Today is a hang around the house day. Tom's got a cold and has gone back to bed for a while. Max is at my feet. He's going downhill fast and won't be with us much longer. Charlotte has been making a personal project of knocking things off the table for a couple of weeks.
Sometimes they just fall off as she steps next to them or plays with something else. But, sometimes she stops and purposely pushes them off and watches them fall. So, I'm kicked back, watching Pioneer Woman on the Food channel and playing Solitaire on the laptop when I start hearing a strange metallic sound ... it repeats. It changes in intensity and a little bit in pitch. What the ... ?
Charlotte had knocked a box of rocks (small pieces of rock and petrified wood, souvenirs from some of my work travels (nothing collected in any park) off the table. With so much having been knocked off and her thirst for new experiences, she finally had realized that a dozen or more of these small rocks had fallen inside the baseboard heater unit. (Our baseboards are hydronic, not electric, so no fire danger.)
She loves jingly things. While the rock on heater fins isn't exactly jingly, it's close enough for her. She clearly was going to spend a lot of time fishing one rock or another out of the unit and dropping it before it was quite out ... oh, what lovely sounds to her ear. No so lovely to my ear.
So, I cleared off a chair, laid down on it on my belly (one of my least favorite positions) to pull out those rocks, one at a time. The opening is almost wide enough for me to reach in. Almost means that once I had a rock in my fingers it was hard to get my hand back out. Again and again and . . . so now I have a sore hand, with scrapes and red spots. But I think I got all the rocks out of the baseboard.
What's the next things she'll focus on? Only time (and not much of it) will tell.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Monday, January 18, 2016
Crunchies!
While Charlotte is still fascinated with the garage, it is getting easier to get her back in the house. Some mornings she'll go to the garage door, reach up high and cry, yet when I open the door she stays in the house. She seems to prefer to "get away" to get out there. One time yesterday I made room to my right (the knob side of the door) but she just had to scoot out to my left. Sometimes when we head toward that side of the kitchen she'll race ahead and will be out the door before we even know she's there.
On the other hand, it's getting easier to get her to come in the house. This morning she let Tom walk up to her and pick her up. I have been having pretty good success bribing her with the offer of "crunchies". We have a couple of Costco tubs of Temptations treats and a small handful of those, offered on a flat hand are deemed a suitable reward for coming back into the house.
She also loves "her" window. She watches it snow. She watches Max when he's on his trolley. She sleeps on the sill. She sunbathes on the table in front of it. She plays with & eats her patch of grass in front of it.
On the other hand, it's getting easier to get her to come in the house. This morning she let Tom walk up to her and pick her up. I have been having pretty good success bribing her with the offer of "crunchies". We have a couple of Costco tubs of Temptations treats and a small handful of those, offered on a flat hand are deemed a suitable reward for coming back into the house.
She also loves "her" window. She watches it snow. She watches Max when he's on his trolley. She sleeps on the sill. She sunbathes on the table in front of it. She plays with & eats her patch of grass in front of it.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Door Opener & Max is checking out
Well, I can't say for sure whether it was Max leaning against it or if Charlotte finally has figured out how to open the door to my office. This morning it was open just enough she could get in. It's a bi-fold door, so it just takes enough of a push in the right place to get it started. I'll keep an eye on it and see if I catch her opening it ... if she does there won't be any point in keeping it closed any more.
At this point, she's about as big as my first cat was at a year old (7 pounds). She's 5 months old today. Her paws look a bit big for the rest of her. We'll keep an eye on how she grows. Sarah caught me by surprise when, at a year and a half, I realized she'd grown to 12 pounds. I've never had an itty bitty kitty. And it doesn't look like we're starting now.
The picture's perspective makes makes her look a little bigger than she is, but not a whole lot.
On the other hand, things aren't going so well for Max. His "things" that are growing on him are continuing to pop up. Some of them, he has licked open and we are having to constantly remind him to stop licking them. We've also had to "diaper" him. Last night it was with a triangle bandage (the kind you'd use for a sling) with the short side split to tie around his tail. Today it's an old T-shirt, with the excess waist material safety pinned over his back to keep him from just walking out of it. We have an appointment with the vet next week - he's headed out of town and it was the earliest we could get him in - to see what we can do about the worst of his lesions.
His hind legs continue to weaken. He can still make it up the stairs, but sometimes it's barely. He needs help getting into the car more and more often. But, he still wants his rides and he still stands up while the car is moving. We'll see how this week goes for him. On the plus side, last night he ate more than he has in quite a while. I gave him a very small crumbled hamburger patty and he ate it like he was starving. He then acted like he wanted his dinner so I opened a can for him and he ate most of it right away. Later I fed him a big hamburger patty, crumbled up. Even though it was on a big platter and Charlotte stuck her head in to get some, she got little or none of it. He ate it all. That's the most he's eaten in an evening in a long time. Most nights he takes a few slurps of the gravy, eats a quarter to half overnight, and might or might not eat the rest of the can the following morning.
With the lesions, weakening hind legs, diminishing appetite, along with "the stare", we feel like he's fading, sort of "checking out". "The stare" - he'll stop and just look into the distance. He doesn't seem to really be there. He doesn't always know which side of a door to pass - the "people door" in the garage that goes outside opens in and if he's not on top of his game he might head into the wedge on the wrong side of the door. Part of it may be the fading vision, but some seems to be more like he just isn't there behind those eyes.
Each day is one more gift ... every day since last October has been a gift.
At this point, she's about as big as my first cat was at a year old (7 pounds). She's 5 months old today. Her paws look a bit big for the rest of her. We'll keep an eye on how she grows. Sarah caught me by surprise when, at a year and a half, I realized she'd grown to 12 pounds. I've never had an itty bitty kitty. And it doesn't look like we're starting now.
On the other hand, things aren't going so well for Max. His "things" that are growing on him are continuing to pop up. Some of them, he has licked open and we are having to constantly remind him to stop licking them. We've also had to "diaper" him. Last night it was with a triangle bandage (the kind you'd use for a sling) with the short side split to tie around his tail. Today it's an old T-shirt, with the excess waist material safety pinned over his back to keep him from just walking out of it. We have an appointment with the vet next week - he's headed out of town and it was the earliest we could get him in - to see what we can do about the worst of his lesions.
His hind legs continue to weaken. He can still make it up the stairs, but sometimes it's barely. He needs help getting into the car more and more often. But, he still wants his rides and he still stands up while the car is moving. We'll see how this week goes for him. On the plus side, last night he ate more than he has in quite a while. I gave him a very small crumbled hamburger patty and he ate it like he was starving. He then acted like he wanted his dinner so I opened a can for him and he ate most of it right away. Later I fed him a big hamburger patty, crumbled up. Even though it was on a big platter and Charlotte stuck her head in to get some, she got little or none of it. He ate it all. That's the most he's eaten in an evening in a long time. Most nights he takes a few slurps of the gravy, eats a quarter to half overnight, and might or might not eat the rest of the can the following morning.
With the lesions, weakening hind legs, diminishing appetite, along with "the stare", we feel like he's fading, sort of "checking out". "The stare" - he'll stop and just look into the distance. He doesn't seem to really be there. He doesn't always know which side of a door to pass - the "people door" in the garage that goes outside opens in and if he's not on top of his game he might head into the wedge on the wrong side of the door. Part of it may be the fading vision, but some seems to be more like he just isn't there behind those eyes.
Each day is one more gift ... every day since last October has been a gift.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
New Wake-Up Stategy
It is amazing to watch Charlotte's plotting mind work.
One evening she kept going into an area she knows we don't want her in order to maneuver me into pulling out the laser pointer. Every time I pull it out she looks at it, then looks at the floor, waiting for the red dot. Once I realized what she was doing, I put it away. It's not that I mind her training us as we train her, but there must be limits to what we let her maneuver us into doing.
This morning her "get up" attempts took on a new technique. Instead of pouncing on our feet, bottoms & pillows, she kept crawling under the covers with me. Normally, she'll crawl under the covers in the "wee wee hours" of the morning after I come back from a bathroom break. She might stay the rest of the night or go back to sleeping by/between Tom's legs. This morning she came and went almost a half dozen times. I finally got up. We'll see if she does it again tomorrow morning.
She definitely loves her "jingle mouse". Again last night I had to take it away from her and stick it in a drawer so we could go to sleep. This morning I got it back out for her when she was trying to pull the second one off the cat tree. She loves it when I toss it to the other end of the room. Every now & then she brings it and drops it almost at my feet. Perhaps some day we'll be playing fetch.
One evening she kept going into an area she knows we don't want her in order to maneuver me into pulling out the laser pointer. Every time I pull it out she looks at it, then looks at the floor, waiting for the red dot. Once I realized what she was doing, I put it away. It's not that I mind her training us as we train her, but there must be limits to what we let her maneuver us into doing.
This morning her "get up" attempts took on a new technique. Instead of pouncing on our feet, bottoms & pillows, she kept crawling under the covers with me. Normally, she'll crawl under the covers in the "wee wee hours" of the morning after I come back from a bathroom break. She might stay the rest of the night or go back to sleeping by/between Tom's legs. This morning she came and went almost a half dozen times. I finally got up. We'll see if she does it again tomorrow morning.
She definitely loves her "jingle mouse". Again last night I had to take it away from her and stick it in a drawer so we could go to sleep. This morning I got it back out for her when she was trying to pull the second one off the cat tree. She loves it when I toss it to the other end of the room. Every now & then she brings it and drops it almost at my feet. Perhaps some day we'll be playing fetch.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Give me MOUSE!
Now that Charlotte has taken the first jingle mouse to one of her hidey holes, she's on a quest to get the second one freed from the cat tree. She loves the jingly things. I've called her back into the house (from the garage) by jingling my keys.
Each day she responds better to "no" and "get out of there". It's fun to watch her grow and learn . . . most of the time. It can also be very frustrating.
Not long after writing the above, she brought out the original "liberated" jingle mouse. I think she keeps an inventory of where she stashes her treasures.
Each day she responds better to "no" and "get out of there". It's fun to watch her grow and learn . . . most of the time. It can also be very frustrating.
Not long after writing the above, she brought out the original "liberated" jingle mouse. I think she keeps an inventory of where she stashes her treasures.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
The mouse has been freed!
Once Charlotte knew we were almost awake, he began playing with her newest treasure. We had gotten her a kitty condo/tree/tower that included 2 hanging mice with jingly bells. They hung from the top and second tiers of the tower. Time and again we saw her try to take one away. This was nothing new to us. Her toy-on-a-string-on-a-stick toys have been known to disappear as she dragged the toy on the end to one of her lairs. When playing with her with them she often would pull hard, trying to drag the toy to her lair. Even large items, like a fox tail, would disappear for days.
What makes these hanging mouse toys so much better ... they have jingly bells. She finally managed to "liberate" the one from the second level. So for about an hour she tossed, batted, flipped the mouse, even turning somersaults with it. An hour of near constant jingling. Once again we're so glad her sleep pattern is so close to ours.
What makes these hanging mouse toys so much better ... they have jingly bells. She finally managed to "liberate" the one from the second level. So for about an hour she tossed, batted, flipped the mouse, even turning somersaults with it. An hour of near constant jingling. Once again we're so glad her sleep pattern is so close to ours.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Charlotte's new routine
I've started indulging Charlotte's "need" to go out in the garage in the morning.
Within the first couple of weeks with us it became an obsession for her. I can't say how many times she slipped past us as we closed the door. It became a new SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for one of us to pick her up, wait as the other takes Max out or brings him in (or any other errand that takes us out, or in that door). If we were leaving, the kitty holder would "toss" her back in the door and try to get it closed before she turns and dashes out.
So, in the interest of getting it out of her system, getting predator smell in the garage to repel rodents and being able to get in & out the kitchen/garage door, I've started letting her out. For weeks she has gone to the garage door and cried to go out. Once she was allowed out, it got worse. Then I noticed she cries loudest first thing in the morning. If I let her out, she is less frantic to get out through the middle of the day. She might get a bit crazy again toward evening, but that early morning garage patrol seems to really calm her down.
Over the years we've had rodents (mice, voles, squirrels) in the garage from time, but not nearly so much as a lot of people. I think that's because of the predator smell in the garage. Max goes almost all the way around the car to get to the door he can get in, leaving a bit of smell as he goes. Una (our first dog) did the same thing. Our cats have patrolled the garage at some or another. Now Charlotte is our rodent repellent. To show the predator's effectiveness, our very worst rodent invasion happened this summer while we were gone.
By waiting for her to come to the top step and call to be let in, we have no problem getting her to come back in. But, we have to be sure we won't need her back inside too quickly before we allow her to go out there. Luckily, so far, she's not gotten crazy to go outside.
Within the first couple of weeks with us it became an obsession for her. I can't say how many times she slipped past us as we closed the door. It became a new SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for one of us to pick her up, wait as the other takes Max out or brings him in (or any other errand that takes us out, or in that door). If we were leaving, the kitty holder would "toss" her back in the door and try to get it closed before she turns and dashes out.
So, in the interest of getting it out of her system, getting predator smell in the garage to repel rodents and being able to get in & out the kitchen/garage door, I've started letting her out. For weeks she has gone to the garage door and cried to go out. Once she was allowed out, it got worse. Then I noticed she cries loudest first thing in the morning. If I let her out, she is less frantic to get out through the middle of the day. She might get a bit crazy again toward evening, but that early morning garage patrol seems to really calm her down.
Over the years we've had rodents (mice, voles, squirrels) in the garage from time, but not nearly so much as a lot of people. I think that's because of the predator smell in the garage. Max goes almost all the way around the car to get to the door he can get in, leaving a bit of smell as he goes. Una (our first dog) did the same thing. Our cats have patrolled the garage at some or another. Now Charlotte is our rodent repellent. To show the predator's effectiveness, our very worst rodent invasion happened this summer while we were gone.
By waiting for her to come to the top step and call to be let in, we have no problem getting her to come back in. But, we have to be sure we won't need her back inside too quickly before we allow her to go out there. Luckily, so far, she's not gotten crazy to go outside.
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