Rank and File

I'm still wondering how, in the wake of Po's death, the feline hierarchy here will change.

Po was the undisputed queen for fourteen years.

Koa can carry a grudge better than anyone I know, and she's been mad at Pa'ani ever since he showed up in a KFC bucket one night (that's a whole other story) and, in her mind, ruined her plans for a palace coup and world domination.  Pa'ani, however, has always existed outside the hierarchy--he just doesn't care; he's a happy-go-lucky guy--much to Koa's irritation.

And Koa liked to think that she was really in charge.  Po was old.  Po was sick.  Po was weak.  Until Po had enough of Koa's 'tude, and there was a smackdown, and Po's reign continued uninterrupted, Po unperturbed.

Minou has occupied the bottom rung forever, it seems, just by virtue of her personality.  My dad calls her The Apparition.  She's the original scaredy cat; she'll go hide if we startle her.  That probably won't change.  And, honestly, neither of the boys' positions will change.  Pa'ani will continue to exist outside the hierarchy and irritate Koa by breathing, and she may try to force him to fall into a spot (Po didn't care that he existed outside the rank and file, because he left her mostly alone).  Mika is our other boy, and he's more your go-with-the-flow kind of guy, and this won't do much to ruffle him.

The two wild cards are Koa, who's been plotting for years, and Keiki, who is currently the ranking feline septuagenarian.  It's just a matter of who ends up where.