Artist’s Corner Special #1: To All The Sibling Cats That Have Come Before

And Helped Me Appreciate and Love Nalia and Salem More and More

Mar 13, 2024

Hello hello, Fellow Musers! This is an appreciation post to the pre-2016 cat siblings from my life. I’m going to attempt poem/prose-ish form, but I’ve never been really good at that, so apologies to the poets who read this and think, “Where do I begin on the mistakes?!?”

Also, thank you to everyone who has read my first post for this series, and for going on this small, zoo-anthropological ethnographic-like (yet also quite fun) detour with me!

The “cats views” mainly come from memories of mine and memories of conversations with my family about said cats, and also my observations about the cats acted towards each other (minus Tuffy-he never met T2 and Si-but I promise you he probably would not have put up with Si’s behavior!).

Special Shoutout to my lovely sister and her partner (check out his Substack right herrr) for previewing this and giving me feedback! Love y’all💜💞

And now, without further ado, my fursiblings (now deceased but still fully alive in my heart)💞💜

Tuffy

My name’s Tuffy/I live with a human and my brother cat/I’m the head cat

The human has brought another human here/A female human/I think I like her/I’ll sit on her lap to make that clear

The other human comes back a few times with another, smaller female human/I go up to her/Sniff, sniff, sniff/I like this one too/It is smol, though/So I’ll be gentler with her/She likes to hold me/So I’ll sometimes let her/At times she calls me Tuffers/Clearly, I’ll become the favorite cat

Occasionally I’ll see Human Dad’s off-springs/The human girls get along/While the littlest girl and our Human brother sometimes get on each others nerves/Much like myself and my brother cat do!

What’s this?!?/They brought a…dog?!?/The humans I’m okay with/But that dog must go!/Oh, it’s staying too, you say?/It’s our size, you say?/It’s a male dog, you say?/Brother cat and I will make sure he knows his place!/Trap! We corner…Dog whimpers! This is fun! My brother and I finally have a moveable toy that we can chase and make run!/Oh no, the taller she human that we now call Mom/Picks up the dog!/And carries him to safety/We shall allow him a reprieve, hehe/But not for long!

It’s been years now and a family we’ve become/We moved to a new home/There’s more space to run around/And stairs to trap the dog/One cat at the top, one at the bottom/We’ll keep reminding him that he’s stuck in the middle-yes, that’s how we like him!/And if the humans ask/Well, cute and cuddly, Brother/Cute and cuddly!/While always watching our moving target

But my time to leave is coming soon/I feel it/The humans are sad, especially the little one who’s grown a bit more/But I know that I was loved/And my brother will be loved/That dog…will… remain loved by the humans as well/Since Brother and I have not convinced them to be gone with him/Oh well/It’s time to take a nice, beautiful, long cat nap!/I’ve kept this family safe therefore I’ve earned my rest!

~The End~

Maynard

My name’s Maynard/I live with a human and brother cat/I’m not in charge/And for now I’m fine with that!

Our human keeps bringing a female human over/Brother goes and checks them out/Then sits in that one’s lap/I guess that one’s okay, no doubt

The lap human brings over a smaller, female human who is apparently her own human kitten/I’m not sure about this one/She’s too close to my size/She gets too excited when she sees me and Brother/But I’ll give her a small chance, and let her favor my brother/I like my human dad and the other, taller human better!

Occasionally our Human Dad’s off-springs come over/I love the Human Lady/She is sweet/I hate the Brother/He plays too rough with me

Ugh, they had to bring a dog?!?/No, no, no, this is all wrong!/The other humans can stay/But away the dog must go!/Brother and I have made it our mission to make it so!

Years have passed/We’ve become a family/We’re in a new house/Which means more zoomies!/Stairs to trap the dog/This is truly fun!/Even when he gets rescued by his Human Mom

Brother has passed/A new kitten enters the picture/Another male, and ugh! He looks like Brother!/He talks alot and won’t shut up/And he seems to be all about less violence towards that dog and more love

Could it be okay?/To tolerate the dog/I’ve softened up on the youngest human girl/I sometimes return her love

Sometimes, though, I have to remind her/That I’m the boss/We have hissing contests-she wins more than I’d have thought/I’m proud of her, though/Just means that she’ll be tough/The world outside, well, it can be rough/And sometimes needs a good cat hiss to set it right!

Speaking of rough/What is this noise?!?/You people have other humans come in with loud toys!/I would protest/But little brother talks enough for both of us/Oh, what’s this?/No washing machine?/I temporarily make peace with the dog/And we go check it out, along with Little Brother/Why there’s a big gap/In place of the washer and dryer!/A day later, though, they’re back in their places/All is right in the world!

That dog is gone at last/However, I am a bit sad/So is my little Human Sister and our Human Mom and our Human Dad!/I guess I appreciated his presence/But now it’s just me and Little Brother/Who continues to talk almost 24/7

Who is that outside /Another male cat?/As long as he stays outside, I’m fine with him coming around/The humans are feeding him/Eventually he’s allowed to come in/I feel like this is a trap/The dog’s barely been gone/Something’s up-I’m sure of that!

Ah hell/I knew it!/This cat wants my place/Ah screw it!/I’m too old for this shit and too old to fight/I just want to live/In the peace, love, and harmony/That my Little Brother preaches

Eventually the Other Cat is put with Human Sister/I mark the outside of her room so she knows that I miss her/Sometimes the Other Cat gets out/He tries to be the Alpha Male/But the Humans don’t let him/I get to keep my crown

It’s been a while/For the most part, I’ve lived a good life/It’s time for me to join Big Brother and That Dog in the afterlife/The Humans are sad/But I know that they’re in good paws/That Little Brother, even with his constant yapping, will take care of them all!

~The End

Nalia and Salem: We interrupt this poetic broadcast with an obligatory Stack-o’-Subs meowncement:

Is your cat thinking, “I think I wanna share some of my nip nip with them catladies!”? Or “I think we should support their human!” You and they can

Sprinkle that goodstuff right hurrr

Human: Aight, that’s all! Onward to T2! *gives the furkids some treats because why not?*

T2

Hello, I’m T2!/I like to talk!/I’ve got the Energizer battery voice box/I talk on and on and on and on and-!

I came to live with these Humans who were friends with some other Humans/That I was originally living with/Apparently these new Humans thought that I would be a great companion for their grumpy cat

I also heard that there was a dog/I think I like dogs!/I want to be friends with this dog so I try/But the dog seems scared of me/It makes me sad/I want to cry/I blame the other cat/Hmmm, he acts a little rough/He bites me on the scruff/Doesn’t he know?

I just want to play and talk!/My opinions are important-at least I think so!/So everyone should listen/For my voice, the sound of it will (eventually) make your eyes glisten

You’ll understand me/Because when I talk/I’m telling you what I think of whatever activity it is that you’re doing/I’ll tell you if I think you’re doing it right or wrong/I’ll talk all night and day/3am is the purrfect time to start saying what I need to say/Doesn’t matter if I’m correct or not/My opinions and facts are always strong!/

I meet the Human Dad’s off-springs as well/At first I’m shy/But eventually I come out/I tell them my opinions as well!

But sometimes no one wants to listen to me talk/Soon I learn that it’s okay to occasionally be quiet/Big Brother cat seems less grumpy now/Alot of times I catch him sleeping/I’ll lay next to him/And curl up like he does/Is this how cats are suppose to lay?/I guess so, huh?/Sometimes I’ll just lay next to him and watch him/Waiting for him to get up so that I can tell him and everyone else what’s on my mind!

Sometime later the dog, he passes/He’s gone to the afterlife with my name-sake Tuffy/The Humans are sad/I do my best to comfort them/The dog seemed pretty important/Even to Big Brother cat, even though he won’t admit it

There’s another cat that’s outside/The Humans start to feed it/Big Brother cat is cautious, so I try to emulate him/But this cat seems harmless, maybe it’d be fun to have another cat inside?

The Humans eventually bring the cat in/Another male, oh great, but he’s so mean!/The grown Humans eventually put him with my Human sister/She’s not happy at first/I know, because I saw the tears/Eventually, though, things calm down/And I don’t hear her cursing The Other Cat out

Occasionally the Other Cat gets out!/He comes and finds me and Big Brother cat and tries to attack us both!/Big Brother cat tries to fend him off/I stand ready, behind him…ready to run off and away!/The Humans sometimes let us three try to work things out/But with this guy it’s impossible!/He just won’t give up!

Eventually time passes by/Big Brother cat goes to the Kitty Afterlife/I’m the Head Cat now/And the Humans decide/That I’ve earned my peace and quiet/So they keep me and The Other Cat separated/Which I’m just fine with!

I know, though, that they let him out sometimes/When I’m on my big, huge bed, napping/They close the door/And later I wake up and can smell his scent/Occasionally we both meow and hiss at each other through a door and a vent/But that’s as far as we interact with each other

The Human offspring, my Human Sister, leaves the house for a while/I always let her know that I miss her by talking her head off/Gotta remind her that I’m still here!/She can’t be allowed to forget that!/She always holds me/Gives me kisses and cuddles/And everything is back to being good and fine!

More time passes/Eventually it becomes my time to leave/To join my fursiblings in the afterlife/It’s painful, leaving this world/I still have so much more to say!/But the humans are there/Dad, Mom, and Sister too/I don’t want to leave them with the Other Cat/But my Humans assure me/They’ll be okay/And so I take my final breath/And now in the afterlife, them, I await/For I must be the one to catch them up on what they’ve missed out on/Because I’m sure that no one else will!

~The End

Si

Hello, my name’s Si!/🎶I am Siamese and I don’t give any shits if you’re pleased!🎶/I run this neighborhood/I’m the top cat!/I do things my way!/Everyone better get use to that!

I’ve come across some humans that I like/They feed me and pet me while I’m outside/They have two other cats and a dog/Oh well, I currently have two humans so it’s alright

Eventually, though, I get use to these new people/I decide to hang around/And see what the deal is/They apparently like cats-that much is clear/Eventually I convince them to take me in/Because I’m so dear!🥹

It doesn’t take long for me to settle in/For a while, with the other cats, I try to play nice, but that soon comes to an end/These other two must go!/But they’re both fighters, especially the multi-colored cat/And the Humans say that they must stay!/So I get put with the younger Human/I’ll show her who’s in charge!

But she’s a fighter too, and she lets me know it/I try to lunge, but she defends herself with a pillow/She eventually stops putting up with my rough-play-and-attack-antics/I actually find myself respecting her for it/Eventually we come to some silent agreement/I’ll still play rough with her, but not past her limit/And in return she lets me run around her room/I chase things unseen/And ambush her occasionally

I’ve learned how to open the doors!/So sometimes I get out and go explore/I run into the other cats/They thought I was gone?/Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, I show them that they were wrong!/The multi-colored one hisses at me, while the yellow-orange one prepares to run/But then the Humans run interference/And it’s back to my corner of the house I go!/I over hear the Humans tell the other Female Human that I got out/They don’t always blame her, though, especially when I start showing off my door-opening skills!

Time passes and both of the Other Cats go on to the afterlife/Soon it’s just me and two of the Humans/The other Human and her Human Siblings eventually leave the house/Sometimes they come and visit/And my youngest Human Sibling will watch me now and then/Then the youngest Human sibling moves back in/But my Human parents eventually move to a different place/They call it their little Home on the Range

I eventually move there with my Human Dad full-time/It’s nice and quiet most of the time/I hardly see people and that’s okay/Sometime my Human Mom comes over and stays/Sometimes my Human Siblings stay over too/One of the Sisters has a dog, but she stays outside/With this I am fine/My other Human Sister will sometimes catsit me/In my older age, I’ve become calmer/And so I let her love on me more/I find it kind of nice (but don’t tell her)

Eventually my time comes when I too must leave this world behind/I leave the bed that my Human Dad is laying on/I go and do my business in the litterbox/Then I go to my favorite corner under the stairs/I know that my Humans are going to be okay/They’ve taken care of me and in return I’ve taken care of them/They taught me how to Love/And to be Loving/In return, I taught them the True Meaning of Patience/It’s a win-win for all (although, to be clear, I still won the most)!

I lay down for a nice, long nap/I know I’ll see those Other Cats and That Dog soon/I know with the Other Cats that we’ve had our differences, but maybe we can get along this time/At least for this afterlife/I can say that I have no regrets/🎶Curled up comfortably in that little corner nook/I went out/My way!🎶

~The End

Thank y’all so much for reading this, Fellow Musers! Next week will be Part 2 of my version of Salem and Nalia’s story, and then you’ll get to read the girls’ versions! If you enjoyed this post, please

Musings of an Anthropology Student

Discussion about this post