Sassy cats – The things we do

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Here is Mollie in a well padded basket.

Fourteen years ago Mollie joined our crew. At the time we only had Jake who was a dapper young cat. She was around eighteen months old and had already had a litter. She came with some habits. (We refer to them as pre-loaded programs that can’t be deleted no matter how hard we try.) She liked to drink out of the toilet. Eww…gross. From that point on, we kept the toilet lid down. For fourteen years she altered our behavior.

That’s not unusual. As we accumulated more cats they all required their own private eating spot. No one wanted to eat next to another cat. Fortunately I have enough rooms. More behavior modification.

That’s Jake at the top and Morgan at the bottom. Both are sleeping on soft fleece throws. That’s written in their contracts.

Then there is Jake and the throw carpets. When he got older he would not pee in the litter box if another cat had left a pee lump there. I have acres of boxes but you can be sure someone will pee in each one just to annoy him. The next best thing was a soft throw carpet. The kind you find in front of the shower or in a hallway. He left it crumpled on a pile so that you wouldn’t step on it. Thank goodness for doggie piddle pads. Pulled up most all of the soft fluffy throw carpets.

Morgan is chewing some wayward post-its. She keeps all the office supplies in line.

I share the computer with Morgan. She loves to twitch her tail to swipe the screen. She can delete and open up windows. She turns on the printer and hits the copy button. She only does this when I am trying to type. If you don’t mind the occasional butt in the face, she’d make a great assistant. Turn off computer when I leave it.

Sometimes cat grass doesn’t make it out of the bag. That’s the old stuff on the right.

There are lots of things we do for our pets. “Freshen up” food and make sure there are no ants. Keep the cat grass growing and replace it when it’s chewed down to nothing. Have a gazillion cat beds all around the house (yet they prefer a box). Have a gazillion boxes around the house.

If it weren’t for the cats, the house would be orderly but lonely. When all is said and done, the changes we make are not a bother at all. In return we get unconditional love, necessary scoldings, stink eyes and the occasional face lick. They are the masters at changing human behavior and always towards “more work.”

Morgan giving the staff a lecture. (Probably on the quality of cat grass!)

Life is good. We all wish you a great weekend.

50 thoughts on “Sassy cats – The things we do”

  1. I agree with RMW – there is no explaining to non-cat people about some of the behaviour modifications we go through for our cats. Take yesterday for example. I had to explain to #2 son that Theo was planted at his feet staring at him because he was sitting in Theo’s spot. Son just rolled his eyes.

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  4. I’m ashamed to admit I have a pee box for Frankie under the dining table. He will pee under the table in the morning whether there is a box or not. He is good at using the box. Of course it is removed when I have guests and he is good at respecting that too. And anyway, the dining table is no longer for eating as that takes place in the living room for me and my guests. The dining table has become the cat table where they like to hang out. It’s useless to explain to non-cat people this is normal!

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    • All normal. You put a box anywhere necessary and adapt. My dining table, especially when Hazel was alive, is more likely to have cats on it than plates and food. When we have company, I clean it well but that’s only a few times a year. Makes sense to use it even if it’s just for cats.

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  6. I do relate to the way the pets organize my life. We make so many accommodations that at times I really do wonder if we have a screw loose! LOL! But you are so right when you reference that without them, life would be lonely. We must need them. Otherwise, I don’t know why we’d put up with the demands. 🙂

    You and your full household have a great weekend, too, Kate!

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    • I remember when Jake was old and senile, waking him up in the middle of the night would end up with him hollering and no more sleep for any of us. I learned how to tiptoe to the bathroom for my potty run. I am still very quiet on my bathroom trips. Jake with his diabetes (had to be home for the injections) and cantankerousness made me adjust the most.

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          • Same as mine for the squiirrels and their peanuts. Oh well – they make us smile and we can’t ask for more than that. I used to spoil each of my canaries silly. I didn’t have them at the same time. As to the last one, Buddy, who died in December 2016, when I went to pick up his ashes, I donated all his things to my vet to send to local bird shelters. In gathering up everything (and BTW, his stuff took up my late mom’s entire bedroom closet … I had two identical cages, with identical set-ups inside to swap out when we went for nail trims and checkups so I could wash the other one and he wouldn’t freak out seeing a different cage) and I worried sick we’d lose out power and he’d be hot so had battery-operated fans and for Winter, I had space blankets, battery-operated, blankets, battery-operated polar fleece neck warmers to layer in the blankets and a hot water bottle for the bottom of the cage to radiate heat … he had a favorite toy and I thought it did not look sturdy and I bought five other identical toys in case it broke. What can I say? It was a pinwheel with bells and he played with it for hours on end. It never broke and I took five brand-new toys to the vet that day. I was a helicopter pet mom. 🙂

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    • Wow! Just wow! My cats don’t eat people food but they will smell it just to be sure there is no tuna. I have learned not to leave my plate unattended unless I want nose marks. So far I haven’t seen anyone in my water glass although I saw Sasha using her paw in a sprinkling can to get water. It’s a short leap to a glass.

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  12. They really are so considerate to leave those little rugs rumpled as notification…although recently RC has taken to just leaving it all out there on the flat and says “It’s easier for you to pick it up neatly that way”…small rug hanging over fence as we speak. Sun helps…or at least I can say it does.
    All the other cats loved boxes or paper bags, RC scorns both. Looks insulted if we offer one as amusement. The bed scene does look familiar!

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  15. I’m no longer amazed at the things our cats train us to do. Yes these behavior modifications alter our lives but the return on that investment is those head bonks, leg hugs, and even the stink eyes and computer “adjustments” and we love every minute of it. I know my life wouldn’t be as FULL without at least one cat in it. So there. I’m on board with your “life is good” thinking – I wouldn’t change a darned thing!

    Happy weekend, Pam

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  17. Indeed I have adapted my life to serving my cats…What I can and cannot do in the house is pretty much determined by them. Funny thing is, I really don’t mind!

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    • Yes, as I remember you never have real flowers! I don’t mind either except I did find a hairball in MY fleece throw this week. They have a gazillion of them and I have one. That’s where they barf.

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