himself in front of her at least twice a day, trying to make himself seem suave and cool and instead getting tangled up in bags (see photo below), spooking easily at her hisses, and proving that he is simply a complete noob in the game that is Love.
I wish this story had a happier ending, but alas, Franklin did not end up wooing his crush. It took Missy about two days to warm up to me and John, and once she did she followed us around and cuddled with us as much as she could. She's a real people cat. For the entirety of her stay, she only wanted attention from John and I. Despite Franklin and Kap's best efforts, she continued to hiss, growl, and swat at them if they got too close. Luckily, no cats were hurt physically, but both Franklin and Kap were visibly sad that she wanted nothing to do with them.
Over time, she did allow them to get closer to her before she would start hissing that they were too close. On the last night of her stay she even allowed both boys on the bed! It was so heartwarming to have all three laying with us as we watched holiday movies.
And of course, me being me, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take pictures of all three cats in Franklin's holiday wreath-collar on Christmas Day.
Kap is the only one who liked wearing it, so his picture was easy. Both Missy and Franklin forgot how to cat while wearing it, so I ended up having to take a screenshot from videos in order to capture the cuteness of my kitty models. I think it worked out quite merrily!
Missy left us the morning of December 30, after being with us for nine days. As of writing this article, she has been gone for a week, and both boys miss her terribly. One of her favorite spots to take a long cat nap was on our blue couch by the window, and this morning John caught both boys laying in her spot, awaiting her return. As far as I know, Missy has no plans of staying with us in the near future, but for the boys' sake (and honestly my own, I miss that gorgeous girl) I hope we get to cat sit her again very soon.
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