Apricot's New Job

Apricot has appointed himself Guardian of the House Against Sleet Monsters. I find this both touching and hilarious, since he's still terrified of humans.

But I'm a human and he's not terrified of me, right? Well, despite the way the kittens interact with me, he's still convinced I'm a large deformed cat, so I get a pass when it comes to being scared of humans.

Anyway, I learned about his new job during the ice day of the previous post. Well, I only put the pieces together afterwards.

That night, Monday night, when it was actively sleeting, Apricot paid special attention to the kittens being put in the nursery for the night. He watched more carefully than usual as I shut the door, as if to make sure they were both in that room. I didn't think much of it, since sometimes he pays more attention to this than others.

Then, when I was in bed going to sleep, with the covers pulled up and my eyes closed, he came up on the bed, walked up to my head, watched me for a few minutes, and then left without ever doing anything else (no commentary, no contact). I thought this was a bit strange but maybe he wanted reassurance due to the sleet. Now I think he was making sure I was safe in my bed, just as he made sure the kittens were safe in theirs.

The next day I couldn't even get out my door with any traction, so I stayed home and watched from indoors a world encased in ice. The cats all enjoyed it, of course, but I did notice Apricot seemed to be sleeping even more than usual.

That night, Apricot did the same thing with regards to the kittens being put to bed and then visiting me, making sure I was safe in bed. When I came home from work the next day, he again seemed more tired than his usual state. Not enough to be alarmed about, but enough that I noticed.

But that was the last time. And it took me a few days more to realize what must have happened. I've seen him do something similar with the outdoor cats who come to visit. He must have prowled the house all night, making sure the sleet monster was not getting in. It did sound amazingly like some large animal scratching at the base of the house and at the windows, all the way around, as if we were surrounded by a pack of them.

He did it the following night too, to make sure they weren't coming back.

My sweet baby Apricot is taking on responsibility! He also seems to have decided that Thimble, no matter how much he brags, is just a kitten and really shouldn't be in charge. I have seen him washing Thimble, despite Thimble's best efforts to turn it into a playfight session. Apricot simply puts a paw over Thimble's back and continues washing his head and face. And Thimble seems to enjoy being able to let someone else take care of him, if only for a little while.