5th Fiddle

It is tough being 5th fiddle. Although yes, you do get to lay around doing nothing but sleeping most of the day, there are some down sides as well (we won't even mention how he has to clean himself). 5th fiddle is really a demotion as Albert (otherwise known) once was 4th fiddle, then promoted to 3rd for a very short time before unceremoniously being made 4th once again. Now, it seems that everyone has been ratcheted down a notch, and he is just 5th fiddle, with the Usurper a few months ago waltzing right in to claim the no. 1 fiddle spot.

As 5th fiddle, he is 'lucky' if he gets fed every day, although an outsider would never know this since he is a bit on the, well, chunky side.(He is pictured above back in his thuggish days when he was much lankier and much more street). Pets on the back and bits of attention are much harder to come by now as well. However the Usurper, as no. 1 fiddle is known to him, waves frantically and makes many sudden moves toward him in what can pass for delight. This is causing fiddle 5 to actually jump up from a sleeping, almost catatonic state and dart off to safety rather often now. Worse yet, this morning the Usurper actually tried to ride him. How humiliating!

The darting about is good for him though, as he needs to gain back some of that edge, get some of the street back into him. Who knows, he might have to venture out and catch some of his own food one of these days and he needs to be ready! If he lays out in the grass all day, the birds and mice are not going to walk up and give themselves up. No sir.

The Usurper is just trying to help!