This is Posey.

She is Jeter’s sister. They hung out a lot as kittens, but now she just tolerates him. (Unless they’re snuggling when we’re not looking!)

Still, they co-exist relatively in peace. Sure there’s some chasing and face-slapping, but generally they’re fine together.

Joey is another story. When he came around, Posey made it apparent that she did not want a new baby brother. When they first met, she hissed and ran away, and he chased her.

Actually, she started expressing her disapproval even before they met.

We kept him downstairs for the first few months we had him (more on that later), but he would stick his paws under the door. She’d hiss at his paws.

She still does that. Six years later, we still have to keep them separated.

Joey lives in the (semi-finished) basement during the day when we’re at work and overnight. When we get home, we let him out and Posey hides.

Her favorite hiding spot had been in the corner of my closet. There was a little nook for her under the hanging shirts and behind some boots. The giant pile of shoes all over the place were a bit of a barrier from that stinky Joey character who always managed to find her.

(Posey is not good at hide and seek. She starts growling if she sees him. Usually, he wouldn’t have found her or looked for her otherwise.)

Now that the closet is clean, I’ve caught him sitting in there behind the curtains while she’s growling and hissing from her corner two feet away. He’s usually just sitting there, doing nothing, while she makes evil noises. I’ve got to record that sometime …

There was a nasty fight last weekend when Joey escaped from the basement. Posey was nearby, ran away, and he caught her. Normally we do let Joey out if we’re home on a weekend, but we warn Posey and giver her a chance to hide. There was no warning this time, and she was shaken up for quite some time after the attack.

Still, I think most of the angst is coming from her end. While Joey likes to wrestle with Jeter sometimes, they do get along. Posey’s never even given him a chance.

Sure, he runs after her when he sees her, but I don’t think he’s always looking for a fight. He probably just wants to be her friend!

Is anybody out there a pet counselor? I think they need couples therapy!