Things we have not had:
A single accident.
A single episode of furniture scratching.
A single escape attempt.
Any problems wearing a collar and tag.
A single moment of howling or yowling or whatever it is cats are sometimes known to do.
Things we *have* had:
An extremely simple transition to the litter box, which tells me he was clearly housebroken, and someone's pet, in a previous life.
An extremely simple transition from nervous, skittish inside cat, to one who now hangs out on the sofa, napping, and sleeps on my bed for part of each night.
A few minor come-to-Jesus meetings with Barley.
Some 3am play time ... which is going to come to a quick stop, I'm telling you.
A bit of winsome gazing out the window, which tells me we are not in the clear yet.
For me, the biggest shock came this morning as I was walking through the living room and the damn cat ambushed me, jumping into my side, bouncing off again, and almost scared me to death. Blaine says he *thinks* the cat was trying to play ..... I say I must look like a very big mouse and he was on the attack. Either way, he about gave me a freaking heart attack. Is that NORMAL cat behavior????
"Hey, yo, peeps, thanks for all the well-wishes in my new home .... and thanks for having my back regarding the de-clawing. I'm on my best behavior for now and am happy they're not dragging me to the vet to have it done. Now, where the heck were you when someone stole my manhood in the earlier years?!?!?"
33 comments:
That is definitely normal cat behavior!! Sometimes mine will attack my feet for no reason whatsoever or they start running all over the house like they are in some sort of race but really it seems they just need to blow off some steam!
Blackie is a cutie pie!!
Yep, very normal. They sometimes get into this "crazed" mood and just start running everywhere with very wide eyes. Welcome to the world of being owned by a cat. I actually love it. But I love my little Maggie girl too (Rat Terrior).
Ha! Cats do stuff like that and then they laugh! Our old Smokie (RIP) would move the water dish out from the wall every night...and in the morning he would sit on the couch and observe the first person to get up and trip on the dish- sending water EVERYWHERE-and then he'd laugh...I know he did...and when I'd look over at him he would pretend he wasn't looking...and laughing!
Oh, I miss my kitty after looking at that sweet face! You are now officially "cat-owned", my friend! I always knew you were a cat person, deep down inside....
regarding the litterbox, *most* of the time, even with kittens, you'll only have to show it to them once, and they'll catch on immediately, so its totally normal that a litter box transition was simple :)
"Stole my manhood. . ." hahahaha
no worries about the window gazing...looking out the window is a favorite pastime of both of my cats (usually for hours on end) but neither of them have any interest in actually going outside. As someone else said, its usually expected that cats will use a litterbox easily. Tt's not like training a dog - cats have a natural instinct to cover their business, so even feral cats can often learn to use a litter box immediately. Keep having fun with Blackie!!
I'm with the others....yep, it's normal cat behavior. And if you think you're going to curb the 3am playtime, well, I hate to tell you, but that's why they sleep all day....so they can play at 3am. We have two kitties and at some point during the night it's pretty much guaranteed that they'll stampede through the house and under the bed. Kind of sad when we hear then konk their heads on the framework under the bed, but they continue to go at it.
Sorry you got pounced. It *was* kind of funny, though. He's just messin' with ya. :-)
Claire in Indiana
Blackie is very handsome!
Cats are good company and I am very happy for him and for your family to enter the world of being cat-owned!
A purring and content cat is a wonderful thing.
Sounds like Blackie is a normal cat....if there is such a thing. I have never been a cat person, but when my 10 year old son found a kitten and begged to keep her, I couldn't tell him no. (We had just lost our dog of 15 years.) That cat attacked us on a daily basis, thumped all over the house at night, and gazed out the window atop the seat I bought for her. She would also climb in bed while I was sleeping and knead my head. Nearly drove me crazy, but now she is 13 years old and lives with my son in his house, and I hate to admit it, but I miss her!!
Yup, Blackie's just trying to get you to play. And that's a good thing!!! Also, the 3AM playtimes are pretty normal too and you'll probably get used to them. Have fun with the little guy. It sounds like he's taken to your family quite well.
Susan in MN
Totally normal cat behavior. Our cat seems to target my husband quite a bit. Watch it going down the stairs, no-man's land no longer exists!
One other thing that nobody mentioned is that sometimes cats will look out the window and sort of 'chatter' at the birds. It's a really strange little sound and it's funnier than heck. I had cats that would groom my eyebrows while I was sleeping.
Susan in MN
I am not a cat person and neither is my grandmother. I, at least, can fake it. Not her. She claimed that our cat would sit on top of the TV and stare at her. She was at our house taking her usual afternoon nap on the sofa - the cat was sitting in the windowsill above her - I believe contemplating her move. The cat suddenly leaped from the window, pounced on her shoulder and onto the floor. Luckily no heart attack. Window - sofa -floor was not her usual route so clearly she was annoying my grandmother.
My DH was convinced my cat was trying to kill him early on in our marriage. She would pounce on him unexpectedly, especially when he was sleeping. She is now 16 years old, and he loves her (almost) as much as I do. BTW, I don't know if you were given this tip, but I trim my cats claws with fingernail clippers. Congratulations on becoming a multi-species home!
Debbie E.
Peachtree City, GA
My two cats are so playful in the middle of the night, that they have been banished from the bedroom. Every now and then we'll give in and let them stay, only to kick them out a few hours later. They wait until we're sound asleep, then pounce on us, or yeowl at the walls (in a sort of I see dead people way, which freaks me out), or attack each other while on the bed.
Cats can be so weird and crazy. But I wouldn't have a house without at least one cat.
The ambushh thing is very normal for cats. I hate to say it to but the 3 a.m. play thing is very normal too. My cat used to bounce on the hallway walls and walk the headboard and footboard of my bed in the middle of the night and if you moved your feet or anything she would attack LOL. I don't know why but they do it. Good luck! The only way I found to break a cat of bad habits is to use a squirt bottle full of water when they are doing something you don't want them to do. That is the only way I broke my cat of climbing on the tables and counters.
The middle of the night "cat crazies" are totally normal! I don't know what goes on inside their pointy little heads, but clearly they have very vivid imaginations. I remember waking up to a very odd noise coming from the bathroom. I walked in and could hear it - behind the shower curtain. I ripped the curtain open (shades of Psycho, dontcha think?) and found my very cool, very masculine cat, spinning in circles chasing his tail. WTH? I don't even try to guess anymore!
Cute cat! And yes, having a cat ambush you is totally normal cat behavior.
totally normal... makes me miss my old cat. she used to do this all the time. or she'd come up behind you and grab on to your calf and want to play... gotta love the cats!
My cats both love to jump out and ambush me periodically. I know that they're playing, but part of me wonders if they're trying to get back at me for something... Mine love to sit and look out the windows, too. I let them go out in the FENCED backyard when I'm out doing yardwork (only for an hour or so, and I'm CONSTANTLY checking on them). They LOVE being out there, and even caught a mole last Fall! And if the boys are playing in the middle of the night, I'm sleeping right through it. My guess is that they're not, b/c if/when I wake up in the middle of the night, they're both right there on the bed with me, one on each side of my leg so I can't move... And Barley will learn her boundaries with Blackie - sooner or later!
Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat's Diary..
Day 983 of my captivity...
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.
Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now................
Thought you might enjoy this - seeing as you may very well be on your way to being CONVERTED to a cat person.....
PS - random cat ambush behavior?? Totally normal - means he likes you!
Oh yeah...'normal' for sure. We used to have a "shop cat" here in our diesel repair shop many years ago and the damned thing would wait for me to come around the corner and attack my feet which really sucked because claws were OUT and I was wearing flip-flops. Oh and the other really special trick of his was to go out in the field and catch snakes and bring them in and lay them in front of my office door (still ALIVE) which sucked worse than I can tell you because I am PETRIFIED of snakes. Needless to say,I hated that cat!!! Hope Blackie doesn't bring you any of those kind of gifts! LOL
Oh yeah, Blackie wanted to play with you. When we walk behind the couch on the way to the kitchen, at least one of our felines will jump up from the couch to try to scare us. Sometimes they actually touch us, yet other times they just get on top of the back of the couch.
He'll bring you so much joy that you'll wonder how you ever got along without him!
Hahahaha,normal cat behavior. At least to me. My mother ( a bit, shall we say, of an odd duck anyway) once had a mini-nervous breakdown when our cat attacked her feet one too many times one day. She became convinced the cat was trying to kill her and was hysterical, locking herself and my little brother in her bedroom and shoving towels under the door less the cat flatten itself out and slide under the door to attack her (she told me they could do this). I was 12 at the time and she locked me and my older brother OUT of the room with the "killer" cat, which should tell you where we fell in priority to her, lol. Our job was to watch the cat and stand sentinal all night. My father finally returned at 3AM (he worked nights) to the both of us awake watching TV instead of the cat. He wanted to know what the hell we were doing awake.
Just another day in the loony bin, lol.
Rita
Awwww...what a supersweet little face!! And a really happy Brayden in the background!! We have been owned by many cats over a forty year marriage and there is no behavior that we haven't seen...night crazies included...our two girls, sisters, are joined at the hip, just love each other. But for about 20 minutes each night the chase begins! We just let em go then it stops as suddenly as it starts and all is calm again. I predict you guys will become "cat fanatics" now that Blackie is in residence...just love him and give him catnip and enjoy!
Absolutely normal cat behavior. My cat Ollie attacked me this morning. And I agree with "M" - I think they laugh at us too. Blackie is a handsome kitty - reminds me of "Shadow", the stray black kitty that we adopted when I was a kid.
Yep, normal cat behavior, but only with humas they like (or love a lot, and that part after the "but" is my opinion only).
Blackie, I've got your back on the declawing part, but sorry about the manhood, I'd be telling your people to take your right over to the vet to take care of that... of course my male cat & his sister both had their respective male & female parts removed as soon as they were old enough. Being from the same litter, I didn't want to take any chances on batches of mutant kittens. Both my cats are indoor cats, and still have their claws. My husband thinks if you have indoor pets, you're going to have some damage to furniture, it's just part of having pets. Similar to your walls or tables getting crayon marks when you have kids. = )
Rachel in ND
My cats are especially feisty in the morning after they have slept most of the night. They are so happy to see us. But when they were kittens, they played much of the night. And how cute is this...my cats are indoor cats. One day my youngest cat came into the living room carrying a small stuffed animal in his mouth. He dropped it at my feet. He brought me a gift!! And it was a much nicer gift than a dead rodent.
Mine used to hide behind the mounds of papers on top of the fridge and then jump on people's backs as they walked by. Many of my friends refused to come in the house unless she was locked in a room. :)
I have good news on two fronts!
1) I have trained my cats to sleep through the night. they both stay by my side until about 7am when they want fed. Takes some time and re-doing occiasionally (when visitors feed them in the middle of the night- MOM).
2) My cats have never and hopefully won't ever scratch the furniture. I used a can of air to train them (the compressed air) as the noise scares them. They only attempted once each and from here on out we have not had problem. Both have all 4 sets of claws too, as long as you move him to where he should scratch and distract from furniture after that it should work.
Last tip...get a hairless cat like on Austin Powers and you won't even have any hair to clean up. Mine are both pure sphynx breeds and now, no lint brush needed!
Good luck!
J.S.
First I have to say I LOVE reading your blog. You have a gift for writing and making us feel like we're right THERE when things are happening.
And second, like everyone said, the cat thing is totally normal. I used to have 5 cats and I miss them. I always thought of myself as a "cat person" more than a "dog person" simply because cats are so much more self sufficient than dogs! Thats a really cute pic of Blackie!
Oh thank heavens you've decided not to have Blackie declawed! I've worked in two veterinary practices, and assisting in a declaw procedure was my least favorite thing to do. I'd rather express anal glands or clean an abscess...declawing in so barbaric. The horror stories I could tell you! Welcome to the world of cat ownership. My husband and I are owned by nine--yes, NINE!--rescued cats. We happily refer to them and our two tiny dogs as our "fur children." They all have distinct personalities. Some like to drink out of the tub or the toilet. Others like to sleep under our blankets. Gertie-one of three rescued following Hurricane Katrina--is approximately 9 years old and likes to "nurse" on our shirts while we pet her. Some of them give us kisses on the nose...and one, much to my husband's dismay, likes to groom hubby's bald spot. :) Congratulations on your newest addition!
Amanda in Ohio
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