Pets are usually fun. But if you're not having enough "fun," get another pet and enjoy watching them try to bond. How do I know? That's just what my friend Sanka did. But let's take things one step at a time.
Murzik is a moderately cheeky, fluffy cat who shares the living space with my friend. Along with it, there's the kitchen, the refrigerator, the toilet, and, of course, the bed. He considers himself the rightful owner of the apartment—at least until the real owner returns from work. But he's not particularly shy around Sasha either. Sometimes, when we're getting ready for a beer, this furry scamp settles between us on the couch and steals crackers and chips from the bowl. When his impudence gets too much, he gets a slap on the wrist and, accompanied by Sasha's "Murzik, get out!" , flies out into the hallway. The cat hears this phrase so often that he considers it his second name. But when it's said tensely, he immediately disciplines himself and begins to follow the rules of the dormitory.
One day, Sanya's friends decided to have some fun and gave him a young budgie for his birthday—a perfectly harmless, sweet little bird. Well, as the saying goes, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Remembering all the jokes about birds, Sanya took the new tenant in. And the bird was a cute little thing, not particularly noisy, not annoying, a perfectly respectable little bird. To keep the bird from waking his owner with its chirping in the mornings, Sanya covered the cage with an old shirt at night. If he sometimes forgot to open it in the morning, Murzik would help him—he'd pull the cover off with his paw and sit in front of the cage as if watching TV. He really liked the new inhabitant.
No, he wasn't going to eat it. The cat generally dislikes anything that isn't wrapped in rustling paper or a package labeled "Whiskas." And especially not anything that's unplucked, unscented, and screaming. But as a toy and companion, the parrot deserved the cat's attention. When Sanya let the bird out to stretch its legs and fly around the apartment, the cat immediately set about training the bird: sneaking up, startling it, then jumping on it, causing it to dart around the room, screaming. Having become completely brazen, he began raiding the parrot every fifteen minutes. This continued until the owner uttered the code phrase: "Murzik, get out!"
Sashka had already started looking for someone to give the bird to, until Murzik brought her to an inevitable heart attack.
One day, during one of his parrot's walks, the cat, having habitually cornered his prey, was about to pounce when the bird suddenly barked: "Murzik, get out!"
The cat, crouching for a spring, was stunned, pressed even deeper, and froze. He sat there, eyes wide with surprise, for almost an hour. My friend even thought the furry creature had a heart attack.
Since then, whenever the parrot decides to put a stop to the cat's mischief, he loudly pronounces the cherished phrase. Having appreciated its magical effect, the bird began to frequently abuse it: he'd sneak up to Murzik while he was quietly sitting or sleeping and shout in his ear. He especially enjoys using this trick when the cat is eating. To complete the picture, all that's left is to teach his bottom to laugh demonically. And then it'll be time to find a new home for Murzik.
