Negotiating
With Cats
Lessons in Diplomacy &
Passive Resistance
Starring Cosmo
Breed: Maine
Coon Domestic Cat
Age: ~18
months
Weighs: ~17
pounds (and still growing)
Resides in:
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Aspirations:
To Have His Way Diplomatically
Status: Single
Male
Hobbies:
Sleeping, Sunning, Exploring, Eating, Communing With Nature & Sleeping
More
Friends:
Everyone (with possible exception of small human children and crabby old
cats)
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Negotiating
With Cats – starring Cosmo
By Nancy J. Bell
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After being shoo’d away from the laptop on several occasions, Cosmo
began to exert his passive resistance protest to promote his likely chances
of getting close to the computer. In his sleep, next to the computer,
as he began to purr and move slowly, to apparently stretch, he happened to
let just his feet move onto the keyboard. I stopped typing to take a photo,
when the story continued.
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Finding no resistance to his "subtle imposition of space proximity
change," he moved a little more of himself onto the computer keyboard. Still feigning sleep, he continued to relax, as his paws were gently moved over again so I could type.
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Stretching again, he re-exerts his claim on the one corner as he
returned his paws to the keyboard. He is still apparently asleep.
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Cosmo is purring in his apparent sleep and he now works his third and
fourth paw closer to laying on the keyboard.
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Somewhere in his sleep, he changes course to now claim the vicinity
of the mouse, as well as the keyboard. Still, apparently asleep.
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The Jig is up when the compunction to “groom” over-rode his strategy
to appear asleep in his computer take-over.
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As soon as he finished his quick groom, he immediately fell into a
complete slumber, but only after reasserting his subtle re-takeover of the
computer. He didn’t even peek when I laughed at him for pretending sleep.
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Gently, I moved his feet back off the keyboard and he appeared to be
nonplussed about the whole thing. Still sleeping comfortably.
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Not to be deterred, he exerts a simple testing of the waters again
(so soon?) using only one paw this time. Breathing softly, still apparently
“sleeping.”
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When I gently removed the one paw, he lifted his head and was still
giving me “the look” by the time I took his picture again.
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Laying down again, with his back to the computer, he tries a new
strategy. Sweeping his tale back and forth across the keyboard, without
actually landing. He is showing initial signs of being annoyed.
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Moments after closing his eyes again, he stretches out his paw and
brought his tail to rest where it had just swept. “If you sweep it you can
have it” mentality reigning. He is now apparently fast asleep again.
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Cosmo didn’t get a real vote
in the matter, so I removed him once again. Before I could get the camera
back, he fidgeted in his sleep and moved back to his comfortable position.
Unobtrusive as he may have believed this subtle resettling on part of the
computer may have been, we were still at odds.
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The next time I moved him off the keyboard, he apparently wanted to
renew our friendship by moving, this time, onto me. His paw very gently came
to rest on my wrist and as he could find no reason for me rejecting his gesture
of friendship, he began again, to purr softly in his sleep.
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In a selfless gesture, for a cat, he settled on a compromise. He
would be near the keyboard but stopped stretching onto it while I type this.
See? Cats CAN be reasonable!
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Coming Soon!
After getting a glimpse at his own stardom, Negotiation Agreement
With Cosmo Quickly Breaks Down!
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