Siblings

I don't think of my pets as siblings.  I think of them as part of my family; because to me family consists of pets.  This doesn't mean that I think any less of the pets; just that - to me - they aren't siblings.

They're living beings that share the same house.  They coexist.  They probably have a better relationship with each other than they do with the pets next door or around the corner; but they aren't siblings.

Winter and Cotton are a perfect example of this.  One of the primary reasons why I got Cotton was because I couldn't have any more cats and I worried that Winter would be lonely. (Winter was exposed to the FIP virus, which can be deadly to cats.)  They bonded right away, and were almost inseparable in their early years.  In my mind, Cotton became Winter's dog, and Winter is Cotton's cat.   But I've never referred to them as brothers.

Until today.

I was in the kitchen cooking, and I suddenly heard Cotton growling.  At first I didn't pay it much attention, but when he continued on, I went to investigate.  Cotton had gone off to one of the smaller crates for some quiet, and the cat had apparently followed him.

Not only was he standing on top of the crate peering down, he was periodically bopping the top of it to be sure to make his presence known.

It occurred to me then that, siblings or not, I can't think of anything more big brotherly than the way that Winter taunts his little dog.