How Different Are We?

As I watch our pets interact, it amazes me how much behavior I see in them that is so typical of humans, typically children, but unfortunately, I've seen it in many adults as well....including myself. Lucy has every toy imaginable. Remnants of stuffed animals, pull toys, fetch toys, you name it, she's got it. Blue has a few toys as well. And even though Lucy has every other toy imaginable, all she wants are Blue's toys. Blue has this little stuffed mouse filled with catnip. If Blue is playing with it (and that's the key piece of information) all Lucy wants is that mouse and she will do anything and everything to get to it. If Blue starts playing with a toy that Lucy has left  forgotten in another part of the house, Lucy will immediately forget the toy she was so contentedly playing with and make every effort to take the toy away from Blue.
I firmly believe that car manufacturers were clearly fathers and mothers. Have you ever carefully looked at the back seat of a car?  There are clearly defined borders for each seat. I remember so often sitting in the back with my brother and sister and carefully watching to make sure they didn't cross "the line." Unfortunately, the chair that Lucy and Blue try to share has no division. And so we have issues where they are each trying to push the other out of the chair.
If we give them both a piece of ice. Lucy doesn't care that she has her own piece, she only wants Blue's. Do you remember when we were told to share a piece of something...anything?  Our Dad would have to use precise cutting skills to cut it exactly in half...or thirds...or fourths...depending on how many of us there were at the time. And even though he did everything possible to make them even we strongly suspected that the other sibling had a bigger piece.
It is pretty crazy to witness it in the animal world as well. And in looking at the pictures, don't worry, I broke it up pretty quickly. The crazy thing is, they roughhouse like this all the time. Blue wants it as much as Lucy does.

It starts like this. Notice that Blue is not only sitting on THE chair, but Lucy's toy is also in that chair.

 

 

 

 

 

Then Lucy jump on the chair and starts to try to squeeze Blue out. Yes, the toy is missing because it is impossible to get it all in "one take."

This is blurry....no way around it.... but suffice it to say, Lucy kept nudging until Blue attacked.

And all out war is declared....all because of the fact that they both wanted to sit in the chair.

And for those of you worried that they didn't survive. Peace was eventually restored.