So, how do you know your behavioral training is working? Have shrimp for dinner. We don't sit at the kitchen table (too much "pile it" on it), so we're right in a place Charlotte can get at us. The first time we ate shrimp for dinner we had to keep moving our plates to keep her from stealing our dinner. Then next time we still had to move them quite a bit, but not quite as much.
Last night we had shrimp and our plates remained on our laps. We did have to tell her no, waver her off a few times, etc., but we didn't have to keep picking up our plates and moving them away from her. It wasn't that she didn't want those shrimp, it was that she's learning the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
As I was serving dinner, I had dropped one shrimp as I was taking them out of the pot. I peeled it for her, cut it up and put it in her dish. It was gone in seconds. I had one of mine that left a bit in the tail and I gave it to her after dinner. She got no reward while we were eating or even next to our plates. She got her tidbit in the kitchen, after we were done.
Currently, we're working on getting her to differentiate between "let me out in the garage" vs. "I want my dry food" vs. "I want my wet food". She's been crying at the garage door but not wanting the garage. So, I've been started to tap places for her to reach, while asking if she wants "scoops" or "wet food". We'll see how that goes.
Years ago, with my first cat, I once pushed her out the door in the middle of the night because she was crying at the door. Turned out she was out of water. She did learn to get a bit more specific when she cried in the middle of the night.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
The Beast
Sometimes Charlotte becomes The Beast. Her eyes go all pupil. Her ears go back. And she looks for any excuse to grab a human body part and bite. Not a gentle love bite, but a deep, killing bite.
She bites Tom more than she bites me. But, I've popped her on top of her head a time or two when she was in a biting mood.
We've had cats do this in the past, but it was when they were being harassed in a play session and were driven to attack. These are unprovoked attacks.
Sometimes she'll be on a lap and you go to pet her and she grabs and is ready to bite. She usually stops short of doing more than a light press on the skin. But, I've also seen her just relaxing on Tom's lap, then suddenly the eyes change, the ears go back and he doesn't even need to make any motion for her to reach out and grab, going in for the kill.
Last night she attacked his foot while he was on the phone. He hadn't been playing with her at all; she just decided it was time to transform into The Beast.
She bites Tom more than she bites me. But, I've popped her on top of her head a time or two when she was in a biting mood.
We've had cats do this in the past, but it was when they were being harassed in a play session and were driven to attack. These are unprovoked attacks.
Sometimes she'll be on a lap and you go to pet her and she grabs and is ready to bite. She usually stops short of doing more than a light press on the skin. But, I've also seen her just relaxing on Tom's lap, then suddenly the eyes change, the ears go back and he doesn't even need to make any motion for her to reach out and grab, going in for the kill.
Last night she attacked his foot while he was on the phone. He hadn't been playing with her at all; she just decided it was time to transform into The Beast.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Trying her wings ... or is it a broom?
In the last day or two of our trip to Montana earlier this month Charlotte began to discover she is now big enough and strong enough to jump higher and get into more things. So, we have new challenges.
First we found her hopping onto a cute box at the end of the kitchen counter, then onto the counter. We moved the box. Then ... she tried a little harder and realized she could jump onto the microwave cart (the kind where there's a cupboard, some small counter-top, and the microwave goes on a shelf above that) then walk across the stove and down the counters. It became an instant battle.
Last night she found a new place to get into trouble - I looked up to see her sitting on top of the satellite receiver box, thinking about touching the TV hanging on the wall behind it. When I got her to get down, it became the new battle of the day. She kept going back and preparing to jump up there. Telling her NO! and trying everything I could to keep her down, it became a game for her.
I expect we'll be having a number of crashes as she explores places that used to be too high for her to reach without some kind of intermediate surface ... oh, boy!
First we found her hopping onto a cute box at the end of the kitchen counter, then onto the counter. We moved the box. Then ... she tried a little harder and realized she could jump onto the microwave cart (the kind where there's a cupboard, some small counter-top, and the microwave goes on a shelf above that) then walk across the stove and down the counters. It became an instant battle.
Last night she found a new place to get into trouble - I looked up to see her sitting on top of the satellite receiver box, thinking about touching the TV hanging on the wall behind it. When I got her to get down, it became the new battle of the day. She kept going back and preparing to jump up there. Telling her NO! and trying everything I could to keep her down, it became a game for her.
I expect we'll be having a number of crashes as she explores places that used to be too high for her to reach without some kind of intermediate surface ... oh, boy!
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Charlotte on the Road
There is no better way to find out how your cat travels than to jump in the car and go. We had previously done a couple of things that helped: we'd taken her for some rides around our area (she didn't like them) and we'd kept her travel carrier open in the living room and encouraged her to play in it, sleep in it, etc..
When we had to hit the road on short notice, there was no question of whether we'd take her or board her. Boarding in our immediate area means taking a cat to the vet to be kept in a cage for the duration. Not what we want for any of our animals. We considered trying to find someone to look in on her, but didn't like that idea, either. And making the decision to leave and being gone within less than 4 hours wouldn't have left much time to find someone.
So, we made room in the car for a litter box (the covered box from a previous cat), her carrier and some supplies for her. We also made sure she could get in & out of her litter box, get to her food and water. Once we'd made a few necessary stops, we let her out of the carrier.
The first hour, she was unhappy. She doesn't like being in her carrier. And likes it less each time she's in it. However, once she realized it had no signs of stopping, she curled up on Tom's lap and slept the day away. We'd hand her off at the pit/gas/food stops. Then she'd curl up and sleep again when we got back on the road. At one stop she sat up and leaned on my shoulder.
The second day she cried a few minutes, explored the car, then hopped into her carrier for the rest of the day. Except for the last half of the last day of our trip, she settled into a pattern of brief exploration of the car followed by sleeping in her carrier until we'd make a stop. She'd pop up her head and look around and, most times, curl back up. The last half of the last day she went back to Tom's lap.
She had no problem with the series of new spaces. She explored as much space as allowed in each location. In Trout Creek, rather than try to lock her in the bathroom (not a practice she approves of) we let her roam the whole house. Some day soon it will be her house anyway.
She doesn't choose to travel, but she tolerates it well ... after a few minutes of complaining.
When we had to hit the road on short notice, there was no question of whether we'd take her or board her. Boarding in our immediate area means taking a cat to the vet to be kept in a cage for the duration. Not what we want for any of our animals. We considered trying to find someone to look in on her, but didn't like that idea, either. And making the decision to leave and being gone within less than 4 hours wouldn't have left much time to find someone.
So, we made room in the car for a litter box (the covered box from a previous cat), her carrier and some supplies for her. We also made sure she could get in & out of her litter box, get to her food and water. Once we'd made a few necessary stops, we let her out of the carrier.
The first hour, she was unhappy. She doesn't like being in her carrier. And likes it less each time she's in it. However, once she realized it had no signs of stopping, she curled up on Tom's lap and slept the day away. We'd hand her off at the pit/gas/food stops. Then she'd curl up and sleep again when we got back on the road. At one stop she sat up and leaned on my shoulder.
The second day she cried a few minutes, explored the car, then hopped into her carrier for the rest of the day. Except for the last half of the last day of our trip, she settled into a pattern of brief exploration of the car followed by sleeping in her carrier until we'd make a stop. She'd pop up her head and look around and, most times, curl back up. The last half of the last day she went back to Tom's lap.
She had no problem with the series of new spaces. She explored as much space as allowed in each location. In Trout Creek, rather than try to lock her in the bathroom (not a practice she approves of) we let her roam the whole house. Some day soon it will be her house anyway.
She doesn't choose to travel, but she tolerates it well ... after a few minutes of complaining.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Charlotte the Traveler
We had thought Charlotte's first significant travel would come in the motorhome. Then, we got the call that Tom's mom was back in the hospital & on life support and it wasn't looking good. We packed and left in a hurry. I would not want to board a cat in Grand County. Boarding here consists of putting the cat in a cage at the vet's office for the duration. Minimal time (if any) outside the cage. That's not what we want for our little girl. So, we packed Charlie's covered litter box (we still had it), her food and water (in Max's "Water Buoy") put her in her carrier and hit the road. She cried for the first hour to hour and a half while she was in her carrier, and even after we'd made all our needed stops on the way out of town and let her out.
Then, she seemed to decide it was happening no matter how much she complained and settled down on Tom's lap and slept most of the day away. We'd trade off holding her at the gas & bathroom stops. She spent a little time exploring & trying to get down by my feet (with the pedals & such).
Oh, what fun she had when we stopped for the night at a motel. She literally bounced off just about everything in the room, including our heads, butts & feet. She started by exploring the room, then from about 9 to midnight she bounced off furniture, luggage and bodies. When I made a bathroom run about 5am, she started bouncing again. What a short night!
We got out the laser pointer and made sure she got a good period of exercise, including "flying lessons", before we hit the road again. Her "flying lessons" consisted of running the laser pointer from one bed to the other so she'd be going so fast she'd leap from bed to bed. Prior to the lessons, she would stop, jump off one bed, then clamber up the other. Once she learned to "fly" she really had fun.
Day two she settled to sleep in her carrier (top open) for nearly the whole travel day. She was up on Tom's lap briefly at the start, but liked her carrier or the top of the big case with our "BYOBed". She didn't cry at all. We took turns either holding her, like day one, or just watching in case she bolted when we took out little breaks.
Once at our destination, we were lucky enough to get the room with bath that had been where Tom's mom lived here at the youngest son's house. There are a couple of dogs - a maltesse-ShiTsu mix and Tom's mom's Boston Bull Terrier (who will now live with Tom's sister). So, we got the only place we could keep Charlotte safe for sure. She has delighted in the built-in counter that allows her to leap and pounce down onto us on our bed. The first night was much like the night in the motel.
She has also proven to be extremely social - she has met a lot of new people and she expects every one of them to be ready to pet her or to have her on their laps (if they stayed long enough to sit). She has also proven that she really knows her "sit" - she's done it in front of new people, and even did it for our daughter.
We got so very lucky that Charlotte was waiting for us at the shelter. We'll have to let the folks at the shelter know what a special kitty they had for us.
Then, she seemed to decide it was happening no matter how much she complained and settled down on Tom's lap and slept most of the day away. We'd trade off holding her at the gas & bathroom stops. She spent a little time exploring & trying to get down by my feet (with the pedals & such).
Oh, what fun she had when we stopped for the night at a motel. She literally bounced off just about everything in the room, including our heads, butts & feet. She started by exploring the room, then from about 9 to midnight she bounced off furniture, luggage and bodies. When I made a bathroom run about 5am, she started bouncing again. What a short night!
We got out the laser pointer and made sure she got a good period of exercise, including "flying lessons", before we hit the road again. Her "flying lessons" consisted of running the laser pointer from one bed to the other so she'd be going so fast she'd leap from bed to bed. Prior to the lessons, she would stop, jump off one bed, then clamber up the other. Once she learned to "fly" she really had fun.
(Charlotte taking a peek out of her carrier during one of our pit stops)
Day two she settled to sleep in her carrier (top open) for nearly the whole travel day. She was up on Tom's lap briefly at the start, but liked her carrier or the top of the big case with our "BYOBed". She didn't cry at all. We took turns either holding her, like day one, or just watching in case she bolted when we took out little breaks.
Once at our destination, we were lucky enough to get the room with bath that had been where Tom's mom lived here at the youngest son's house. There are a couple of dogs - a maltesse-ShiTsu mix and Tom's mom's Boston Bull Terrier (who will now live with Tom's sister). So, we got the only place we could keep Charlotte safe for sure. She has delighted in the built-in counter that allows her to leap and pounce down onto us on our bed. The first night was much like the night in the motel.
She has also proven to be extremely social - she has met a lot of new people and she expects every one of them to be ready to pet her or to have her on their laps (if they stayed long enough to sit). She has also proven that she really knows her "sit" - she's done it in front of new people, and even did it for our daughter.
We got so very lucky that Charlotte was waiting for us at the shelter. We'll have to let the folks at the shelter know what a special kitty they had for us.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Tom's Turn
So far, I've done the "crunchies training" with Charlotte. This morning it happened that Tom was the one who let her out into the garage and back in. I walked him through our "ritual". It doesn't seem that complicated until talking someone else through it.
When she comes in from the garage she expects to be praised, offered crunchies, told to sit, have her head scratched, and finally eat the crunchies. Don't expect her to go straight from sit to eat - the head scratch has to happen, sometimes more than once.
I've taken to getting out a dozen crunchies, but only giving her a couple at a time. Between "servings" she generally wants another head scratch. The dozen is to keep the amount of treat eating down to a reasonable level as we get her back to a more svelt condition, without depriving her.
The effort to stop her from getting fat seems to be working. She rations her eating based on how much is in her dish. When we kept is mostly about half full (half cup or cup at a time) she started getting "softer" across her ribs and putting on a belly. Now that she gets only a quarter cup at a time, she still rations herself, but based on a smaller amount. Most days she's getting 2 quarter cup servings of kibble and either a half-pack of the Sheba brand "perfect servings" (2 small containers you break apart - 2 servings) or about a quarter can from a standard cat food can and one or two "crunchies" servings. Some days she gets a third quarter cup serving. The bag suggests for her age/size 1/2 to 3/4 cup a day. Since she gets the wet food, the 1/2 cup seems about right.
Now that we're "rationing", we're developing a routine of morning feeding and bedtime (or around our dinner time if she runs out AND asks) that seems to work.
Here's Charlotte on the bathroom sink. She delights in knocking things off the edge into the sink. She also pulls the screen out of the drain ... one of these days . . . Yes, in a normal house we could put these things somewhere else, but in this small bathroom, there is no more space; it's all full.
When she comes in from the garage she expects to be praised, offered crunchies, told to sit, have her head scratched, and finally eat the crunchies. Don't expect her to go straight from sit to eat - the head scratch has to happen, sometimes more than once.
I've taken to getting out a dozen crunchies, but only giving her a couple at a time. Between "servings" she generally wants another head scratch. The dozen is to keep the amount of treat eating down to a reasonable level as we get her back to a more svelt condition, without depriving her.
The effort to stop her from getting fat seems to be working. She rations her eating based on how much is in her dish. When we kept is mostly about half full (half cup or cup at a time) she started getting "softer" across her ribs and putting on a belly. Now that she gets only a quarter cup at a time, she still rations herself, but based on a smaller amount. Most days she's getting 2 quarter cup servings of kibble and either a half-pack of the Sheba brand "perfect servings" (2 small containers you break apart - 2 servings) or about a quarter can from a standard cat food can and one or two "crunchies" servings. Some days she gets a third quarter cup serving. The bag suggests for her age/size 1/2 to 3/4 cup a day. Since she gets the wet food, the 1/2 cup seems about right.
Now that we're "rationing", we're developing a routine of morning feeding and bedtime (or around our dinner time if she runs out AND asks) that seems to work.
Here's Charlotte on the bathroom sink. She delights in knocking things off the edge into the sink. She also pulls the screen out of the drain ... one of these days . . . Yes, in a normal house we could put these things somewhere else, but in this small bathroom, there is no more space; it's all full.
Monday, February 1, 2016
She's on to us
As we were driving to the next town to get a few items (including cat food, of course) at the supermarket, we talked about Charlotte a bit.
I asked Tom if he'd noticed that we have not seen or heard her "flapping" plastic grocery bags since we started ignoring it. At that point, apparently, she figured out that we'd figured out she was trying to train us.
Each day I am more convinced she's the smartest cat I've ever been around. Things that are good for her, she learns very quickly. Last night I asked her if she wanted her dinner and she came down off the back of the couch for me to deliver. I wasn't completely convinced yet, and didn't jump right up to get her night time ration of kibble and her wet food so she went back to the back of the couch. A few minutes later I asked her again. She came back down to my "lap" (above the laptop) and this time she looked at me and when I didn't get up right away she "spoke" to me. We never set out to use a stock phrase, or command for feeding her, but apparently we've said that one enough times to be recognized.
She also seems to recognize that "outside" is not a desirable place. The only time she's been "outside" was one of the times I was standing in an open doorway, waiting for Max to take care of business. She got pretty curious about what was beyond that door. Not wanting her to be an outdoor cat, I picked her up and tossed her into the snow. She came right back in and hasn't really tried to go out the front or back doors. She also hasn't really tried to get into the basement or the office. Just the garage. I think it's because the garage has had rodents and she can smell them.
Charlotte taking one of her "chest naps"
I asked Tom if he'd noticed that we have not seen or heard her "flapping" plastic grocery bags since we started ignoring it. At that point, apparently, she figured out that we'd figured out she was trying to train us.
Each day I am more convinced she's the smartest cat I've ever been around. Things that are good for her, she learns very quickly. Last night I asked her if she wanted her dinner and she came down off the back of the couch for me to deliver. I wasn't completely convinced yet, and didn't jump right up to get her night time ration of kibble and her wet food so she went back to the back of the couch. A few minutes later I asked her again. She came back down to my "lap" (above the laptop) and this time she looked at me and when I didn't get up right away she "spoke" to me. We never set out to use a stock phrase, or command for feeding her, but apparently we've said that one enough times to be recognized.
She also seems to recognize that "outside" is not a desirable place. The only time she's been "outside" was one of the times I was standing in an open doorway, waiting for Max to take care of business. She got pretty curious about what was beyond that door. Not wanting her to be an outdoor cat, I picked her up and tossed her into the snow. She came right back in and hasn't really tried to go out the front or back doors. She also hasn't really tried to get into the basement or the office. Just the garage. I think it's because the garage has had rodents and she can smell them.
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