January 05, 2013

Stubborn is as stubborn does.



“Never try to outstubborn a cat.”
Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

  Gibbs is our oldest outdoor cat.

A rescue of sorts from another farm.

She has been a momma twice -- before she was fixed.

Poppy, her daughter, is the only kitten we kept from her litters.

Poppy is a chip off the old block -- and is taking despot lessons
from her momma in the event
Gibbs abdicates or is overthrown during a kitty coup.

Gibbs tolerates me, only because I hold the kibble bag.

As for the rest of the outdoor cats, she rules them with an iron fist, I mean paw.

That includes not only Poppy, but Howie and Tuki.

She and Jack were arch enemies before Jack decided to
be an indoor cat.

Jack figured out a way to escape Gibbs' tyranny
by playing upon my sympathies.

The rest must tolerate Gibbs' dictator-ish tendencies
until they either expatriate their way into the house, (not gonna happen,)
or mutiny.

Being the leader is a lonely and thankless job.

But someone's got to keep the proletariat in line.

: : :



If this is your first time visiting A Rural Journal, I'd like to invite you to subscribe via email for the latest updates. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr.

Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner

59 comments:

  1. Indoor, outdoor, stubborn or not...I love 'em and admire them so!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a cat story.

    A leader is always lonely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gibbs is a pretty kitty! Have a happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So funny, and so like a cat!

    ReplyDelete
  5. She's a cutie with an Iron Paw :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this lol. And Gibbs looks so pretty against the white snow. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post, Nancy. I smiled and chuckled all the way through it. You have a wonderful way with words. I can perfectly picture the cat culture on your farm. God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well someone has to be in control

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kitties truly do rule the roost! LOL! Love black kitties against white snow. Very pretty!
    xo Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great, really great photo of Black Cat in White Snowland . . . with eyes that set you straight at "who rules!"
    (Liked the story too!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. We have one like that too but he also thinks I am his personal human and doesn't want any other male cat near me! Gibbs is certainly a good looking cat, especially for being an outdoor cat.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yep, someone has to be in charge. And it sure sounds like it isn't you:-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cats! How I miss mine, long gone now. You describe the alpha female cat perfectly. One lived with us, her name was Samantha. She ruled us, two Dobermans at first and later any new dog that we rescued, and, finally, our other cat also with an iron paw.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 'The proletariat'...good one! And great exposure on the photos...black vs. white is always hard. Excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  15. cute. :) animal hierarchy is an amazing thing - unless it's humans. :P

    ReplyDelete
  16. WOW, your cat shares my surname. That is crazy. How did you manage to come up with that name for him?
    The name gibbs is of Irish decent and was used first by the Italian travelers who settled in Ireland.

    Some useless info for you there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sounds like a regular Kitty cat soap opera over there! - thanks for the laugh ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. There is something admirable about Jack's decision to become an indoor cat! I enjoyed this post!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ha! There's definitely nothing more stubborn than an ol' outdoor cat!

    ReplyDelete
  20. So funny! I learned a long time ago not to try to outstubborn a cat! Just won't happen!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the fun read. From the sounds of it I doubt any will be crazy enough to mutiny, although of course some d o g might think they should be king. :D
    Beautiful cat and photo. Have a wonderful new year.

    ReplyDelete
  22. haha...they rule the roost!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've had cats in the past and they can be stubborn but right now I have a dog with a stubborn attitude. I think it comes from his cocker spaniel half. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Jak jest liderem, to i niech będzie nim również w chodzeniu po śniegu :). Urocze zdjęcie. Pozdrawiam.
    As a leader, then let it also be walking in the snow :). Lovely picture. Yours.

    ReplyDelete
  25. When I saw that photo on my little laptop dashboard, it looked like a panther!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Gibbs is a pretty 'Matriarch' I can kind see why Jack wanted inside, if they were enemies.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Gibbs certainly has the look of a tough leader! Love the style you wrote this in! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Animals always figure out their own pecking order. Often, we don't understand it.
    Great shot of Gibbs!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love this shot and your post - I used to own several cats and I love them! Alas, current husband is not a fan.....

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your black cat looks very striking against the white of the snow.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Nancy, We have a cat (1 of 5) who is just like Gibbs. I love your photo. Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Black and white photography ;-). He is lovely.
    Visiting from the Weekly Top Shot.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Ruling with an iron fist is a hard job...give her some extra kibble from that bag you hold!...:)JP

    ReplyDelete
  34. We could learn a few things from cats...

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love this despot cat photo and excellent and very creative post ~

    A Creative Harbor aka ArtMuseDog and Carol)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Too funny! You make your animals very human....or is that we humans are just animals? Whichever...I love the description of Gibbs, and I'm curious about her name!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Just like human life....whoever holds the kitty kibble...we tolerate.
    Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  38. She is beautiful! You gotta love those old girls with attitude!

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a gorgeous contrast of colours

    ReplyDelete
  40. lol. Wonderful cat story! Yep. Felines work out their own hierarchy. That's for sure. :) Gibbs has got it going on!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ah. Good photo and Wonderful story. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  42. I think Gibbs has his act together!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Love this photo and what you write is so true! Love cats - so fiercely independent! xx

    ReplyDelete
  44. she's a pretty cat, Nancy. love the photo of her in the snow.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Looks like one tough character.

    ReplyDelete
  46. She looks like a mini panther.

    ReplyDelete
  47. You can tell by her eyes that she means business!

    ReplyDelete
  48. pretty photo! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  49. She could almost be mistaken for a panther. Nice photo!

    ReplyDelete
  50. I bow to my furcat- I do not exist unless it is time for supper.
    Love this snow photo- pretty cat.

    ReplyDelete
  51. She is a very pretty kitty. But then I have a pretty cat who is a real pain in the a**. Good luck keeping them all in line :)

    ReplyDelete
  52. I see a certain authoritarian air in her step... he.he.he. Animals are funny, how they determine who's boss and then each falling the descending authority line... Thank you Nancy, for sharing on Weekly Top Shot #64!

    ReplyDelete
  53. love your cat story and that photo of your cat in the snow is truly amazing nancy!!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  54. Did "Gibbs" get her name for the character on NCIS? - You know how he manages things. Great shot of her.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Oh I can see why the others wouldn't mess with Gibbs!! Look at that attitude!! Love it!
    Nancy, this was great. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate your thoughts and opinions.