Overheard in the Hallway...

So, cats and dogs interface with the humans in their lives very differently. Dogs have good, well-developed socialization software, being pack hunters who operated in large, extended family groups in nature.

Cats, not so much. The socialization software of the cat is very much still in beta and is buggy as dammit. And how a cat relates to its human is based on the only real social relationship cats have: The cat treats you like its mommy. (This is why you might get nipped on the back of the ankle around feeding time; that's how kittens let their mom know it's time to lie down for nursing.)

Anyhow, when engaging Rannie in the sort of one-sided conversations people have with their pets, I sometimes refer to Bobbi as "the nice mommy", since she's a much softer touch than I am with regard to treats and such.

Tonight, as business was being concluded in the kitchen and the front part of the house, Rannie was trooping along between Bobbi and I. As we turned in separate directions in the hall, Bobbi headed to her room (and its electric blanket) and me toward the office, I said to my cat "Rannie, you should follow the nice mommy. She's headed to a very warm place."
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