Smothered

Poor little Kennedy. From the moment Janka came home, his peace and quiet flew straight out the window. Never to return.

It is hard to imagine that she was once his size, tumbling joyfully after him with the clumsiness and not-so-gentle curiosity of a toddler, totally unfazed by his attempts at driving her off with hisses, growls, spanks & slaps.

She still plows him over despite his vehement protests, even though Kennedy has upgraded his defense strategy, employing his claws and teeth to drive his point home. Janka means him no intentional harm and adores her feline brother. But she certainly is increasing his chances of developing ulcers with her rough play! The problem is, she plays with him like she would with a littermate. It was all well and good when they were matched in size, with Kennedy being nimble and quick while Janka had determination and pluck. But as Janka grows exponentially the past few months, little Kennedy's growth chart remains stagnant. And - much to Kennedy's chagrin and my fascination - she is learning to predict his movements, foreseeing his escape routes and herding him off like he is a lamb straying from its flock.

Yet it is becoming clear that my little girl will eventually calm down enough to stop pestering him in the game of one-sided chase all the time.

Right when this photo was taken, Kennedy was probably silently saying, " 'Scuse me, bitch, but I need mah space."