I can’t believe today marks one year since Floofenstein chose to become part of our family. If you haven’t read my previous posts about him, check out his tag page to do so.
The Clowder
Now then, there isn’t too much new news since October. Let’s start with his relationships with the rest of the clowder.
Nothing much has changed with Athena. He mostly ignores her, and she happily returns the favor. Occasionally, he’ll go after her a bit. Whether it’s antagonistic, I don’t know, and Athena doesn’t care, she hates it.
Floof has clearly taken Ritz under his wing… erm, paw. He and Ritz share a more playful version of the relationship Ritzy shared with his uncle Bumble. It makes me think that Floof is older than Ritz, putting him well outside the 3-5 years old guess our vet made. Ritz asks for groomies from Floof at least three times a day, mostly near mealtimes. It’s very sweet.
Floofenstein’s relationship with Dante has its ups and downs. If I had to guess, Dante is either jealous of the relationship Floof has with Ritz, unhappy that Floof has effectively stepped into the Alpha role with the boys, or both. That said, when things are going well, we’ve seen Floof giving Dante groomies. They’ll also head- and body-bonk each other, and will even occasionally play fight. But, every few weeks, they have a little tiff. Either Dante backs down or Floof puts him in his place, because the hierarchy hasn’t changed.
And then there’s Ginny. That relationship is interesting and almost certainly still evolving. I’ve caught them playing chase often. They occasionally wrestle, although Floof seems to understand that he could easily hurt her, so he’s pretty gentle. They’ve also had a few moments of challenging each other’s dominance. I think they’re agreeing to disagree or calling it a draw. I get the feeling that Floof — and the other boys — see Ginny as an equal parts fun and annoying little sister.
Toothbrushing
A couple of months ago, I added a “good boy” treat to Floof’s toothbrushing routine — I brush his teeth every night after supper. It’s a dental treat — mustn’t get his toofies dirty right after brushing them. Thanks to that addition, though, as soon as I put down the bowl I use to hold the bit of toothpaste, Floof comes trotting over. He’ll also “remind” me if I take too long after supper. He’ll come over and headbutt me and/or stare at me until I get to it.
He’s gotten very good about holding still for the actual brushing, and he usually waits until I’ve given him his treat before getting off of my lap. The only problem I have is that he likes the toothpaste too much and is more interested in licking it off of the toothbrush than letting me brush his teeth.
Traveling Cat
Since October, Floofenstein has gone to PetSmart a few times and to a King Street Cats bed sale. He loved all of his travels. He has graduated to getting carried at PetSmart — instead of being clipped to his carrier inside the shopping basket — so people can se him better and more easily give him attention.
He’s getting a gotcha day trip today, too. And, of course, we’ll stop in at Starbucks afterward so he can have a finger-dip of whipped cream. You’d be forgiven for thinking that’s his favorite part of traveling, but it’s definitely the attention.
He still revels in attention. To the point that if we call over one of the other cats, Floof will come and expect his share of pettings. Which leads to the final part of this post.
Don Floofione
The other day, as Jim and I were discussing Floof’s insistence on having his share of everyone’s petting opportunities, it hit me that it’s just like the mob taking protection money. And since he’s Alpha — at least with the boys — he must be the Don. But, Don Floofenstein doesn’t work too well. So, I adjusted his name a bit. And, I swear, he preened a bit when I called him Don Floofione for the first time. So, while we still mostly call him Floofenstein — or some derivative thereof — I do occasionally call him the Don, and he definitely doesn’t dislike it.
If you’ve made it this far, make sure to wish Floofenstein a happy gotcha day either in the comments or on Instagram. I post about him on my main account and on our cat account, Crawford.Clowder.
Thanks for reading to the end, and I hope you enjoyed this update on Floofenstein. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
