The Cat & Cool

The orange cat on the other side of the fence drives me and Saki crazy. She’s so la-de-da about rubbing up against the chain links, knowing perfectly well that we can’t do anything but bark and look dumb. And that’s just what we do—we bark and look dumb.

Sometimes, especially when Saki’s inside and I’m alone by the fence, the cat comes over and we stare at each other. I’m calmer about the whole thing when Saki’s not there to tempt me into barking. She’s very cautious about me, but I can tell she’s curious and maybe even wonders what it would be like to befriend me. After all, what can I do at my age? And I’ve never been given to violence or rowdiness.

She’s a pretty cat. Maybe she thinks I’m a pretty dog. I don’t know. But, she does love to tease us strutting the way she does, pretending she doesn’t notice us, looking like she’s the queen of cool.

My trick is to wander nonchalantly into the sunroom, climb up on the couch, and pass out. It perplexes Saki, but he doesn’t know cool the way I know cool. Not yet.

Best wishes, Juno