… where you the reader take the controls. Just send photo or photos and write-up or blurb to peter.b.abrahams@gmail.com. And now, over to you, Karen M  (Big Tiny), and many thanks for this. (2 cats play important roles in the next Chet and Bernie novel)

The Godfather by Big Tiny

Every multi pet household knows that there is a hierarchy, a pecking order of sorts, that exists among the furbabies. Our house of many cats is controlled by the iron paw of Putter, the CCIC. What is a CCIC, you may be asking? Chief Cat In Charge. Putter has been holding this position almost since the day he was adopted by Mom and Dad. In 2012, the lady at Mom and Dad’s bank approached Mom about taking a kitten she had adopted a couple of months previously. It seems like her human daughter was moving back home and was “allergic” to cats. This is a common story people tell any cat lover or rescuer when they have decided they no longer want to be responsible for a pet. But it was the banker who they had a relationship with and wanted to keep a nice business friendship ongoing so Mom told her “Sure, we would be happy to find him a home.”

Now, as I explained previously in my story, a cat doesn’t come into the house of many cats, get a name and leave for another home. Why then would Mom name a kitten she wasn’t planning on keeping? In this particular instance, she had just read a story about a golfer who had two dogs named Putter and Divot. She thought those were the cutest names. I guess we were lucky that Divot didn’t arrive with the kitten she began to call Putter. At 6 months of age when he arrived, Putter stepped seamlessly into the cat hierarchy. And as he grew into an adult, the previous CCIC became very ill and crossed the bridge at a relatively young age leaving a gap in the power position. Without what seemed like any effort at all, Putter took charge.

Putter takes any new addition under his control almost immediately and grooms them to be his minion. He doesn’t really care about the females in the house, but any young males are his to control with merely a look. They jostle among themselves to sleep next to him, to walk glued to his side, or just be in his presence. He can smack talk any who think they want to break from his control and he has actually had some of his minions administer physical punishment to anyone who slips too far from his power. It is these attributes that have elevated him to the position of Godfather. He is the Michael Carleone of this House of Many Cats.

Now, in case any of you are concerned about how this affects my place in the house….I am still Mom’s favorite, Putter’s top lieutenant and CCICIW (Chief Cat In Charge In Waiting). And in no hurry to take charge.