Animals And Behaviors

This post is solely about animals, specifically dogs and cats, and how amazing they really are.  They never cease to amaze me on their behaviors and how they can learn and adapt.

The week at work, we have had two extra dogs visiting.  My boss brings her Australian Shepard, Joey, with her each week.  This week, we had Joey, Cody, a Catahoula/shepard mix, and Luna, just a plain old mutt.  Their dynamics were a treat to watch.  Joey usually comes and stays under the desk.  He is pretty laid back but has a tendency to want to herd his brothers and sisters (a mixed group) at home.  Some of the brothers and sisters don’t take too nicely to being herded and fights ensue.  So, Joey comes to work where he is usually the only dog.

Cody and Luna added to the mix this week.  Cody is highly excitable and has tons of energy.  He is also very protective and does not like men.  So, whenever anyone came into the office, we had to be acutely aware of where Cody was and how he would react to the visitor.  He is also deathly afraid of thunder storms.  And, he wants to be the Alpha dog in the office because he is the Alpha dog at home.  This did not sit well with Joey.  He did not tolerate Cody’s exuberance well and tried to herd him by nipping at his flanks which caused and argument between the two to ensue. 

In the middle is Luna.  She is a cute little female weighing about 30lbs.  She stands about knee high.  She likes to be in the middle of everything.  She follows what Cody does because to her, he is the Alpha.  He tolerates her well because she puts her nose everywhere he has his.  She has separation anxiety whenever he and she are separated.  And, she is a chewer…She will chew through anything she can get her mouth on.

Yesterday, we had a full day of antics.  Luna was left with me and Joey while Karen took Cody with her to run an errand.  She took Cody because he is the most volatile.  While they were gone, Luna entertained me with a chorus of “I miss my brother”.  She would run around and then stop and let out the most mournful howl.  No amount of consoling could help her anxiety.  So, I started howling with her.  That was an amusing site.  She would look at me and get that confused expression….and continue to sing the duet with me.

The most amazing animal thing that I have going on at home is Lump and his new talent.  It seems over the past few weeks, Lump has been watching his brother, Orange One, (yes that is his name) and has been trying some of the same things that Orange One seems to enjoy.  But, the most exciting thing he has learned is how to catch.   Yes catch.

Why this amazes me, I don’t know.  All cats have the ability to snatch birds right out of the air.  So, why I am amazed that Lump can do this with various toys, is beyond me.  It truly is amazing if you ask me though.

Lump will position himself on the bed.  Then, I, who has collected a number of different toys to throw, will toss said toys towards him.  He watches, and guages where the object is going and jumps in the air either to catch it and bring it to the ground.  Or in the case of the balls I throw, bat them back to me.  It is wild to see.  He never tires of the game, wanting to play at all hours f the day and night.  He does not mind waking me in the middle of the night for a few tosses if I am agreeable to the prospect.

He sometimes will bring me the objects he wants thrown so that he can practice his fielding.  I have seen such tricks on TV on the Amazing Video show.  But, never did I think I would have a talented animal.

The issue is that Lump is like that singing frog on the Buggs Bunny cartoons.  Whenever anyone comes to the house, he usually hides under the covers and is not seen.  He does not show any of his talents to anyone but me.  So, I cannot prove that he can do these wonderful things.  However, he will not meet the same fate as same frog.  I will not bury him in the cornerstone of some building to be found at a later date.  He is mine and he is amazing.

Comfortable In My Own Skin

Early in my bloggin career, I wrote about an old wive’s tale about Hags who come and ride you while you are asleep.  Basically, witches come to your room at nigt and cause you to have bad dreams.  The only way to prevent that from happening, so they say, is to paint blue around your windows and doors because Hags don’t like that color.  You can also put a line of salt at eact entrance to your house.  You see, the Hags have to climb out of their skin to come inside.  So, if there is salt, it will burn their raw flesh….

What does that have to do with me?  Well, those of you who know me well, know that I have been dealing with healing from years of abuse.  I have just gotten out of an abusive marriage and have been working really hard to understand me and why I ended up where I did.  This has not been an easy venture.  It has caused many days of pain and agony and many sleepless or night mare filled nights.  I have had to delve deep into my past to understand a lot of things about me and how I work.

I have tried for years to “be” what/who others wanted me to be in order to be loved and accepted.  In those years, it became hard for me to hold on to the essence of who I really was.  After so many years of being that “good little girl” or the “bestest friend” or the “dutiful wife”, I found that I had a huge puzzle of pieces of me that had to be put back together in order to “know” who I was.  I am still working on this. 

I feel we are all works in progress and to that end get pieces of the puzzle of ouselves thought out our lives.  By the time most of us are my age, they have a pretty good idea of who they are.  God first gives us a small puzzle to fit together when we are children.  As we grow that puzzle evolves into a huge tapestry to which we add pieces at different times in our lives.

Me, well, I had either created for myself or been added pieces that did not fit properly.  So, I essentially had to take the whole thing apart and start over again.  It’s like being almost finished with one of those huge puzzles and having it fall off the table and onto the floor and break apart into pieces.  Or course, some of the pieces fitted together stay together.  But, you still find yourself making repairs to get the whole thing back together again.

It’s like that or like starting in the middle and not having any edges.  Or having all the edges but nothing in the middle.  You need it all to be complete.

You can also equate what I have been going through to what my cats experienced the other night.  After noticing a flea on one of my boys, I treated them both with topical flea medicine.  For at lease several hours, they were not comfortable because the flea medicine was making the fleas on them go beserk.  They would twitch and jump and scratch.  I could see the skin on their backs ripple and move because they were itchy.  Also, they could not get comfortable.  They bounced from place to place hoping that the next place would bring relieve only to find that the itchiness had followed them because it was their own skin.  After a few hours, fleas died, they calmed down and they are now back to normal comfortable in their own skin.

I am hoping that I will get comfortable in my own skin soon.  Because, like my cats, I have jumped from place to place hoping to be comfortable once again, or for the first time.  I have times of calm but then, something will get itchy I don’t like it.  There is so much more about me that I have to learn.  There are things I have to let go.  I have to learn how to define myself differently.  The true me and not the one behind the mask.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful group of friends who are helping accepting of me and are encouraging me to find myself.  To become comfortable in my own skin.  God has given me the pieces.  I am busily putting them together in order to get a clearer picture of who I am and how I fit into this world.  He is patiently encouraging me not to rush in fitting the pieces together.  I think I have the picture and try to compelte it…He says not yet and hands me another piece that requires thought and patience in order to find the perfect place for it to fit.

A picture of me is emerging.

Just Have To

This is the first time in weeks that I have wanted to enter something totally whimsical into my blog.  The title came to me on my walk to the Farmer’s Market this morning.  The formation of the blog was already playing around in my head.  I needed a title to go with it.  Hence, Just Have To….

Have you ever seen something that you “just had to” ….touch, taste, of smell?  You know, the things of which I speak.  When you see a baby that is so cute you just have to touch it, kiss it, smell it’s head or blow on it’s belly?  When you smell something that is so delicious that you have to put it in your mouth?  When the texture of it and the taste of it is absolutely wonderful?  When you see a flower that is beautiful and want to smell it?  You get the idea!

My two kitties sometimes inspire me to “just have tos”.  They are really cute and fluffy.  They make poses that are just so inviting that I just have to respond in some way.  They will lay down and expose their bellies.  They will roll from side to side.  They turn their head just a certain way.  They have a sleepy look in their eyes.  They snuggle next to you and purr.  There is a long list of just have to’s.

Now, what do I just have to do?  Well, sometimes I simply have to touch them and rub their heads and ears.  When they walk by, I just have to grasp their tail and allow it to move through my hand as they continue to walk by.  Sometimes I have to tempt fate and just rub that exposed belly.  Other times, I have to smell them.  Each cat has a different smell.  My Abbie cat used to smell like cinnamon.  These two have distinct smells too.  Both have clean scents that I have yet to identify with a specific smell.  Kind of like clean laundry.

My sister has a new kitten that she rescued. It is a ball of fire and never stops moving until it wears itself out.  When you happen to catch the tazmanian devil as it whils into view, it begins nipping and biting and attacking anthing that moves.  For this little guy, I just had to blow on his belly and buzz him kind of like you do a baby.  It suprised him and got him to stop biting for a few seconds.  Then he was off again on is rampage.

Some time, I have to play with my kitties feet.  They are just so cute.  Their little pink toes.  The hair between them.  These boys have huge feet!  I love it when they open their paws and let me run my finger between their toes.  Not only does it bring them a sense of ahhh because they like the massage, but I enjoy it because of the sensation.

The one thing I do that will probably confirm what most of you alreay think or know about me, how strange I really am, is that some times, I just have to bite them too.  I know it sounds strange and yucky to some…but, I have a method to my madness.  When they are just soo cute and pretty…I just have to bite them.  Why?

Well, kitties have a strange way of showing their love.  Yes, they rub against you.  But, contrary to popular believe, the rub is not simply as sign of affection, they are marking their scent on you.  They also will head butt you.  That is a sign of greeting.  But, if they really love you and have affection for you, they will give you a little nip.  Not a hard bite…just a little nip. 

So, when I lean down and bite the scruff of there necks just gently, it give them the message that I love them.  They do not move away from me.  They do not tense up and look at me like I am a nut.  They simply take the sign of affection and sometimes will respond with the same.

So think about the just have tos that you see today.  Another one that I saw was puppies.  They were absolutely the cutest thing I was seeing at the time.  So, I just had to walk over and touch them. 

What do you Just Have To….?

Things a mother does

Well, I am not your regular mother.  My “children” are my two cats.  Like most children, they have two different personalities.  Both of them have endearing qualities and both of them have qualities that are less than endearing. 

The orange and white one is a fraidy cat and hides when he hears a loug noise or when I am not at home.  He burrows under the covers of my bed and stays there most of the day.  If he is not there, he will lay in the hallway so he can make a quick get away if someone of something frightenes him in any way.  Lump, as I usually call him, because  of the lump he makes in the bed, is sweet an gentle.  He is actually is getting a little more confident after over a year of living with me.  He is very affectionate but has only just started coming to me for attention.  He will poke me with his foot to get my attention and then beg for some love.  I give it to him freely and he eats it up. 

Lump is the creative one.  He can find things to play with and amuses himself without much effort on my part.  He will bring toys for me to throw so that he can fetch them.  I think that is really neat.  Unless it is very late at night and I am trying to sleep.  Then, I am not so amused with his ability to engage me in a game of “throw”.

The orange one.  I have taken to calling him Gabby or Jerome.  Well, he is the talkative one who craves attention.  Where ever I am, he is.  He sleeps on the back of the couch with his front foot touching some part of my body, uasually my shoulder.  He is very expressive.  He like looking out the bay window at the world.  He loves to smell the world if I leave the window open for him.  He is curious and daring. 

I like that Gabby talks until it is the middle of the night.  He wants to know where I am and he will call out.  After all, the apartment is only 600 square feet and he knows where I am.  He just wants to interact with another creature. 

Both boys tend to have a jealous streak, especially Gabby.  If I am paying attention to Lump, Gabby will come and demand attention for himself.  He will interrupt games with Lump by taking Lump’s toy.  Gabby is also the greedy one.  He gets to eat first. 

Now to things a mother does.  Lump is not so good at getting the “sleep” out of the courner of his eyes.  So, periodically I have to hold him down and clean the corners of his eyes.  He does not like it but endures what he thinks is torture.

Gabby, well, he is not a very good butt cleaner.  Meaning that he constantly walks around with things stuck to the fluffy hair on the back of his legs near his butt.  Usually this stuff is just from wet kitty litter…some times it is not.  So, today, I had to do some butt hair trimming.  Yep, I had to make it a game but I finally got it done.

First, I had to love up on him.  The when he started his dancing and showing me his “beautiful” butt, I got the scissors out and started snipping.  Of course it does not hurt him at all.  He gets curious about the scissors.  Then he wants to sniff them.  Then whatever I cut off of him has to be sniffed. 

Gabby is the first cat that I have had that was not a very good or conscientious butt cleaner.  He just does not seem to care.  It is like out of sight, out of mind.  So, I guess I will have to be more vigilent about keeping the fur on the back of his legs and near his butt trimmed.

MoJoe The Magnificent

All of us have that “little” thing that we do that impresses others.  It is a talent extrodinaire.  No one else can do it quite as well as you do.  And, all of us get asked to do that “little” thing to impress others when we are out with friends.

Well, my kitty, MoJoe is no different.  He has a trick he has taught himself that is truly extrodinary from my point of view.  He has perfected it over the past months and I am truly impressed when I see him perform.  Although, being somewhat aloof, I doubt that I can get him in front of a few of my friends to perform.

I started giving him the little tabs that come off of the milk container when you pull if off to open the container.  He loves these things and plays with them all over the apratment.  He taught me the game “throw” with one of these.  Now, he has taught himself a new trick.

He will walk around the apartment with one of the tabs in his mouth.  When he sees a likely candidate, he will swoop in and drop the tab.  Where?  Well, at first, it was in his food dish or his water bowl.  Lately, he has taught himself how to get it in my glass.  If he has one in his mouth and is anywhere near my glass, that tab will be in my glass.  I did not realize he could do that until I picked up my glass and tried to drink and felt it on my lips.  That was truly a surprise!

It is really neat how he does this.  You can almost see him calculating just how close he has to get to the glass and what the angle of “drop” is for the tab to fall into the glass.  I watched him do this three times in a row while I was on the phone talking with my mother.  I could not believe it at first.

Now, I have noticed that a lot of the tabs have gone missing and are not under the usual furnishings.  I got to wondering what was happening to them.  I think I have the answer now.  I found one in the toilet bowl.  I fear that some of the tabs have met an early demise by being placed in the toilet bowl by MoJoe.

I can always tell when he has lost one of his tabs in someplace wet….He comes and touches me with his wet feet trying to get my attention.  Now, I have to not only look before I drink….I have to look before I flush….

Making the bed

I used to think it was a chore and utterly amusing to try and make my bed with an 80lb pound dog trying to help.  Well, I have to admit that is nothing compared to being double teamed by two 10lb cats.  It is always an amusing and taxing chore.  Let me describe it for you.

First, I have to strip the bed.  That involves taking the quilt, the blanket and the sheets off the bed.  Which is really fun when you don’t know what cat is under the covers and which one is at your feet pawing at you.  Once you get the quilt and the blanket off, then they become a wonderful castle to play in with lots of hidey holes to jump out of.  Cats love to burrow down into the quilt and blankets and hide.

There is a respite for a little while while the sheets are washed and dried.  I only have a couple of sets of sheets.  So, usually the ones being washed are the ones that are going back on the bed.  They come out of the dryer all toasty warm and ready to be put on the bed.  Ah…easier said than done.

First I have to extricate the cats from the warm sheets that have been placed on the bed in order for the bed to be remade.  I get one cat out and put him on the floor while the other is jumping back on the bed to tunnel down into the warm cuddly sheet.  Finally, I get both of them on the floor at the same time and begin the task of getting the fitted sheet on the bed.

I get one corner started.  The kitties are now back on the bed and they both chase the sheet across the bed trying to catch it and roll up inside the warm cuddliness of it.  I get two corners on and have placed the kitties on the floor at least three times each.  I get the third corner on only to find that they have tunneled under the only open end and are in the middle of the bed under the warm cuddly sheet.  Any attempt at extracting them brings slaps from four furry front paws.  I get one out and dropped on the floor.  I get the other one out while the first one is back on the bed.  I grasp the last corner in my hands and attach it to the last corner of the mattress that is uncovered.

At this point, the cats are both back in the middle of the bed.  They chase my hand as I run it down the sheet pressing out all the air pockets and smoothing the sheet to the mattress.  I get little nips and slaps as they think this is part of a game that we are in the middle of playing.

I pick up the flat sheet and figure out the top edge.  I flap the sheet to spread it over the bed.  Both cats are now under the flat sheet that has just settled down on top of the fitted sheet.  I see two lumps in the middle of the bed.  I reach under to extract them once again from the middle of the bed.  First one and them the other.  Then they are on top of the flat sheet and not under it.

The kitties chase my hand around as I smooth the top sheet to the bed.  I then pick up the blanket.  It is very soft and fuzzy.  McGyver loves to knead the blanket.  MoJoe loves to get under it.  I pick it up and spread it out over the bed.  Then I attempt to make hospital corners with the flat sheet and the blanket together.  That is after I once again extract the cats from under the blanket and deposit them on the floor.

Then the cats attack my ankles from the cover of the quilt that they have made into their cave.  I pull up the quilt and deposit it on the bed.  Both cats hop onto the bed and quickly get under the quilt.  I pull one out and them the other.  We again play chase the hand as I smooth the quilt down on the bed.

The pillow case is last.  They have found it and have made a nest inside.  I toy with the idea of taking some string and tying them up in the pillow case.  Then I realize that I don’t really want to drown them and besides, I don’t have any rocks to toss in the bag with them.  Again, I extricate one and them the other from the pillow case.  Then I attempt to put the pillow inside.  The cats follow the progress of the case up the side of the pillow trying to capture and slow it’s progress in their paws.

Finally after about 15 minutes the bed is made.  Then….someone knocks on the door and MoJoe runs for cover.  He burrows under the quilt and deposits himself in the middle of the bed to become a “lump”.  At last the bed is made.

Spring

Well, I know this must seem like a weird topic when there are still three inches of snow on the ground and the vernal equinox is stil about a month away.  However, just now, standing at the window, I watched a sparrow sitting on a tree limb sing his heart out about Spring and how it is coming soon.  Isn’t there a saying about Spring when a young mans “fancy” turns to love….?  Well, this sparrow is really out there advertising himself.

When I was a child, one of my favorite things was getting my grandfather to tell me what all the birds were saying.  We would sit on the porch or take a walk and he would tell me what the birds were saying with the sweet singing they were doing.  Of course, at the time, I thought that he must be related to Dr Dolittle because he could interpret the language of just about everything here on this earth.  Now, I realize that he was simply passing down to the next generation what had been passed to him by his father or perhaps grandfather.

At the time, it was really fascinating to hear him make up what the birds were saying.  The conversations were always interesting and I would ask for more.  He would relate how one bird was saying that he could build the best nest ever and would take really good care of his wife while she sat on her eggs.  Then another bird would pipe in and say that he new where the best bugs and worms were to feed the potential mate.  Still another would say that he knew were to get the softest lining for the nest so that his wife would be snug and comfortable.  I guess to day, we would call this “trash talking” used to impress.  Then, it was simply magical.

Pop, what we called our grandfather, would tell me what the squirrels were barking out in the woods.  He would tell me what the chickens were saying in the chicken yard with their clucks and squawks.  He showed me how to catch lizzards (really chameleons) and watch them “show their money” which is a way they distend the membrane in their throat to show a red swollen pocket.  Pop said that was how they attracted females, showing how much money they had.  Pop also showed us how to put the lizzards on our ears like earrings.  They would hang there for a little while then fall off and run away.

Now, when I hear the birds, I find myself  making up what they are saying.  So Spring is coming and the birds are singing and it’s time for nests to be built and eggs to be layed.  Before long, we will hear the baby birds.  I can hardly wait!

Playing Throw

Many of you will scratch your head when you read the title of this blog entry.  What in the heck is “playing throw”?  Well, simply put, my friend, it is the opposite of playing fetch.  It, playing throw, is a game invented by my cat MoJoe.  He is very good at it.  Although MoJoe is a pro at playing throw, he does need a willing or not so willing human to be a part of the game.  He has tried it solo and it is definitely not as fun as when you include your resident human.

I have mentioned before that MoJoe likes the little tabs that you pull off the top of the milk jugs in order to be able to open the jub.  At any given time you can find two or three or sometimes four of these little purple tabs littering the floor of my apartment.  I know when he has lost them all because he will sit forlornly looking under the closet doors or the doors to the laundry area until I break down and retrieve them for him. 

MoJoe likes these tabs so much that he tries to share them with me.  I find them on my couch, in my glass of water, in my bed, and any number of other places.  I also find them in the water dish and the food bowl.  I used to find them in the now sadly departed fruit bowl that was on the kitchen counter.  MoJoe will drop these things in my lap while I am reading or watching TV. 

So, how do you play throw?  Well, you bring these little purple tabs to your human.  You get your human’s attention.  Then you wait for them to throw the thing so you can run and get it and bring it back to be thrown again.  I call it throw because he initiates the game.  If I initiated the game, it would be fetch.  But, MoJoe have very deftly taught me how to play throw.

MoJoe’s favorite time to play throw is in the middle of the night.  He will bring the tab up on the bed and poke me until I wake up.  Then he will drop the tab on my face for me to pick up and throw.  Being that I am barely awake and very perturbed, I will repeat this actions several times before I realize that as long as I am willing to throw the thing, he is willing to bring it back again.  The game absolutely will not end until either I quit throwing or McGyver gets into the game and takes the tab.

Once I get the idea that this is a never ending pleasure for MoJoe, I realize that to end the game, I have to abscond with the favored and prized article of the little purple tab.  I will fake a throw and put the dreaded thing under my pillow to remain until I get up in the morning.  Most of the time, it works.  However, sometimes he will not believe that I have thrown said tab and will bug me until I do.  Other times, he simply finds another tab and brings that into play.

I vow each night to collect them before I go to bed.  But alas, I am always very sleepy when I head towards my soft comfy covers and my vow to rid my floor of the throw tabs goes with Winkin, Blinkin and Nod….

Pilling the cats.

Since I have been snow bound for two days, I have been thinking up fun and exciting things to do.  So, yesterday, I decided it was time to worm the kitties.  No fun for them and loads of fun for me…. Yeah Right.  And, no, it was not punishment for the night before when they woke me a 2:30 AM by breaking one of my favorite glass pieces, a fruitbowl that my sister had given me.  It was something that needed to be done and since I was here and they were here.  Well, the opportunity presented itself.

Pilling a cat is similar to trying to stick you hand into a garbage disposal.  As long as it’s off, it’s safe….but if it is running….Well, you get the idea.  It is also an art.  One that you have to learn if you have animals.  Large or small, there will come a time when you have to administer some type of medicine that will require stealth, strength, and nerves of steel.  Doesn’t hurt if you have some of those gloves they handle raptors with.  But, then, it’s hard to get the pill in the cats mouth.

Those of you who have read any of my blogs, might be interested in going back a reading the one about Harry and Agnes going to the vet.  In that one, my unsuspecting then husband grabbed Harry and got a huge surprise.  See you have to know just were to grab them to remain relatively unscathed in your attempt to catch or administer drugs to a cat.

This is where cats and dogs differ.  Most dogs will go with you anywhere.  They will be docile enough for you to get a pill down there throat.  Heck, most of the time, you just hide it in their food and they never know the difference.  Not so with cats.  They watch your every move.  They may seem tamed and docile and loving.  But, try to catch them for a trip to the vet or to give them medicine and you see just how feral they really are.  If not ready for the attack from your furry friend, you can end up with wounds that may require medical attention of their own.  They simply don’t like to be messed with.

So, back to the story.  Yesterday afternoon, while they were all nice and sleepy, I crept up on my prey.  I already had the pill in one hand while I was stroking the kitty with the other.  McGyver was first.  He rolled over and looked at me sleepily.  I stroked his fur and he stretched.  I rubbed his head, taking the whole thing in my hand so that I could give his ears a good rub.  (They both like to have their ears rubbed…Go figure).  While his mouth was open, I took the opportunity to force my fingers between the very sharp and very huge teeth.  McGyver immediately was on the alert.  He bucked and brought all four feet with claws extended up to my hand.  Quickly, I opened the mouth the rest of the way, forced the pill to the back of his throat, let him go, and hoped for the best.  He stopped, made and ugly face and shook his head.  No pill came back out….VICTORY!  He gave me a dirty look and moved away from me.

MoJoe was next.  Now, mind you, he had been watching the whole process with McGyver.  MoJoe is a little slow on the uptake.  That is why I did him last.  Doesn’t make him an easy mark….actually makes him more unpredictable in how he handles a situation. 

I preceeded in the same mannor.  Rubbing the tummy.  Scratching his chin.  Rubbing his head.  And, then I went in for the kill.  I got his mouth open and put the pill in as far as I could reach in his mouth.  He bucked, jumped up and made a face…and plop out came the pill.  So at that point it was Cats 1/Owner 1.

Anyone who has cats also knows that you very seldom get another chance at giving a cat a pill if you fail on the first attempt.  But, luck was with me and I grabbed MoJoe quickly before the “flee” reflex set in.  I once again got him in a hold and shoved the pill in his mouth.  He once again, bucked, coughed, shook his head and out came the pill.  Now its Cats 2/Owner 1.

MoJoe jumped off the bed and headed for the other room.  He realized his error as soon as it happened and tried to break back for the bedroom and the security of getting under the middle of the bed.  I was quick enough to catch him.  This time, I put him on the couch.  I got on top of him and clamped him between my knees with his head sticking out.  If there were cats at the rodeo I guess this would be one of the events similar to calf roping when you jump off your horse and wrestle the calf to the gound and tie three of their legs. 

Anyway, I pulled MoJoe’s head back.  Remeber, I have him so that his legs are useless at this point.  But, his teeth are right there as tools of death and torture.  Luck was once again with me.  I got his mouth prised open, dropped the pill in and obtained success.  This time when he shook his head, no pill came out.  VICTORY!  Cats2/Owner2.

For most of the rest of the afternoon, both cats avoided me like the plague.  But, around sunset, we made amends with each other.  The olive branch was offered and all was harmonious.  That is until two weeks from now when we have to go through the ordeal again.

Me, I remain unscathed for the time being.  No scratches or bites that require medical attention.  And the cats are no worse for the wear.

Crash, Bang, Smash!!!

It has been a while since I had a middle of the night story to tell.  Those of you who have read me before may remember that I had a few adventures with Ranger Dog while he was down with his injured leg.  He had a halo for about six weeks.  And, we were suppose to make sure that he didn’t over exert himself and that he did not get his halo caught on anything.  So, I ended up chasing him through the woods one night after he got away from me.  All I could see was the halo bobbing up and down.  I was only in a nightshirt and barefoot and was running over rocks etc…out at night in the dark with who know what crawling around on the ground.  Very funny….

Well, last night, I had another wonderful experience I need to share with you all.

I was sleeping soundly in my bed.  I don’t remember dreams of sugar plums but I was definitely getting some good REM’s in.  When all of a sudden, there arose such a clatter….(Wait, isn’t that suppose to be out in the snow and about Christmas?  Guess again.) I hear CRASH, BANG and SMASH!  I bounded out of bed thinking…well I don’t know what I was thinking but you get the idea.  I just knew that something BAD had happened and it somehow involved me.

I stood there for a second or two trying to orient myself.  I also did some listening to determine if the “incident” was inside or outside.  I was able to discern that the incident was definitely inside my apartment and that it had definitely involved the breaking of glass.  My next thought was that one of the cats was involved in this in some way. 

I came bounding out of the bedroom to see if I could figure out what specifically had happened.  My first thought was….”Wait! I am in stocking feet….If there is something broken, I don’t want to get a cut and maybe have to have stitches.”  Those thoughts led to hopping the cats were not injured in any way.  And, then my thoughts went to just how would I get either of us to a doctor or a vet if the need arose.

I cautiously stepped into the den/kitchen area.  I could tell that none of the windows had been broken.  That was a definite “whew” moment.  But, I knew that something had been broken and I had to see what and figure out what to do.  I could also see four sets of eyes staring at me (I had yet to turn on the lights.)  Neither of them were owning up to anything.  I guess they felt there was safety in numbers.

I need to digress here for a second.  At night, in my apartment, especially after all the lights are off and I am tucked in, I feel like I live in the monkey house at the Bronx Zoo.  I have never been there but there can’t be more acrobatics preformed there as there is by the two furry things I live with.  They jump.  They bounce on and off the bed.  They run through the house.  I am very lucky that none of my neighbors have complained about me keeping monkeys in the apartment.  Even though there are just two kitties, they sure do make a lot of commotion.  I am getting used to all the boistrousness.  It will last for a little while and then they settle down for the night.  They usually sleep on the bed with me.

Now…back to the current story….Remember Crash, Bank, Smash….The two faces of kitties staring at me.  Well, I go back in to the bed room and get my slippers, so I won’t cut my feet.  I also made a trip to get my glasses so I could see what was broken.  I come out and turn on the light.   By this time, I am surprised that my neighbors have not started banging on the floor, ceiling, or the walls, demanding silence.  Or in fact, that someone had not come to the door to check on me.

What I saw when the lights came on….My beautiful glass fruit bowl was in pieces all over the kitchen floor.  The time….2:30 AM.  I am sure that this noise must have awakened the dead! 

The fruit, that had been in the bowl was strewn all over the floor.  Huge pieces of glass and also shards were everywhere.  (Good thing I had the forethought to put on my slippers.)  I reprimended the cats and began trying to pick up the pieces.  The whole time I am doing this, the kitties have given me distance.  However, soon, curiosity takes over and McGyver wants to see what’s happening.  By this time, I have collected most of the big pieces and am beginning to sweep up the shards.  The whole time, I am muttering under my breath and saying the occasional “Bad Cat!” out loud.  So, when McGyver gets too close for comfort….I swat him once with the broom.  After that, they both retreated to the bed room. 

It took me about 30 minutes to clean everything up.  I contemplated getting out the vacuum but decided against it.  I did not want the neighbors sleep to be disturbed and further.  I turned out the lights and headed for bed.  There I lay until my heart stopped racing and I eventually fell asleep. 

To add insult to injury….The boys wanted me to get up this morning, like they do every morning.  I guess for them, they had forgotten about the late night incident and wanted to begin their day like any other.  After trying to ignore them, I finally got up.  The world is a blanket of white outside.  Since it is still fairly early, I will wait until later to turn on the vacuum and try and pick up any stray pieces of glass that I may have missed.

I have yet to figure out who actually caused the demise of my beautiful fruitbowl.  It was a gift from my sister two Christmases ago.  I don’t have a replacement….will have to find one.  Maybe something unbreakable.

The boys…well they are chasing each other right now.  The monkey house fun is about to begin again.