4th of July

Another 4th of July is in the books. Happy Birthday America. I’m proud and happy to be an American but I don’t like  our celebrations. It is my least favorite holiday for that.  I don’t ever remember being really thrilled with fireworks even as a kid. They are loud and hurt my ears but at least I grew up in the country where you could put some distance between you and ground zero.  They are pretty to watch after all.  But then I got pets and moved to the city. Such fun, if you are a sadist, watching your beloved fur babies shiver and cower behind and under your furniture.

photo credit Deb Neumann

Banner

Banner is my calm boy. He handled this years Fireworks like a champ. We started out with a tremendous thunder and lightening storm in the afternoon. Mother Nature’s fireworks setting the stage for the evening. The rain came down in buckets. Banner snoozed through most of it but Balboa was gone in a flash.  When the rain finally let up and the neighbors started with the fire crackers Banner sat peacefully at the sliders and kept watch. The noise didn’t seem to bother him at all. 

photo credit DebNeumann

Balboa

Balboa is the perfect example of a ‘fraidy cat.  He went into hiding during the storm and I couldn’t even find him to feed him dinner.  I shook the treat jar and Banner was there in a flash but no sign of Balboa.  

As it began to get dark and the booms louder I closed up the windows and doors and put the A/C on.  I turned up the volume on the TV. It wouldn’t drown out the Fireworks but if would muffle it a bit.  I hoped that would calm my skittish kitty but no luck.

photo credit Deb Neumann

There’s our ‘fraidy Cat

Finally around 10 pm Balboa popped out from behind the dishwasher . He wouldn’t leave the kitchen. He would come up to the edge of the linoleum  and then sit down. He wouldn’t come into the living room for anything – even treats. But Banner went nuts. If I had any doubt that these cats had bonded this put those doubts to rest. 

Banner immediately started talking to Balboa. Lots of little chirps and merps then he got the zoomies. He raced back and forth from the living room to the bedroom and back swinging right up to Balboa on each pass. It was clear that he was trying to get Balboa to play. He might have succeeded eventually if right about then another big fireworks  hadn’t gone off. Boom! And Balboa was gone- back behind the dishwasher. 

Photo Credit DebNeumann

Around midnight I felt a bump on the bed and Balboa curled up next to me. All was quiet and dark and once again all is right in my little scaredy cat‘s world.

photo credit Deb Neumann