9 June 2021
Despite being only the size of a cushion, and weighing less than 6kg, Emmanuel growls menacingly when Ollie tries to cosy up on the couch he’s on.
In return, Oliver sneaks up at night on Emmanuel ensconced on the cane chair, and scares the wits out of him.
Both cats are loved, have free run of my home and access to food and clean water 24/7.
Furthermore they are also somewhat related, having been born on the grounds of a girls’ school I was teaching in some 14 years ago.
Yet they bicker constantly about who occupies where as much as they can only bodily be in one location at a time.
Perhaps this fear of losing out & needing to own more than what one needs is hardwired into the survival instincts of all living beings.
Unlike cats, we humans have the advantage of analysis, and perhaps even tame some of our natural inclinations for power and control, and be free from fear and possessiveness to some degree.
Lisa Ong 