Scaredy cat

We love our cat sitter, Stacy, and thankfully she loves our cats. We can see why most people like Chloe a lot because she's very responsive and will purr loudly when you scritch her chin. Even Wally will come out and interact with you, if you're patient and don't get in his face.

But Eddie? Let's  just say he has anxiety issues around strangers, especially strangers who have male cats. When he gets scared, he gets a little hissy and we've heard that he tries to intimidate people. Because he’s so big (16 pounds, give or take a few ounces), he can be pretty intimidating.

Our Boston vet called him a cowardly bully, but he isn’t that way to us or even when we are around. The most we’ve personally seen him do is hiss at people, and only at a few (the ones with male cats).

With us, he's the biggest lover cat. This is the cat who demands to get under the covers with us so he can spoon us, kneading one of our backs. He loves to have his cheeks rubbed really hard, and then he shakes his head as though the rubbing cleared out his ears. He grooms our hands when we pet him (I think he wonders where our fur is). When we are on the couch watching TV or a movie, he must be stretched between us so that his head is on one of our hips and his butt is on the other one's hip. In the morning, after I get up, he cries at Kent to get up too so we can all be together in the same room, and he can drape himself across Kent's lap  and sleep more.

But he's not that way with others.

Stacy has a male cat so when she said Eddie hissed at her, I wasn't surprised. But she's determined that Eddie will come around and accept her the way Wally and Chloe have. Here’s what she said about him this weekend:

"He is like a pit bull in a little furry feline package. When I walk out of your apartment, he runs after me and punches the door when I close it. If I need to go back in for any reason, he blocks the stairs, puts his ears back and tries to intimidate me into running away. It's pretty funny, actually. Because as soon as I get the catnip out, he rolls onto his back and hisses while rubbing his face on the floor."

I had to laugh at the image of him running down the stairs to chase her off but waiting until after the door closes to punch the door. He's not taking any chances he might actually catch her.

He's a large, beautiful, nervous cat. I hope for his sake he comes round to Stacy because otherwise he'd have to go to the cat kennel when we leave town. I know that would be even scarier for him.