Giada calls Boris "Nice". As in, I think my saying "Nice! Be nice to the kitty!" somehow became "Nice! Nice is the name of the kitty." She runs around the place stalking him all the while going "Niiice! Nice!". It's pretty hilarious, but poor Boris.
What I am struck by is how much my big orange fluffy cat loves this little girl. You heard me. He loves this strange creature whose only overtures towards him are to chase him and do something like giving him open handed slaps to show her affection. I know he loves her, because he's cut numerous gashes across my arms for lesser infractions than this, whereas he has taken all her abuse in stride. We've never been able to put him in a carrier without him trying to cut us open in retaliation. Sometimes I will pet him a fraction too long, and he will bite my hand firmly but gently as if to say "Enough, lady!" Meanwhile, when Giada harasses him, he'll sit there very still and and give me a pained look. If cats were able to think human thoughts, I'd bet he'd probably be thinking "Well, what are you gonna do? She's just not good at this petting stuff, but you gotta admire her for trying".
When the petting gets to be much, he silently wiggles out of the way and hides under my bed.He has never scratched, bit or even hissed at my daughter. Sometimes he'll willingly go up to her and curl up next to her, usually when Giada and I are taking a nap together (perhaps this is him having faith in my ability to keep the toddler at bay, but he could accomplish that just as easily by lying next to me, which he doesn't). This is why he gets a pass for meowing for food at 3 AM (one hour before the feeder goes off), hacking hairballs out with surprising regularity (about once a week, twice if it's been a busy week for him), and occasionally deciding to sit on my laptop ("closed, open, sideways... what's the difference?").
About the only thing he doesn't get a pass on is not being nice to Gracie. Sometimes Boris decides that he needs to play king of the cats, which means he's uncharacteristically rough with Gracie. We can tell because Gracie has a very distinctive "What the h...? Get off me, you fat blob!" meow she only uses on those occasions. This often results in my picking him up, holding him in my arms gently but firmly, and then telling him "That was NOT being a NICE kitty." Then I will usually give him a "mom" stare and release him.
The mom stare must be universally understood among mammals, because while Boris has made ignoring suggestions not to do things into an art (examples include: opening cabinets with his paws, shredding TP, playing with plastic bags, or clawing at furniture),he will usually walk away from the situation after said stare has been given. Oh sure, he'll turn around once and look at me, at which point he gets an "I mean it, buster!" follow up stare, but it's the end of the game of war for another week or so. When the mom stare does not happen, he usually goes right back into harassment mode upon release. Give him that mom stare, and you can count on finding him curled up on the couch with Gracie within an hour, as if those outbursts never ever happen.


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