Carolyn Holm

Dear Mom,
What is going on with the cats????????
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
There’s always something going on with the cats. What are those boys up to now? 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Yesterday they were chasing each other. Back and forth. Back and forth.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That’s a new game, isn’t it! Their relationship seems to be going through a change. They are actually playing together. More like equals.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Winston has started to stand up to Puffin!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He has. Puffin doesn’t know what to make of it. And Winston seems anxious about it. He’s been doing a lot of really intense kneading every night at bedtime. Really intense. It’s getting annoying.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The Kid has grown – he’s bigger than Puffin now! 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Puffin still has him beat when it comes to weight.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Winston no longer lets Puffin bully him out of the best snuggle spot on the bed.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I was mentioning this to the vet and she brought up a term I hadn’t heard before. She said Winston has reached an age of Social Maturity. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
He’s a grown-up now?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That might be stretching things a bit. He doesn’t act much like one, does he? But this might explain what is going on. He’s reached a level of maturity that leads him to stand up to Puffin. But this is creating a bit of anxiety for him, because he is so used to deferring to the Senior Cat. So, he’s been doing that intense kneading to calm down. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
After you gave Winston the banana catnip toy, they had a really exciting fight!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Giving him the banana was a mistake. I thought it would calm Winston down, but when Puffin saw that, he was incensed. He thinks the banana is exclusively his. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Winston loved it. He hunkered right down to lick it. Why do they like that thing? I sniffed it once, and… nothing. Puffin licks and licks it.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
For cats it’s a comforting thing. Like a Binkie.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Comforting??? It started a fight!!! It was so exciting!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
A cat ruckus, on the bed, in the middle of the night. Definitely annoying.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
It was awesome. You threw them both out of the room and shut the door.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Your barking didn’t exactly help. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Everything was quiet this morning.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
When I got up this morning and opened the door, I found the boys sitting there, next to each other, waiting for me to let them back in. Side by side. They can get along just fine when they want to.
Love, Carolyn

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