Cat Training
Every time I decide that Betsy Cat is motivated solely by regular servings of cat food, ear skritchings and the occasional kitty treat, I find one more reason she hangs around the house. She likes to torment me.
In subtle revenge for the hours I spend making her chase a laser pointer beam, or for waving a catnip scented mouse-on-a-string just out of her reach, she apparently uses part of her endless hours of lazing around the house to dream up ways to amuse herself at my expense.
One of her favorites is to wait until I'm settled down in front of the computer before she decides she wants out of the room. I'll have the door wide open for hours, but as soon as I shut the door prior to turning up the volume for music or games, that's when she needs to go visit the litterbox. No, she doesn't try to get out as I'm shutting the door, she waits until I'm involved in something before she starts pawing at the door and wailing like I'm kicking her. If I ignore this, she starts scratching at the carpet in the spot where she peed long ago, which usually gets me out of the chair real quick.
Last night was a new shenanigan on her part. We had a chilly evening, which I quite enjoy, and I was lounging on the bed reading a book with the window cracked open to ice down the bedroom a bit. I love sleeping in a chilly room under a thick comforter. Betsy Cat is a Maine Coon Cat equipped with vast amounts of fur, and she likes the cold as much as I do. Or so I thought.
Now, most cat owners know about the Cat Crazies. Every so often, usually at night, your cat will start wildly racing through the house for no apparent reason. Betsy Cat's routine is to fling herself off my bed, race to the bedroom door, paw it open and race down the hall. Then, she returns at high speed, pushing open the door and leaping up on the bed, only to dig in her back claws, fold herself in half and do a quick 180, then race out the door just before it swings fully closed. She'll do this 3 or 4 times, then go eat or scratch on the dehumidifier before resuming her snoozing.
Last night she started into the Crazies, but stopped right in front of the door. It wasn't latched shut, so I ignored her back & forth pacing and kept reading. She chirruped a couple of times, pawed at the gap between the door and the doorjamb a bit, then scratched at the carpet, which she knows will bring me running. Finally she let out a yowl and started dashing back and forth between the bed and the door.
I'd had enough of listening to her, so I got up and went to prop the door open. Usually she gets in a crouch like a sprinter, and as the door opens, she's off in a cloud of fur. I looked down, but didn't see the expected grey streak making a beeline for the cat food. Where had she gotten to?
She'd snuck around my feet, and by the time I turned around, she was already up on the bed curled up in the warm spot I'd just vacated!
Hmmmm. I'd say she's got her training routine down pretty well!
Yeah, I'm recycling catpics from months ago. Sue me.
In subtle revenge for the hours I spend making her chase a laser pointer beam, or for waving a catnip scented mouse-on-a-string just out of her reach, she apparently uses part of her endless hours of lazing around the house to dream up ways to amuse herself at my expense.
One of her favorites is to wait until I'm settled down in front of the computer before she decides she wants out of the room. I'll have the door wide open for hours, but as soon as I shut the door prior to turning up the volume for music or games, that's when she needs to go visit the litterbox. No, she doesn't try to get out as I'm shutting the door, she waits until I'm involved in something before she starts pawing at the door and wailing like I'm kicking her. If I ignore this, she starts scratching at the carpet in the spot where she peed long ago, which usually gets me out of the chair real quick.
Last night was a new shenanigan on her part. We had a chilly evening, which I quite enjoy, and I was lounging on the bed reading a book with the window cracked open to ice down the bedroom a bit. I love sleeping in a chilly room under a thick comforter. Betsy Cat is a Maine Coon Cat equipped with vast amounts of fur, and she likes the cold as much as I do. Or so I thought.
Now, most cat owners know about the Cat Crazies. Every so often, usually at night, your cat will start wildly racing through the house for no apparent reason. Betsy Cat's routine is to fling herself off my bed, race to the bedroom door, paw it open and race down the hall. Then, she returns at high speed, pushing open the door and leaping up on the bed, only to dig in her back claws, fold herself in half and do a quick 180, then race out the door just before it swings fully closed. She'll do this 3 or 4 times, then go eat or scratch on the dehumidifier before resuming her snoozing.
Last night she started into the Crazies, but stopped right in front of the door. It wasn't latched shut, so I ignored her back & forth pacing and kept reading. She chirruped a couple of times, pawed at the gap between the door and the doorjamb a bit, then scratched at the carpet, which she knows will bring me running. Finally she let out a yowl and started dashing back and forth between the bed and the door.
I'd had enough of listening to her, so I got up and went to prop the door open. Usually she gets in a crouch like a sprinter, and as the door opens, she's off in a cloud of fur. I looked down, but didn't see the expected grey streak making a beeline for the cat food. Where had she gotten to?
She'd snuck around my feet, and by the time I turned around, she was already up on the bed curled up in the warm spot I'd just vacated!
Hmmmm. I'd say she's got her training routine down pretty well!
Yeah, I'm recycling catpics from months ago. Sue me.
posted by El Capitan | 10:16 AM
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