What's on Fluffy's mind

Q. One of our customers wanted to know a few things about her big grey and white cat named Fluffy. She wanted to know: If he understood that her husband had to travel frequently with his work and did he know that her husband was going to come back each time? Was there anything that he or his younger brother needed that they weren't getting? Does Fluffy feel that he's the favored cat in the house by his parents?

A. Fluffy understood that his dad had to travel often. He wasn't happy that he had to be away like that. He said he thought his father would probably come back from each trip, answering me 'that he will, he may' , but I could sense that he had some doubts about that. I spoke with his mother. I asked if his dad had gone away and not come back when he was supposed to, when he had told Fluffy he would be back? She told me that it had happened once, due to weather conditions, that he was held up a few extra days. That was the kind of thing that I had suspected put doubts in Fluffy's mind. She also said that when her husband leaves on trips, he'll say in jest to her, 'I'll come back. Maybe.' That could be part of it. I didn't ask him further.

I asked Fluffy to describe his own personality to me. He said he was 'proud, bold, handsome, Dapper Dan, mostly calm, In the moment. I asked him what he meant by that, he said 'clear thinking'. He said he liked his brother, they liked each other. They would talk about: ' Dad, when he's away, when he's back, and discuss being able to go outside'.

Fluffy did seem to feel that his parents favored his brother more. I could sense a bit of jealousy or competition for attention on his part. He described his younger brother as ' big man, ego maniac, wants attention all the time, wants to take over, stubborn, free-willed, not fun to play with, he plays hard and rough with me, bossy all the time. He said his brother was 'dumb, not smart. I asked why he would say that? He told me 'I watch him, not smart, no ideas. But, all the while, he did seem to genuinely like his brother's companionship and friendship...

This is how Fluffy described his brother to me. I know, from his mother, that Fluffy is in fact the dominant cat in the house. He said that his brother is favored because he is 'more playful and energetic with his parents'.

When asked, what he needs that he's not getting, he mentioned 'candy... the Swedish or Norwegian one'... His mom said that her husband often brings cat treats home from his European trips, but they are from Germany. He said that he needed to be brushed more often because 'more off, it's nice, calms me, relaxes me, it's nice, that's all. When asked if his brother needed anything, he said ' not at all!'.

The things that make him laugh: 'Falling snow outside. His dad sometimes, goes outside, waves up at me'. His younger brother makes him laugh because ' he runs around chairs, the house, speeds by so fast.
His favorite things: 'outside on the balcony, high up, birds go by, sing to me songs. What kind of songs? 'lullabyes, melodies'.

What makes him sad? 'Saying good-bye. To who? 'Sergeant Major.. Who's that? dad, of course!'
I asked the woman if this was her husbands post in the military. She said that he was a Captain, but that his father, was a Sergeant Major... Fluffy described his dad saying that 'He's a man! He's tough!'
When asked, What scares you? He said nothing really.
He said that he is quite happy with his life and his brother. He said, in reference to their health, that they are 'pretty good, fine really'.