Amidst the revelations of the past week of news regarding Justice Samuel Alito’s flying the US flag upside down in support of the January 6th insurrection and for the purpose of owning his liberal neighbors and also flying the Pinetree flag sporting An Appeal to Heaven (a symbol of Christian Nationalism) at his vacation home, I have been contemplating the feline flag – the cat’s tail. The cat’s tail isn’t just a device for enhancing balance, it is a tool for semaphores of sorts – not unlike Alito’s flags.
A bushy, Pilo erectile tail indicates alarm – an adrenergic fight-or-flight response to threat or confrontation. An upturned tail appearing like an upside-down letter J signals a happy cat. A tail at half-mast communicates discomfort. And a swishing tail signals irritation.
When we brought Maia home from the hospital yesterday, Kedi was visibly unsettled. Her upright tail became bushy, and she put distance between herself and Maia’s transport carrier. Maia slinked out of her carrier dragging her tail behind her. Shit! I was expecting a happy reunion.
After a while, Maia settled into the master bedroom, and Kedi got the front of the house. Later, Maia ate a small bit of wet food and lapped up some water. She spent the night sleeping between us. She is still wearing the cone of shamelessness which will be part of her wardrobe for the next two weeks.
This morning, I got up to go into the bathroom where Maia’s food, water and new litter box are situated. She went straight for the wet cat food. When she was done, she had a long session at the water bowl. She took her noon meds with minimal protest – I’m sure they taste awful; medicine always does for some reason.
Today, she has eaten another bite or two, and washed them down with water. I’m about to give her the next dose of appetite stimulant – she really hates it. So it goes, being sick sucks. Susan and I can both attest to it, and now, so can Maia.