What I Learned About People From 2 Cats

It’s not always as it seems

Photo by the author of Emma, a gray tabby cat

Photo by the author of Jack, an Orange Maine Coon cat

We are watching my partner’s parents’ cat while they are off on a long-awaited road trip. For a month. Now this cat, Emma, is very sweet. She wants to be held and hugs you when you do pick her up. She’s not very smart, but she makes up for it by being very cute and sweet.

We had no issues taking her and were very happy to have her around. We knew, however, that one member of the household would not be happy about this situation: our cat, Jack. He was my partner’s cat first, I joined their duo.

Jack used to be one of the family cats and lived with them, including Emma and the dog. While Jack is very sweet, he doesn’t let just anybody in. He will come out and say hello to strangers and be very kind, but he likes to keep to himself unless you are one of his special humans.

And he does not always get along with other animals. He likes his own space and they tend to invade it.

My partner and I have now lived together, with Jack, for 4 years. This apartment has a lot more room than the studio my partner had been living in previously and Jack loves being able to roam and have his different spaces. He loves being the only animal in the house.

In these four years, he’s only had to deal with other animals the few times we took an extended trip and needed to leave him with my partner’s parents while we were gone. He did not like going back there.

So, we knew that having Emma here would be an adjustment for both of them. My partner’s mother explained that they will be a bit moody around each other for a bit, but Jack would eventually give her one good bop and they’ll be okay after that.

Emma is a tabby and they are about the same weight, but for very different reasons. At 16 pounds, Jack is small to average for a neutered Maine Coon male. At around 16 pounds, Emma is just plain fat. A fat, happy cat. Jack clearly has the advantage.

We prepared for Emma’s arrival, talking to Jack and letting him know the plan. He’s a smart boy and even though we know he…