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| Casper, in action. |
We have a pair of houseguests, Casper and Boo, taken in for a month. Our son's cats, now ours, temporarily.
The cats have been here before. We know the drill. Before they arrived, away went the Venetian glass atop my wife's dresser. Out came the napkin rings.
Napkin rings?
The cats have been here before. We know the drill. Before they arrived, away went the Venetian glass atop my wife's dresser. Out came the napkin rings.
Napkin rings?
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| Boo |
Any idea? That is the difference between you and me, and the genius of my wife. Cats can leap. Even onto the upper shelves of our hutch. And cats can knock things over. In fact, they seem to enjoy it. So rather than park all our stuff in a box for a month, my wife has taken to setting out golden napkin rings. For the cats to knock over — well, cat, singular. Boo is a sedentary cat, with no tail and a tiny head, the size of a ping pong ball, and hardly moves, never mind leaps anywhere. She's like a little feline cow. Occasionally she will pad over to my office, and hurl herself toward my lap, reaching it, with an assist from me. There I stroke her until I have a kitten of fur in my fingers. But that's it.
Every morning, when I get up, I collect the napkin rings off the floor and return them to their places. Really, sometimes, I feel like we work for the cats.
But this is the genius part. If she catches him in the act, my wife scolds Casper. For knocking off the rings. That she placed there for him to knock over. Because she knows cats. And knows that cats want to be naughty. Want to piss you off. So she does a bit of play-acting. To keep the cat happy.
Every morning, when I get up, I collect the napkin rings off the floor and return them to their places. Really, sometimes, I feel like we work for the cats.
But this is the genius part. If she catches him in the act, my wife scolds Casper. For knocking off the rings. That she placed there for him to knock over. Because she knows cats. And knows that cats want to be naughty. Want to piss you off. So she does a bit of play-acting. To keep the cat happy.
This worked for me: put a small plastic saucer filled with coins at the very edge of the shelf. When she jumped up, the saucer fell, made a good bit of noise and scared her. After a few times she found something else to do.
ReplyDeleteMrs EGD is quite clever, lucky guy, you.
ReplyDeleteMy husband tosses his pocket change on top of his dresser every night, and the cat knocks the coins off one at a time in the morning, until my husband wakes and yells at her. Its their routine , and one step closer to breakfast for both of them.
ReplyDeleteWe've recently entered acorn season. I bring them in for her and she skitters them across the floor and down the basement steps. So I'm also an enabler.
Married 47 years, we've had a cat from the start, we now have two, both black and they follow my wife around constantly except when they go off and do cat stuff like bat little toys around and sleep. Or look longingly out the window to the forbidden outside. All of this makes us cat people, happily.
ReplyDeleteI read about a high school student whose science fair project was a study of where cat butts had been in his house. Basically they had been everywhere. I have a cat, but since we have not yet died of a terrible cat butt disease, I don't worry about it too much.
ReplyDeleteNeil! Ouch! “between you and ME” please.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a new cat (not temporary), a very entertaining two-year-old rescue. We had forgotten how much energy and bounce a young cat has.
Since I don't care about cats, I'll take up this tangent. Here's more than anyone would care to know about "between you and I," which I certainly wouldn't have noticed:
Deletehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/is-it-wrong-to-say-between-you-and-i
While RickW is correct, and the linked piece notes that the phrase "engenders such ire" among folks like him, I offer this as a possible defense. "Many writers have used 'between you and I' in their writing; however, most current usage guides will censure you if you use it. It's fine for casual speech, but should be avoided in edited prose."
This is a pretty casual post, and EGD is a one-man project which has no editor! Checkmate! 😉
I never wanted a cat ever since I was clawed in the face as a child
ReplyDeleteBut as an adult all of the women I was involved with seem to have cat so I had a cat
On one of my trips out to New Mexico my son decided to bring a cat in out of the dumpster in the alley I returned to sparky a little rascal but very sweet a bite on his punch a scratch across his bridge of his nose and a broken tooth all at the tender age of several months. Got them checked out and neutered that said he was a healthy cat and I must say I enjoy his companionship very much.
He's affectionate doesn't per for some reason and stays off the tables I'm shocked the weirdest thing about this cat is he doesn't drink water every way we've tried to get him to drink water so he gets the wet food everybody says that's fine I just can't believe he doesn't drink water he's a rascal
We love our tuxedo cat who we found wandering the streets of Cicero IL. Our son took him in and now she’ s family.
ReplyDelete(Not for publication please)
ReplyDeleteHello Neil,
A couple of typo corrections: "catches can knock things over" should be "cats can knock things over"
"she goes a bit of play-acting" should be "she does a bit of play-acting"
Regards,
Andy
Kitty guy for forty-plus years. Have had many feline companions. But only a couple who liked to jump onto tables and counters and dressers and knock things off. I'd say it's been a good fifteen years since we have had that problem. Maybe we're just lucky.
ReplyDeleteWe're down to just one solo kitty now. Gingee nudges us a lot. That's nudge as in judge...not "noodge"...the Yiddish/ Polish word that means to annoy, bother, or pester. She doesn't even climb on countertops or tables. Extremely well behaved, and very affectionate. Not one of those cats who delights in breaking things .