Baby & Cat Tag

There is a fun game called "baby & cat tag". It goes like this. The crawling baby spots the cat peeking out from under a Bombay chest. The baby moves into crawling position and takes off towards the hiding cat. As soon as the baby gets close, he runs off under the table. The baby isn't discouraged, but proceeds to change course and heads to the table. Once again, the cat finds yet another hiding place, and the cycle goes on until the cat finally jumps onto a large piece of furniture the baby can't reach. The game is then in "time out" mode. It starts again when the cat walks right past the baby (just out of arms reach) and that signals the "game on" bell.

This game has been played non stop each day and it looks like neither party will be growing tired of it anytime soon.

Atticus

This picture is of my adorable Atticus. Earlier this week he was tortured with annual shots and general check-up. He hasn't been feeling well since that day and has joint pain (apparent as he can't jump too easily today). Although these symptoms are to be expected, my heart still goes out to him. He was by my side all though the difficult days and nights of my pregnancy and he's very protective of the baby. He sleeps at my feet every night and follows me everywhere I go in the house.

I adore my big boy and hope he starts feeling better soon.

I should also mention that he's lost a little over 1/2 a pound. He now weighs 16 1/2 pounds. I'm so proud of him!

Discipline

I recently returned from a vacation. My parents were kind enough to let Atticus the cat stay with them. I was so terrified that he would tear their house apart and bite everyone. After all, that's what he does at my house. When I returned, I found the most adorable sweet tempered cat. If it hadn't been for all 5 kinks in his tail, I would have thought it was a different cat. Shortly after we got home, Atticus turned back to his old ways of biting, scratching and bulling everyone around. Where have I gone wrong with this cat?

My dad sent me this link to Dr Phil along with this quote that came from the site. "Your child does not have to love you every minute of every day. He'll get over the disappointment of having been told "no." But he won't get over the effects of being spoiled". Now if I was to substitute the word "child" with the words "dirty, rotten, scratching beast", the same principle applies.

So why is it so hard to discipline? It's got to be the sappy way they look at you.

Regarldess of all this, I thought the site gave some good food for thought for everyone.

Fish

Every time I go to Jan's blog, the fish picture reminds me of a childhood experience. My brother had a fish bowl full of adorable little goldfish. Everyday the number of fish seemed to decrease, but we couldn't remember exactly how many were there the day before. It wasn't until the number went from 15 to 5 that the realization came that something out of the ordinary was causing the fish to vanish.

Using a little sneakiness, I decided to follow the cat Babs. She was known for her dastardly deeds, and I was not going to rest until I caught her in the act of pawfishing. This didn't take long. I tiptoed into the living room just in time to see her expertly dip her paws into the water and snatch a goldfish. It was in her mouth and down her throat in seconds. It was like magic. It was the cutest thing I'd seen in ages, although rather sad for the innocent goldfish. If you've witnessed such an act, you must admit that it's fascinating to watch.

I currently have a cat that is also known for his dastardly deeds. I'm so tempted to see if he can become a sneaky fishercat.

It was a good day until I got home

I got home this evening only to find that the cat smeared stuff in the bathroom, then urinated on my foot (accidently) while I was cleaning up the mess. To make matters worse, I found that my roommates friend had flooded the washing machine and the house was filled with a mysterious smoke that came from the dryer.

Tell me my friends. Is this the sort of thing one can expect when you have kids?

My one desire is to lock all my doors and pop in the movie Pretty In Pink. Anyone want a cat?

Mel's Diary: Potty Training The Cat

Attempt #1: I put the litter box on the toilet to get the cat accustomed to the change. Gave treats every time he used it correctly.

Why it failed: Atticus thought it would be so much fun to show me he knew where the litter box was, and only used it when I was in the bathroom to give him a treat.

Really wish I had some scotchguard.

Attempt #2: Purchased the Kitty Wiz training system. After the purchase, I realized that the plastic seemed rather flimsy. Atticus thought so too, as he used it as a trampoline and broke it within the first 3 hours.

Why it failed: Kitty Wiz is for kittens/cats under 10 lbs (which Atticus is), but mostly for kittens under 1 lb (a much less known fact).

Attempt #3: After talking to Alicia (the pet guru), I raised the litter box a few inches each day to be equal height to the toilet. The idea being that Atticus would jump up on the toilet to access the litter box. The litter box was then switched to a cardboard box with short sides. This is a more stable "Kitty Wiz" approach. Each day the litter was reduced, the sides were cut lower and the small hole in the bottom of the box was cut larger. The idea being that Atticus would eventually start using the hole in the box that dumps into the toilet.

Why it failed: Atticus discovered that he could make the clay kitty litter disappear down the hole, and it never occurred to him that his pooh-pooh could do the same. Thank goodness I caught the problem before I had to call a plumber.

Attempt #4: Found this web site and was dazzled by another method. The idea is that you put a bowl in the toilet with a small amount of kitty litter and reduce it over time. Eventually switch over to water. As long as your cat puts 2-4 feet on the seat, you're in good shape to get it toilet trained.

Why this has almost failed: Atticus puts all 4 feet in the bowl. According to the web site, I'm in trouble.

Now Atticus likes to play in the kitty litter and splash it all over the bathroom.

I think I could cry.