Don’t Disturb a Lounging Cat Or She Will Puke on Your Floor

I’m apparently the worst sister a cat could ever have. My parents’ cat Gordita has been living with me on and off for the past five years. She’s currently living with us and by now I think she’s gotten used to all of the kids, the new house and realizes that her mom and dad will (usually) come on the weekend to come visit her.

Yesterday she was sun bathing by the back sliding door. The blinds were opened and I could feel the heat form the sunshine pouring into the house. Considering our air conditioner is currently out of order, I decided to pull the blinds shut. I did, however, crack them a bit so that Gordita could continue to lounge in the sunlight.

She was rather angry with me, to put it lightly. She glared at me. Then stood up and worked her body in between the blinds. Then she glared at me some more. I dared to limit the amount of sunshine she was getting, and even worse was that I forced her to have to get up and move from her lounging spot.

She managed to move between the blinds in the perfect spot for the sunlight to glare in the direction that I happened to be sitting. I guess that could be called karma. She also decided to throw up some food later that day too. I guess that was her letting me know that I was on her list of not favorite people for that day.

Give the Cats their Snack

My dad calls the cat treats “nack.” And the cats have come to learn that “nack” means cat treat. Jackelyn has also learned that snacks are called “nack” and not only calls cat treats “nack” but also asks for her own snacks by asking for “nack.”

We have a big ziplock bag full of nack. It’s about three bags worth of cat treats (different flavors) dumped into a ziplock bag and kept up high on a shelf that the cats cannot jump onto and that Jackelyn can’t reach.

Today I spilled the nack. I grabbed the bag and shook it like I usually do when I let the cats know that it is nack time. Except that the ziplock top wasn’t zipped closed and nack was flung all over the floor. Stitch was not in the room, but Gordita was. She was in shock. I figured she would immediately start to scarf down nack. However, to my surprise, she stared at it. She had a look of disbelief that all that nack had really rained down from the heavens and onto the floor. Perhaps she was in shock that I had dared to treat the nack with such disrespect and dumped it everywhere.

I started to scoop up what I could and put it back in the bag. Gordita is our resident “eat all the food I can before Stitch can get any and then puke it up somewhere else in the house” cat. Luckily for me Jackelyn was there to help. I thought if she saw me scooping it up off the floor and putting it back into the bag she would help. I even showed her how to do it. But, as I should have known, since Jackelyn thinks she is a cat she would think like that cat. She actually got rather mad that I was taking the nack away from the cats. She picked up bits of nack and instead of putting it in the bag she reached over and placed it in a pile for Gordita. In protest she started reaching into the bag and taking more nack out for the cats. I’m rather sure she would have demanded that I give the cats their nack if she could speak in full, clear sentences. Instead I got a big fat “No Mama!”

Eventually I managed to scoop up the majority of the nack and left the rest for the cats. And I learned to make sure the nack bag is sealed before I shake it. I also learned that Jackelyn doesn’t have my back, she’s got the cats’ backs.

The Baby is Here

The new baby is here and the cats are pissed! Baby Reia was born at the end of July at a healthy 8lbs 3oz. We brought her home the next day and I got quite a bit of attitude from both Jackelyn and the cats.

Jackelyn, who is almost 2 years old, gave me a look that clearly said “You brought it home?!” Jackelyn was the first of the kids to meet the baby and she was not pleased at the hospital and was even more not pleased to see that I actually brought the baby back with me. On a good note, Jackelyn now loves her baby sister.

Stitch gave me a look that clearly said “Another one?!” I’m fairly certain he was thinking “I just got this last one trained and you dare to bring a new one home?” This look was later combined with looks of pure annoyance when both Jackelyn and the baby were crying. Jackelyn was crying because she wanted me to hold her and the baby was crying because she was hungry. Stitch glared at me and walked into another room that was across the house from the crying.

Gordita gave me a look that, I’m fairly certain, said “What the hell is that?!” Gordita didn’t meet Jackelyn until she was a couple of months old and missed out on the joys of having a newborn. She also didn’t move into our home until Jackelyn was about 10 months old. I try to remind myself that Gordita is just a cranky, old lady cat and tend to forgive her. While she is still pissed at me about bringing the baby home, she has at least warmed up to Jackelyn. I think it’s more a situation where Gordita views Jackelyn as another hand to pet her now that she knows how to actually pet a cat the right way.

I think Stitch is still not willing to completely forgive me just yet for bringing home another child. He spends many days staring (pouting) at me holding the baby. Although he has joined me, Jackelyn and Baby Reia on the couch while we are cuddling. I take it as a sign that there is some hope in getting some form of forgiveness from him. I have been making sure that I do make time for Stitch, just like I make time for Jackelyn for some one-on-one time. While spending time with my children is amazing, there is still a different type of comfort in cuddling with a fuzzy kitty on the couch.

Apologizing Again

Dear Stitch and Gordita,

I fear I stand before you begging for you to forgive me. However, there is a big chance you will not completely understand what I am asking forgiveness for until July.

To cut clear to the point, we are going to have another baby. Now before you begin to hiss in protest and go on and on about how unfair it is let me remind you that at one point you too were baby kittens. In fact, Gordita, I have a good memory of you as a kitten in our home peeing outside the litter box, scratching up the couches and shredding my beta fish when I came home from college.

As you roll your eyes may I remind you that Baby Jackelyn (who is more Toddler Jackelyn now) loves and adores you two. She often tries to share her snacks with you and play tea party. She has even learned to pet you in a gentle manner. I understand you may not want to eat cereal she offers and I completely understand the inability to drink from an empty teacup. But remember that babies will not cry for forever and may even grow to be amazing little cat lovers who will pet you all day long. She even shares her Princess couch with you Stitch. She doesn’t try to shove you off. She snuggles up with you or allows you to snuggle up with her on it. So let’s try to be positive about this new baby.

Again, I’m sorry. I promise this wasn’t planned or meant to ruin your kitty cat lives any further than I already have.

You’re humble human slave,
Crystal

Karma Found Stitch

Today Karma made her way back and found Stitch. Let me explain…

A couple of years ago (in 2007) about a year after Stitch came to live with me I was curling my hair in the bathroom. My hair was still fairly long then so curling it took a good long while. Especially when I had to put hair gunk, and spray and other product prep on it before the actual curling began. Perhaps I brought it upon myself when I decided to put the litter box in the bathroom, but it was really the best place for it to go.

So there I was, curling my hair when Stitch decided that he had to go … and by “go” I mean take a big ole smelly poop. He hopped in his litter box, did his business, all the while watching me. When he was done he did a half-ass job at covering it, looked at me again and sat in the door way.

Oh, the smell, it was dreadful! And the problem was that I was mid-curl and held hostage by my vanity for perfect curls across the room just out of reach of the light switch that would turn on the fan. I shook my fist at him as I held in my breath. He turned his back on me with no regard to my suffering (a move he does very often). Luckily, my sister came to my rescue and turned on the fan and sprayed the room. If only Stitch’s thumbs worked like human thumbs. Maybe he could have at least lit a candle or something.

And today … today Karma came back and got Stitch.

Today Stitch was sitting on the couch. And Baby Jackelyn made her way over to him to pet him. Being a good cat Stitch just sat there and took the petting. But then Jackelyn squatted down as babies do, and started doing her business. Stitch looked at her when the fresh aroma of dirty diaper wafted up to him. Then he glared at me. You know, because I told her to do it near him.

“That’s Karma for you Stitch” I told him. And of course, he stood up, stretched, licked his fur back into place and jumped off the couch. I’m not sure but I think he might have been rolling his eyes at me and muttering “Whatever,” under his breath as he made his way over to the window perch.

I like Karma.

Gordita’s Baby Bouncer Experience

Between the two cats Gordita has been the one that has been the most curious about the baby’s big toys, while Stitch has learned he’s not allowed to sleep in the crib, the travel crib he often get’s some fun batting one of her baby sensory balls around. But Gordita, she thinks she’s a human thus she must give the human things a try.

You already know from the last entry that she’s jumped in the baby swing. She didn’t seem too fond of the swinging motion. Perhaps if it was more of a gentle glide than a fast swing she would enjoy it more. If she had asked I would have put it on setting one for her, but she is way beyond asking for things at her almost 12 years of age.

Today Gordita decided to take a nap in the baby bouncer. Baby Jackelyn (by the way I’m so tired of trying to remember what nicknames I’ve given the children and all their names are in my old blog anyway to might as well continue) discovered her first. I heard a baby squeal of delight and turned away from my computer to the sight of Baby Jackelyn squatting next to the bouncer and a no longer sleeping Gordita.

Baby Jackelyn stood up and started bouncing the seat for Gordita. She must remember how much fun she had bouncing and wanted to make sure that Gordita didn’t miss out on the fun. Gordita turned her neck to glare at me with a look of “Why?” in her eyes. Stitch sat on the window sill looking at the situation and I’m fairly certain he was laughing. He was sun bathing and he seemed to enjoy watching Gordita’s misery from his sunny perch.

Gordita, of course, is trying to redeem herself as a good cat (she had a scratching incident and scared the baby for a while afterward) so she politely accepted the bounce ride. Baby Jackelyn finally got distracted by some other thing (believe it or not some tissue paper on the ground) and left Gordita alone.

Amazingly, to me at least, Gordita decided to continue her nap in the bouncer. Will Gordita ever learn that the baby thinks she’s a cat and only wants her fellow felines to enjoy the things she finds enjoyable? Maybe … especially since I think Gordita is beyond learning the lesson that she’s actually a cat.

Here is a photo of Baby Jackelyn bouncing Gordita, and Gordita giving me the look. I think it’s precious. If you look in the top right corner you can see Stitch’s tail. I couldn’t capture his look of delight.

I Know Why My Cats Sleep All Day

At least I think I’ve stumbled upon why my cats sleep all day. The last couple of nights I’ve had some nasty bouts with insomnia. I’ve spent the last two nights reading in bed. The cats kept coming in to check on me. I’d feel a wet nose, a brush of whisker or would get startled from my reading by a “meow?” I think they kept tag teaming me too because both of them would come in at different times and then disappear again into the hallway.

Last night after reading for about an hour and a half I got really bored and really annoyed with the cat checkups. I figured maybe I ought to give them a midnight snack. I went downstairs and gave each of them a couple of treats. Then I sat down at my computer to peruse though my email and Facebook for a while. Around 1:22am I heard a thud and a squeak. I looked over my shoulder to see Gordita sitting on the baby swing. Her weight got the thing swinging and she sat there lounging in the swing for a couple of minutes. I heard another thud when she jumped out.

Then suddenly, with wild glassy eyes, both Gordita and Stitch bolted through the doorways of the downstairs. They ran through the kitchen, across the covered porch, through the bathroom, through the guest room and into the family room. Once there they would stop, look around and then bolt again. A couple of times they even flopped onto their backs and wriggled and then jumped up again in one smooth, fluid motion.

I wondered if they had a stash of catnip somewhere that I didn’t know about. Or perhaps there was a full moon or maybe the tide was high and I didn’t pay attention to the crazy energy going on. Maybe it’s the opposite for felines. Perhaps they go straight up crazy when the moon is a crescent. Regardless, they were having quite the cat party.

I’ve concluded that this is why they sleep all day. They have to rest up for all the crazy shenanigans they’ll be getting into at night. They also checked on me all night because just like a rebellious teen waiting for the parents to go to bed so he/she can sneak out … the cats wanted to have fun. I guess by night three though of me staying up late they figured that they would just party whether I was there or not.

Here they are ... resting up for tonight's cat party.