Hello! Hello! I'm Very Pleased to Make Your Acquaintance!

And how do you do! It is me! Mr. Stripey! And I'm very excited! All the time! That's actually why this picture doesn't capture my full glorious beauty, as you see, I like to leap! And to frolic! And to scamper! And to drink out of my new brother's water dish! While he watches, suspicious and confused, and yet I do believe intrigued! Intrigued, I say! And underneath his stand-offish exterior I am convinced that he is very excited to meet me! Convinced! Did I mention that I'm happy to meet you! And to have my new home! And how even though I had a shot today I'm full of vim and vigor and general good-will? And how playing is so totally fun? And how my new brother seems to kind of like me I feel like, even if he is playing a wee bit hard to get? Huzzah! Hurrah! Oh Happy Day!

***

Excuse me. I feel as if it is my duty as the most mature person on the premises to break into this festival of exclamation points. Oh, in case you didn't know, it is I, the Man-Kitty. According to all of the experts about introducing usurpers into the one-cat home, I should have yet to meet this ridiculously small feline. Indeed, there should have been room-switching and sniffing of all sorts for weeks. And then, upon our meeting, there should have been hissing and a bit of a turf war. This, I must admit, is what I had planned. I had anticipated that this would be how I would deal with this tiny usurper. And yet no.

First, the mother of the two of us broke the rules. She did first introduce us with the Tiny Mr. Stripey in his carrier, presumably so that I could see who he was without eating him. And then she did have us in separate rooms while she went out for a bit. But upon her arrival home, Mr. Stripey meowed. First, she came to greet me under the bed, where I had retired to reflect upon this new development in my previously uncomplicated life. I was, I admit, a bit cold with her upon coming out from under the bed. And then she responded to the Meow! Meow! Meow! from beyond the closed door. She tried to close the door, but I too, meowed. And then. Well, the fact of the matter is that I wanted to meet this Mr. Stripey person for myself, and as you might imagine, Mr. Stripey was a bit starstruck upon seeing the Man-Kitty in the flesh and couldn't wait to meet me for real. I have that effect on everyone, you know.

And so, we have been getting to know one another. This consists of me bopping Mr. Stripey on the head and Mr. Stripey scampering around and trying to wage attacks. Currently, I am lying on my back, enticing him with my furry belly and my switching of my very glorious and furry tail. Periodically, Mr. Stripey approaches. And then I bop him on the head. And he runs away. Every now and again, Mr. Stripey becomes bored with this game and attempts to go and play by himself. This is when I chase him a bit, to attempt to get him to focus his attention back on me. I have also spent long minutes watching him go about his business. When this becomes boring to me, I chase him across the room. When he is once again engaged, I proceed to lie down. You see, I am the Man-Kitty. Really he should come to me. Oh hell.

***

Hi! Hi! I'm back! Everything's so fun! Meow! Want to see a picture of me and my brother! I know you do! We're so great! Everything's going exactly according to plan! Best friends! We shall be best friends! Toys! Brothers! Awesome! Meowza!