Maestro had an almost stubby tail early in life (the vet commented on it being unusually short in proportion to the rest of him). As he grew, the tail lengthened to the point where it now looks abnormally long (the legs did the same, giving him the appearance of a cat on stilts until the rest of his body caught up). As the tail became long enough to enter his peripheral vision while sitting or lying down, it would often startle him. He’d take a defensive posture and eye the tail, like in some sort of Western showdown, and then...attack! Glad we got some good videos of this because he eventually made peace with his tail and no longer duels with it.
He doesn’t puff up nearly as much as he used to when everything in the world was new and he was so tiny. I wish I had video of the time he spotted his shadow on the wall and instantly puffed up and arched his back. When shadow kitten did the same, Maestro attempted to arch and puff even more. When he saw shadow kitty was able to match that too the little Maestro backed down and ran.
And a tail puff incident that I’ve only ever seen once: he brushed past a rolled up yoga mat standing on its end. It took a few moments for the mat finish wobbling and then fall. Maestro seemed uncertain as to whether this event was alarming or no. So instead of the usual, near-instantaneous puff, his tail puffed up gradually, like a sponge soaking up water and expanding. It reached full puff when the mat finally landed on its side. Then he bolted from the scene of the crime.
Does anyone else feel just a smidge of pride when they can un-puff the cat with some gentle words and petting? Like...I just helped my cat feel safe and calm...and this is a critter who once jumped a foot in the air at the sight of a dropped sock.
