Houston, We Have Contact

This morning Moonie came downstairs. 

Sunday mornings have always been cat mornings in our house. Gregg and I sit in the living room eating breakfast and reading the paper (actually every morning was the same until Ray). Moonie would sit on one side of me and Hugo would be on my lap or on the other side of me. With the advent of Ray it's been kind of sad. No cats. But this morning Moonie decided she had had enough.

Ray was asleep at one end of the couch, I was sitting at the other end, reading the paper and having a cup of coffee. Enter, Moonie. 

At first Moonie stayed on the other side of the room, purring and rubbing cat spit on Gregg, the coffee table, her cat scratching pad, the footstool, the end table; whatever she could reach. I kept talking to her. 
"Moonie! What a brave cat you are. Come here Moonie. Come on. Come on over here and I'll give you a belly rub. Come on. You are so brave. Don't worry, the doggie's asleep..." 
Blah, blaah, blaaaah. 

Anyway, Moonie was finally convinced. She jumped up in her usual, pre-Ray, spot and flopped over for a belly rub.

Ray, Me, and Moonie

We were having a good ole time for about ten or 15 minutes when Ray stretched a bit and lifted his head. Moonie, freaked, immediately jumped down, and rapidly crept past Ray, who, oblivious, stared straight ahead. Moonie noticed that Ray wasn't noticing, relaxed, slowed up, made it to the front hallway and sat down facing away from the living room. 

Ray got down off of the couch, wandered into the kitchen, then headed for the front hallway. I watched as he slowly approached Moonie, his head down, ears forward, sniffing. Moonie, the oblivious one this time, didn't notice him until he was right behind her, then turned her head, startled. She briefly stretched out her neck, they touched noses, and Moonie shot off through the escape hatch in the baby gate and up the stairs. Ray looked pleased and surprised, jogged to the baby gate and stood looking up the stairs, tail wagging...