Diary of a Cat Walker, #22

A couple days ago, I did the unthinkable. I took both Gloria AND Anderson Cooper out on a walk at the same time. I thought that maybe, having Gloria as a model, Anderson would leap-frog a few steps in the process and gain her park legs much quicker. And, if I could take them both at the same time, Anderson would get way more trips to the park.

Gloria adores tables and benches. Here, her sister is learning their particular charm.

An Inauspicious Start

I put Anderson in the car first. She's already fairly comfortable with riding in the car. She still does some hiding, but comes out a lot to look out the window. So no problem. Then I went back and got Gloria, who actually really enjoys her car rides. She hasn't hidden in months, but likes to troll about a bit and sit on the center console and ride beside me. So no problem. Until she saw Anderson Cooper. She let out a nasty hiss in her sister's direction that initially shocked Anderson, but then she gave it right back to her.

Anderson Cooper slinked into the back seat and stayed there the entire ride. Every time she began to consider moving up front, they saw each other and the hissing started up again.

At times they were so engaged they didn't realize they were so close to each other.

What's going on here? All I could think is that Gloria was telling Anderson that these trips were hers, and hers alone. Maybe she was thinking about the yummy treats she gets and dreading the possibility of having to share, but more than likely, I think she wasn't looking forward to sharing our bonding time.

Once we arrived and I got both of them out, I carried Anderson into the park while Gloria walked. Gloria's tail was confidently held high and she was eager to begin hunting vermin. After we made it into the park I let Anderson Cooper down and she began to slink through the park, cautiously, but more confidently than ever before. Whenever she and her sister would come close to each other, another hiss, but then they would part and continue on their way, close, but not cloyingly so. Each on her own search and destory mission! They tried their best to keep their personal space clear, and they actually did a pretty good job of it.

Anderson exploring...so much to see and smell...

While the hissing was disturbing, once they were back home, there was none of it. It was like it had never happened. I'm planning another trip out for both of them and hoping it goes even half as well. I expected to carry Anderson most of the walk, but I carried her very little. So despite a little snippiness, it seemed Gloria's confidence was rubbing off in her sister.