Could my cat be mad at me?

I got my cat, Ponch, in 2000 when I was in law school. He was not an only cat, as I got John at the same time. Unfortunately, John went MIA during the great storm of December 2007, and Ponch has not dealt with that loss well. Ponch has had a rough life for a spoiled kitty. He used to have me all to himself. Then I packed him up and moved him from sunny Las Vegas to rainy Washington. This did not make him happy at all, and, to add insult to injury, at the same time poor Ponch had to compete for my attention with a human male. This is obviously Nick. And, not only did Nick take me away, he also took Ponch's spot on the bed.

Since that time, Ponch has had to deal with a steady stream of intruders: first we got Atticus, the adorable 9 lb puppy who wanted a kitty playmate. Atticus grew to be 90 lbs, but still wanted a kitty playmate. Ponch has made it resoundingly clear over the past five years that he wants nothing to do with a 90 lb. lab. Then we got Finn, who was smaller than Atticus (well, shorter at least), but what he lacked in size, he made up for with his insitance that Ponch be his playmate, no matter Ponch's feelings on the matter. Finally, our house has traditionally been the drop-off point for all sorts of four legged houseguests (I guess people have always figured what's one more), most of which are not used to treating cats with the respect and deference they deserve. Ponch does not enjoy our houseguests.

If our other four legged friends have gotten Ponch's nose out of joint, then the addition of Bennett, our new two-legged friend, has him downright angry. I cannot claim to be surprised by Ponch's feelings. What has surprised me is that Ponch is freakishly protective of the baby- it's me who he has decided to grace with his anger. Here are just a few ways that Ponch has decided to let me know in no uncertain terms that he is not happy with me:

- Ponch's new favorite toys are bottle nipples. He takes them out of the sink, off the counter, and even off of the bottle dryer. He does this and drops them in defiance in front of me. He also likes to play with the Dr. Brown bottle inserts.
- Ponch often waits to do this until I am breastfeeding the baby or otherwise engaged in such a way that I am stuck on the couch and helpless to discipline him to do his misdeeds. Then he laughs (OK, I made that last part up).
- He also like to come and sit on my computer keyboard and stare at me....again, this is always when I am in no position to kick him off.
- Ponch's new favorite comfort zones are anywhere I want to put the baby- the crib, the co-sleeper, the bouncy chair. Wherever I plan to put the baby next.
- The other day, Ponch came into the bathroom where I was getting ready, looked at me, meowed, and proceeded to pee on the bathroom rug and shower curtain.
- He has also begun projectile vomiting, but only when he is up high and gets the best arc for the vomit.

Ponch has also become decidedly more aggressive with our friends when they come over (not just our friend Josh, who he has always hated). Maybe he thinks they're going to stay? At least the dogs still like me.