Herd your cats here

[the_geneticist]

Calico, OrangeGuy, and Twerp found a stink bug in the house this morning. I swooped in with a plastic dish and put it outside. I petted and praised them and told them they were good kitties and mighty hunters, but they were still disappointed that I interrupted their fun.

Recognition is nice, but a kill would have been even better.

Sir Puck and Lady Jane can verify that stinkbugs taste icky.

[AvidReader]

Our beautiful Artemis is terrified of everything. She cowers when we bring the rolling trash can back up the driveway. Strangers, thunder, and loud noises herald her own personal apocalypse.

Bad weather in late summer damaged many of the houses in our neighborhood, and we quickly earned that roofers are the worst, even when they are working two or three houses away. Visible strangers making loud noises terrify our cat more than anything else. If we catch the sounds of roofers early enough in the day, she now gets to come indoors until they finish. If we don't notice the roofers quickly enough, she disappears, not to be seen again until an hour or two after they have left.

Today the house behind us is having its roof redone, but we also have workers in our house doing a fairly extensive bathroom repair that has already included cutting into a wall and may include drilling into the floor. My sweet, terrified cat is in spouse's study (the furthest room from the bathroom), wedged firmly between the couch, a box, and the wall. It is going to be a long two days.

In contrast, Hestia spent the morning investigating the equipment the workers brought and then snuck into the house when one of them left a door unlatched. She is currently splayed across a patch of sunlight on the living room floor, not minding the banging, grinding, or vibrations in the least.

AR.

[Puget]

Our beautiful Artemis is terrified of everything. She cowers when we bring the rolling trash can back up the driveway. Strangers, thunder, and loud noises herald her own personal apocalypse.

Bad weather in late summer damaged many of the houses in our neighborhood, and we quickly earned that roofers are the worst, even when they are working two or three houses away. Visible strangers making loud noises terrify our cat more than anything else. If we catch the sounds of roofers early enough in the day, she now gets to come indoors until they finish. If we don't notice the roofers quickly enough, she disappears, not to be seen again until an hour or two after they have left.

Today the house behind us is having its roof redone, but we also have workers in our house doing a fairly extensive bathroom repair that has already included cutting into a wall and may include drilling into the floor. My sweet, terrified cat is in spouse's study (the furthest room from the bathroom), wedged firmly between the couch, a box, and the wall. It is going to be a long two days.

In contrast, Hestia spent the morning investigating the equipment the workers brought and then snuck into the house when one of them left a door unlatched. She is currently splayed across a patch of sunlight on the living room floor, not minding the banging, grinding, or vibrations in the least.

AR.

It's funny what cats are afraid of and how much that differs. Mine are both terrified of strangers -- even package deliveries are met with growling and slinking upstairs. Anything I'm doing on the other hand, no matter how loud, is to be investigated and supervised, especially by Panther Boy. Vacuuming the stairs? He's there on every step, exactly in the way. Putting together furniture? He's staring at the electric screwdriver in action from close range, and trying to purloin any loose screws.

[mamselle]

Some of their fears may be related to a lack of visitors in lockdown times.

I did pet care for a student's family recently, and their two kitties, who grew up knowing me during weekly lesson visits before March, 2020, have been completely alone with their immediate family for the past two years.

They had just barely gotten to feeling safe enough, last month, to come downstairs when I showed up each AM and PM to feed them, or a couple times sat on the sofa a bit to see if they'd come and sniff me, when their people got back home 10 days later.

They're fine otherwise, but have adopted the "Our People are OK, Other People may eat you" philosophy since I last saw them.

Never did get to pet either one.

M.   

[AvidReader]

Anything I'm doing on the other hand, no matter how loud, is to be investigated and supervised, especially by Panther Boy. Vacuuming the stairs? He's there on every step, exactly in the way. Putting together furniture? He's staring at the electric screwdriver in action from close range, and trying to purloin any loose screws.

Ours are selective. When we use power tools, both our cats will come to investigate and often take naps nearby once they've watched the device work a few times. Rakes and brooms, on the other hand, are terrifying, even when not in use (e.g. propped against a wall).

Some of their fears may be related to a lack of visitors in lockdown times.
[. . .]
They're fine otherwise, but have adopted the "Our People are OK, Other People may eat you" philosophy since I last saw them.

Quite possibly. We've only had them since autumn 2020, so everyone is a stranger.

AR.

[FishProf]

We too are having a bathroom remodel and the Thundercats are responding in completely opposite ways.

Nox is hiding in the camping gear in the little room in the far corner of the unfinished basement (Smolt did a poor job of rolling a sleeping bag and now it contains a Nox-nest.

Elektra has breached the barricades twice to get into the construction zone.  She nearly got herself stuck in the newly opened bathroom floor/kitchen ceiling, and fell asleep in the circular saw case during lunch break.

The are sisters and as different as night and day.  Ahem, Nox and say.

[AvidReader]

Elektra in the circular saw case! Amazing.

AR.

[FishProf]

Elektra in the circular saw case! Amazing.

AR.

[mamselle]

It took me a minute, but I think I got it.

You meant Nox (as in 'nox, 'noctis') and 'day,' yes?

;--》

M.

[FishProf]

It took me a minute, but I think I got it.

You meant Nox (as in 'nox, 'noctis') and 'day,' yes?

;--》

M.

Yes, stupid autocarrot.

[Parasaurolophus]

Over the course of her pregnancy and for the life of the hatchling, my partner has come to resent and somewhat hate the big cat. I don't know why. We've had him for seven years, and she loved him for the first five. She's now agitating hard to find him a new home, which might be somewhat in his interest (all he wants is for no doors to beclosed, and to cuddle a few hours a day, neither of which is currently super practical; maybe also to sleep with us, but he's been ok with that change), but also just breaks my heart. I don't know what to do about it, since it seems her feelings are only intensifying over time.

Sigh.

[mamselle]

Over the course of her pregnancy and for the life of the hatchling, my partner has come to resent and somewhat hate the big cat. I don't know why. We've had him for seven years, and she loved him for the first five. She's now agitating hard to find him a new home, which might be somewhat in his interest (all he wants is for no doors to be closed, and to cuddle a few hours a day, neither of which is currently super practical; maybe also to sleep with us, but he's been ok with that change), but also just breaks my heart. I don't know what to do about it, since it seems her feelings are only intensifying over time.

Sigh.

OH, no!

I'm surprised that if there were any issues about having a cat in the house, they didn't crest to a close during the pregnancy, that's usually when worries about contamination, etc. come to the fore.

But--still--the kitty won't be aware of having done anything wrong, and will be dislocated from people it's come to view as its Own.

A ruler sent into exile for unclear reasons finds it hard to comprehend, I should think....let alone the willing parts of their Populace...

My strong thoughts and sympathies....hope it can be resolved.

M.

[smallcleanrat]

Happened across a page from Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals in a chapter containing excerpts from her childhood.

One educational exercise has Louisa listing her 'vices.'

Among them: "Impatience" "Selfishness" "Love of cats"

What?!?

If loving cats is wrong, do any of us want to be right?

[the_geneticist]

Over the course of her pregnancy and for the life of the hatchling, my partner has come to resent and somewhat hate the big cat. I don't know why. We've had him for seven years, and she loved him for the first five. She's now agitating hard to find him a new home, which might be somewhat in his interest (all he wants is for no doors to beclosed, and to cuddle a few hours a day, neither of which is currently super practical; maybe also to sleep with us, but he's been ok with that change), but also just breaks my heart. I don't know what to do about it, since it seems her feelings are only intensifying over time.

Sigh.

The no closed doors thing is honestly an easy fix if you are not worried about the cat getting into things.  Maybe big cat can be convinced to sit next to or in the same room as the people?  Or you could take on more cat cuddle time so your partner is left alone more?  But some are just velcro kitties.  My sister has one that will try and climb your leg to get you to hold him.  And will wail with sadness if you put him down.

[mamselle]

Happened across a page from Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals in a chapter containing excerpts from her childhood.

One educational exercise has Louisa listing her 'vices.'

Among them: "Impatience" "Selfishness" "Love of cats"

What?!?

If loving cats is wrong, do any of us want to be right?

Context might help there....remember that cats weren't only, ever, or even always 'house pets,'  but barn animals, kept mostly to take care of mice, rats and other vermin.

So, loving cats (much as I'll confess to the same vice, gladly) wasn't always seen as a virtue, especially by those who, like Alcott, had lived a large part of her life (especially growing up) in the semi-rural area that was then Concord (although the family had lived 'in town' before, and did again, later, Orchard House was basically on a country road).

Might help some.

I suspect she may have also been saying it tongue-in-cheek.

One suspects her Aunt May, for one, was not so sentimental, and Alcott was fond of long-distance prods to others' stuffiness.

Even--maybe especially--as a child.

M.