The Lay of the Land

Yesterday, there was a dramatic catfight right outside my backdoor. It was between Lucky and a grey/white intruder. Sadly, the door blocked my view but The Man and The Woman stated that Lucky won.

Within my own abode, live two felines: The Black and The Grey. The Black one is the meaner of the two, and the most likely to hurt me. The Grey is scared of me but The Black concerns me. She challenges my authority in underhanded ways and I end up banished if I meet her challenge. In general, The Man and The Woman keep us seperated to avoid World War 3 from starting in front of the television.

There is The Man and The Woman. They keep my crate clean and food bowl filled. In exchange, I let them touch my toys. We co-habitated nicely.

There are three orange cats in the neighborhood. Abby, the beat-up ancient tom from across the street. I often find him asleep in my shubberies. Lucky, the one-eyed tom who lives two houses over and drinks from our birdbath. Finally, there is Pookie, who lives in the corner house, and chases after me if I get to close to his yard. He is the fattest of the three.

Candy lives down behind our backyard. She is a calico who sits under the birdfeeder and get chased by The Man and The Woman frequently. I would chase her but I am limited by the end of my chain, and she always runs faster. At Candy's house lives Liam, a German Shepherd who challenges my right to scent in his yard. There is also another German Shepherd, a fuzzy mop, and a Pug who live here, but I seldom smell them.

Living with Abby, is a friendly furry dog Sadie who alerts me to neighborhood changes. Rusty is my dog friend who lives the next road over. The funny looking Yorkshire lives down the road from Rusty, and never ceases to amaze me with her insistence upon challenging my authority. Sydney, the American Pit Bull who lives down by one of my parks, is controlled by a radio collar. We have met on walks, and just glare one another. Oliver, a rat terrier, lives across the street from Sydney. He talks too much about nothing.

There was a Doberman and a large mixed dog living behind us. They were the enemy. Even Liam agreed with me on this issue. The Doberman tried to claim our yards as his; the year long war eventually ended with his leaving. Peace returned with his retreat.

There are a number of dogs and cats of insignificance stashed within houses within my reign. They make noise but seldom interfere with my day to day activities. Most I see behind their fences or from windows in their houses. They are inconsequential as their existence is limited to four walls and tiny cerebrums.

These are the performers within this play. To understand theater, one must know the roles that each actor holds.


I Am Shiba. All the World's A Stage, and all the Dogs and Cats merely players.