VOCAL

She’s gotten more vocal, if that’s possible.  And there are lots of tonal variations.   She "hollers" when she's hungry.  She hollers when she wants to go through a door.  She hollers when she'd like a lap.  She makes impatient sounds, much like a "m-o-o-o-m-m-m-m!" whiny complaint from a kid.  She "chirps" quietly when we get up or when she'd like to come up on a lap.  And she makes that distinctive "chatter" when she watches the birds outside the windows.  We made sure to leave a stack of boxes under the side window so she could continue to look out the window after the table was gone.

We keep to the protocols, though.  For her to get her twice daily “scoops” (kibble) she has to ring the bell on the pantry door.  Some days she jingles before I get the coffee pot set to go; other days she shows no interest until mid- to late-morning.  At our bedtime she needs to do a “chin-up” on the freezer handle to get her quarter can of wet food. 

She’s known “sit” for quite some time.  She loves her “crunchies” (Temptations cat treats) so much that we can get her to come in from the garage, or go into her carrier just by asking “want some crunchies?”  I tell her to sit and wait for her to sit quietly before she’s allowed to eat them from my hand. 

This week I started another behavior with her.  If my hand is palm up, partly closed, she needs to “sit”.  If I hold the treat between finger & thumb, up higher, she needs to “reach up” (stand up and gently grab my hand between her front paws).  The second or third session with alternating “sit” and “reach up” she did those behaviors for Tom just as readily as she did for me.

I really need to work on harness & leash training with her.  I really wish I’d done that before the move, but we’re getting awfully close.  I may try a bit anyway.