He crept along stealthily through the back yard. Rounding the woodpile, he clung close to the house, gliding along with control and purpose. He stepped out from the house and trotted along the fence, hastily making his way to avoid detection.
But he didn’t avoid detection.
Trevor spotted Wiggins just as he arrived at the sacred stashb - Trevor’s growing catnip field at the back of the yard.
Both Trevor and the kitten wickered, their tails shaking with agitation. Wiggins had no idea what he was in for.
There was a problem: Trevor was watching Wiggins though our patio door.
Luckily, I was more than happy to help.
I opened the door expecting Trevor to tear across the yard, pounce on Wiggins and draw some blood to fertilize his catnip.
Sadly, that didn’t happen.
Trevor was fully engaged. Every nerve on his body was focused.
He approached, froze then lowered himself. His eyes stayed large. His tail didn’t relax.
He sat there for what seemed like forever.
Wiggins, unaware of Trevor’s presence proceeded to roll around in the catnip without a care in the world.
Trevor moved again. This time, he was less stealthy. This time Wiggins noticed.
The two cats puffed up and arched their backs.
Strange, guttural noises started emanating from them.
They were midway cats.
Their bodies were ‘mid way’ - somewhere between the beginning and end of either raising or lowering, moving or stopping.
Arrested in this midway pose, time seemed to stand still. The tension was thick. Expectations were suspended.
What’s going to happen next?
Every cell of every being engaged in watching this grand display was desperate to know the outcome.
The cats held themselves in this mid way for a lot longer than I could tolerate. They didn’t escalate. They didn’t back down.
They sat there. Right in it. Right in the process.
They sat with their tension and their threat and their uncertainty.
What happened next?
Were they vicious? Were they kind?’
Did anyone have their ears ripped apart?
I’m not telling.
I will ask you this though,
How do you tolerate the midway?
How can you be excited - ready to flight or flea - but suspend yourself in the excitement?
How do you break the tension?
How do you defend your catnip?