Old Cat Habits Never Die

Some of you may remember reading in years past about how Princess One/I used to fear the sound of scrunchy bags - paper or plastic. She had that fear since she was a kitten, since I had found her as a homeless cat, taken in by a kind neighbor.

Well, Princess-incarnate carries this same fear. Every time I take out a plastic garbage bag or put away grocery bags she runs away like a bat out of hell. Meanwhile, Gabriel couldn't care less.

She also still does not like to be 'smothered'; she doesn't like to be picked up and held, just like Princess One. She'll give me a cat-massage, no problem.. But on her own terms.

And she likes to mess with my papers.

Did You Pi On My Seat?? !!

Unfortunately, "P-p" (Princess), is continuing to pay me back for something I did or did not do by leaving some pi on the crack of the couch, exactly where I sit... Good thing it's a leather couch.

So now we have a new routine. Well, let's look at it from her perspective, shall we? :)

Mom came back in last night and did her usual things.. She eventually walks to the couch - and that's when I remember that I left my pi there when I wasn't supposed to. And then I turn and try to look casual but my ears go down in apprehension.

This time, she came right out and asked me while I was still walking around in front of her: "DID you PI on my SEAT?!!" We even made eye contact. I didn't even wait for her to finish, I turned quickly the other way and ran downstairs.

"DID YOU?!! You F--k!", bellowed mom from a distance now.

Sometimes, she won't say anything to me. But when I see that paper on her hand, I know I'm in trouble already [paper towel]. I see her pick it up from the kitchen and then I remember: Oh, NO! And I run away for a while until she forgets it. When I come back from "downstairs", sometimes I see that paper scrunched up in her hand and if she takes one step toward me I know.. I know what's gonna happen so back down I fly, butt and tail up in the air.

I really don't like to smell my own pi. And Googie still can't figure out what all the fuss is about. He just stands there in the middle of the chase and just wonders what just happened. Then he goes over to the couch and takes a sniff - and still looks confused.

Lunch Interrupted

Ah was trah'in to git some lunch the uther day, sitting there bah the bowls, muchin' away, when Ah heard some kand of ruckus coming from "upstairs".

So Ah abandoned mah breakfast and ran over to the bottom of the stairs and stood still to trah to listen to what waus Pipi up to now. She was rampaging up there but it waus some kand of new noise that both mom and Ah hadn't heard of before... sometin' she waus doin' causing this noise.

So Ah just stood there, looking intently up the stairs in her direction, trying to figure out: Should I or shouldn't I run up there to make sure she's awlright? Ah always guard over Pipi and Ah dawn't waunt anytin' happening to her, nevah.

Ah looked over at mom who was standing there near me, listening to Pipi's rampaging. She didn't seem too concerned after awl.
So Ah went back to mah bowls and mah lunch.

The THANG!

Ah waus hanging out the hallway outsade mom's room with Pipi, beesy licking her and grooming her. She liked it so much, she was stretching her neck and chin awl the way up for me. And then she stretched her little head all the way to me to lick the top of her head good, too.

So we were beesy and happy together laike that. Out of the corner of mah eye, Ah was aware that mom was doing thangs around her 'beddie bye', like putting thangs here and there [I was changing purses and placing stuff inside the new purse]. So that awl was cool.

And then Ah heard it. Ah heard that special metal tinkle sound that Ah KNOW what it means. Ah didn't even have to see it, to know it. Ah suddenly came to awl mah faculties and leapt over closer to mom's room entrance. Pipi had already disappeared.

Ah stood there still, in pure suspense and mid-stride, one front paw extended on the floor, mah eyes wide open and dilated. Ah was staring at mom, needin' an answer fast befawre Ah took mah next step.

She turned to look at me and took in awl mah worry. She seemed surprised then. "Gabriel? Aw, come on! You're not still afraid of this, are you? " as she held up the THANG. [the house alarm remote]

She threw it near me so Ah can inspect it closer, nose-to-thang, you know. "Nobody's coming, Gabriel... It's okay..", she reassured me. "Yeah, but... naw Ah'm confused..." Ah thought, as mah ears went back and forth toward "downstairs" like a couple of antennas. Ah thought pretty much that any time she touches this thang, some stranger is gonna come in here and git me!

"No one is gonna come in, Gabriel. I have to touch it first like this before that happens", mom said. Nawt really sure about that - but Ah gawt over it.


[See Video: "The Story of the Alarm Remote" }

Gawt the Drill Down

Hah, y'awl, Gabriel here. Ah wanna tell ya awl that Ah've got quate adept at understandin' what mom means when she says:

"Excuse me?"

Ah mean, Pipi's been doin' it for a long time but Ah just nevah thought it was important until Ah kept watchin' her and she pretty much feeled me in on what 'excuse me' really means.

You see, Ah like to lounge bah the cold floor next to mom in the small room [bathroom]. But apparently, there's a spot where she always trahs to get me out of, and at first, Ah couldn't understand it. Ah fought it 'cause it was a good spot for me, Ah liked it there and darn it! Whah is she tryin' to move me? So Ah would raise my front paw and push her hand away when she tried to move me.
[He parks it down by the front of the sink area where I have to stand and wash my face, etc.. ]

So, naw when she says "Excuse me? Gabriel?', Ah don't wait any more, Ah just stand up and walk out - breeskly, mand you. Ah won't question it, Ah won't look baack.. Ah just comply with the ladies.

(the ears get a little flat too here again)
:)

Nawt Another Sweet-Talk

Gabriel took his post again outside the door last night, fully expecting the routine. So I thought I would 'reward' him and stood there telling him:

"Aww! you're such a GOOD cat. "

His ears went down. Like in that video when he's on the hardwood and I'm approaching him, making a funny kind of noise at him, right before he shows his belly only on "pleeease??"

Now: why would this cat's ears go down when I tell him he's such a 'good cat'?

"Aww, pleeease..! Don't butter me up when you know what I want is to sleep on that bed with you" is what it translates to.

Either that or just simply 'don't butter me up'.

It Finally Happened - A Doggie Legal Trailblazer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/11/AR2010071103006.html


Here's a story that will tug at your heart strings. "Lucky", the dog, went to court .. well, sort of virtually, with his divorcing owners who both wanted to keep her. She was treated by the Judge as a family member. The Judge ordered shared custody of the dog.

According to one of the lawyers in this case, this sets the first legal precedent for pets. Pets are now being legally elevated to family member status.


:)

That Woard

Ah waus layin' in mom's bed this afternoon, had juust woken up in fact. After figuring owt mah whereabouts and what nawt, and taking in mom's 'coo-coo's', not to exclude her irritating urge to tip her nose onto mine when Ah'm nawt ready for such thang...

Anywah, Ah started groomin' mahself. Ah lifted mah [huge white] paw up to mah face, leecked it, and began to rub it against mah nose. You awl know the drill, Ah'm sure.

Take two of this routine: (huge white) paw leecked, lifted up to mah nose. And hold... hoooold it!

"Nummy-num!", went mom all of a sudden.

Ah sat there with mah huge whate paw suspended up in the air close to mah face, and looked at her. Ah wondered: 'how serious is she?' Ah had to assess the situation whale holding mah paw up, suspended in front of mah face.

"Nummy-mum", mom intonated again. Ah did one more motion and held mah paw one more time, looking at her intently. Ah then watched her walk down the steps, turning around to check on me.

Aw, awkay... It's time to jump down and follow her, it's for real.


:))) [For real! ]

Time To Get Up!

Mom was a little ... off today. I came up from "downstairs" earlier in the day and found her on the couch. Then later, I followed her "upstairs", expecting her to primp and preen and get ready to "go bye bye". But she didn't. She went back and layed on the 'beddie-bye'. So okay. I figured, I'll just lay there with her. I occassionally walked over to give her a massage too; on and off, and so it went.

But this went on a little too long. She was laying there much longer than usual. I mean, right about this time, she is usually not even here (!)

So I got a little restless myself. I jumped down and back up to check on her, I walked over near her face, eyeball-to-eyeball. I had that worried look in my face [that little tiny face of hers with her eyes real big]. And suddenly? I figured it out. Instead of jumping up and down the bed, I'm gonna like go rummage in the closet. She hates that.

So I did, and she just yelled over my way. I scurried out a couple of times. And then I figured it out even more:

I'm gonna like, PUSH the door ALL the way open. THAT'll get her attention. Hey, mom! This way to change, okay?

That actually, DID get her up - never to return to the bed for the rest of that time.


[This means, she got up and dressed and out the door finally.]

:)

A Scratch of Mah Own

I came down to the kitchen where mom was and noticed there was another long box there next to my scratching mat. I circled around it a couple of times and looked at it more closely. Mom saw me looking at it: "Hey, Princess? You can tell this is for YOU? ! ", she said. Yeah, mom, I can tell... I mean, it pretty much had my picture on it. And it was the exact same size as the other one that I'm using with all my glee and fury.

So she came over and picked it up, continuing to say to me: "That's right, Princess! It's for you, yeah.!" I scurried a few steps away... She seemed a little too.. excited about it.. like she gets when she's ready to stick a glop under my nose, so I don't really trust her when she gets that way. But I decided to park it right outside the kitchen and watch her open it up.

Yep, it was another scratching thingy. She placed it on the floor next to the old scratch [mat] and next thing I knew, Googie comes by and claims it, this brand new one. I mean, okay... I did have Gingy-the-girble, my favorite toy, placed right on top of my own scratchy thingy. [Yes, she does; every time the toy falls off, she places it right back on the first scratching mat that she claimed as only her own.]

Googie's version:
Hey! By-gosh-darn! What do Ah see! but a brand new scratch thang. A scratch thang of MAH OWN! . Ah promptly gawt raight awn it and gave it a test try. Dug mah claws naice and deep. Deed it a number of times, mand you, it's been hah time Ah got mah own. Pipi here claims everytin' as her own and Ah couldn't use the uther one for a long time. But this time? This time Ah stepped mah claws down and made it clear to her; she got her own over 'dere anywah.

Had to See It To Believe It

We were snoozing up on mom's bed this afternoon, Googie and I. She was laying quietly right beside us looking at some papers or whatever. So I let myself float into sleep, knowing all is well with Googie and mom so close to me.

And then I started hearing in my sleep this noise.... 'clip, clip, clip'...

I finally opened my eyes to see where this noise was coming from and right in front of me was mom holding this shiny little thing and doing something to Googie, working on him around his tail there... I looked over at Googie... he didn't seem too concerned, he was still relaxing. I looked back at mom and that shiny thing [scissors] she was holding.

This just didn't seem natural. I started really waking up now. Come to think of it? Googie had said something about this a while back, now I remember. He said that she was ...taking away his fur from back there. And here he is now, he doesn't even care! He wouldn't even move! I think he actually liked it, you know? He had a low purr going, oh my god.

You know? I think I saw enough. I'm probably gonna be next, come to think of it. Aw-NO. I jumped down and away from those two just to play it safe. This was way too... weird for me.


:) [Gabriel got his 'sanitary clipping' ]

Bamboozled

Every night, we go through the same routine: we follow mom "upstairs" and watch her get ready for 'beddie bye'. Ah take the opportunity to groom mahself along with Pipi... (well, that is if she isn't rolling awl over the floor, taunting me.)

There are thymes when it begins to look like mom might even let us sleep with her. Ah always jump up on her bed with that in mand.. Ah make mahself comfortable and hope for the best. There are uther thymes when Ah can tell she's intent to close that door so Ah don't even fuss about it, Ah take mah post outsade the door. Pipi is the last to leave.

But you know, when it begins to look like we're gonna linger? Laike mom's gonna let us lounge on the bed a little longer? Ah get hopeful. And then she comes over to me, walking around the bed behand me as Ah'm so comfortable in awl mah glory, and she starts to whisper to me: "It's time to go to "beddie bye" now, you know.. 'Cmon now.." And awl the while she does that, she strokes me and hugs me.

Well, what the HALE! Ah start to flap mah tail impatiently up and FLAP! down against [the mattress] becauze naw, damn it! Ah don't wanna jump down right about naw. And what peeses me off most of awl is the fact that she's tryin' to pull the wool over mah eyes and make it look like she looooves me so muuuch... When awl she really wants to do is get me owt of the room.

And so, mah tail flaps ever more furiously as Ah reckon thees fact. But Ah stand mah ground, Ah do. Ah only finally get up when she begins to trah to lift me and then Ah realize it's .. game over pretty muuch.

Might as well git up naw and jump down - Ah look over at Pipi on the way out who's usually layin' under the chair. And then she sees me, gets up, and catches up with me and we both walk out together, side-bah-side.


[Ah have sleep problems and just cannot be woken up by the cats - Ah wake up as it is at least once a night... ]

Nawt The Right Time...

Hah, y'awl, Gabriel here. You know? Ah'm gettin' more sensiteeve nowadays to mom's expectations of me.

Laike the uther naight. Pipi was makin' a fool of herself again all over the floor, nearbah mom's 'beddie bye'. Ah mean, we both were up there to be near her, Ah knew she was AWN the beddie bye, that much Ah knew. So Pipi is rolling awl over the place, begging me to come up to her again.

So Ah step up, again, tempted to get 'er good this time, whale she stretches herself. Ah usually like to nip her in the middle of her back, Ah thank she laikes that....

But then, right befawre Ah am ready to do that, what do Ah catch ahold of? Mom's peeping at us from above her bed!

Uh-oh.

Mah immediate reaction was to just stop... "Stop fighting!" was pretty much echoing in mah mand awl of a sudden even though Ah do get quate confused at that. "Aw sheeet!", Ah thought. Better not take a chance. Ah looked at mom's face, she wasn't sayin' anythang. Ah stared back for a second befawre deciding what to do.

Ah quickly changed mah mind and stepped away from Pipi and under the chair. Ah mean, mom's face was right there, watching me!


:)