[Dailydrool] Not wanting to share mom

[rosekh at aol.com]

I need some advice.  In the evenings, Fred, Annie and I sit on the couch.  I sit in the middle, and they each sit on one side.  Annie has a tendency to wait until Fred cuddles up with me and then she gets up, shoves her head behind my back and stands there pushing me until I get up, let her sit in the middle, and move over to where she was.  Fred then looks at me sadly and lays his head between Annie's back and the couch so that he's close to me and I can pet him.  I've tried to resist Annie, but she will literally stand there pushing me with her head until I move!  Occasionally, if she's asleep next to me and Fred walks over near her, she will open her eyes and snap at him, then turn to me an start giving me kisses.  I initially thought that he was startling her awake, but she's not much of a cuddler, so the fact that she does this and then starts cuddling with me and kissing me makes it seem like it's a "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, you can't get near mommy!"

In the past few weeks, Fred has started doing something similar.  If we come in from a walk, he'll jump up on the couch and lay down in his spot.  Annie always jumps up on the couch near his side and walks across to hers.  Now, when she walks over near him, he will occasionally growl at her so that she'll back away, but she won't go to the other side to jump up, so she kind of paces back and forth until I distract Fred and she can get by him.  This is TOTALLY unlike Fred...he's such a friendly, non-grouchy guy.  I almost wonder if he's getting tired of Annie "hogging" the space near me on the couch!

I don't understand why they can't just let me sit in the middle...it's like they not only want to be near me, but want the other to NOT be near me.  Any suggestions on how to stop this behavior would be appreciated.  They are usually so loving and tolerant of each other, so this really has me baffled!


Thanks,
Rose, Annie (I'm the only one who's supposed to growl) and Fred (I'm the man of the house, and I'm putting my foot down!)
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