I Have to Remember that Tuxedo is a Cat - Part 13

I became angry with Tuxedo today after she jumped on my dresser and pushed my alarm clock off the edge. I was angry because the clock was a gift from a real estate professional trade organization, the Institute of Real Estate Management® (IREM®) that I belonged to for over twenty five years. It was one of my favorite of all the gifts I had received from IREM® over the years.

When I saw what she had done I screamed, and she quickly jumped off the dresser. The clock was in pieces on the floor. When she approached me, I let her know I was not pleased. She came to me several times again and I rebuffed her each time.

Once I examined the clock, I could see that I could put it back together. After ignoring Tuxedo yet again, she left the room. Satisfied that the clock did not get broken, I had to regroup emotionally over what had just happened.

It was funny to me when she jumped on the dresser last night to retrieve her ratty mouse I had hidden on top. I thought how clever that she could smell it and went to get it. I was so proud of her intelligence. Now I was angry that she would go up there again and could have destroyed a very important item of mine. It wasn’t funny then.

So, I have to acknowledge that her behavior is typical of a growing cat. She is exploring her limited world in an apartment. I dealt with her natural curiosity when she kept trying to eat my bamboo plant. I moved it to the kitchen.

I have to reconcile that as she grows older and bigger, Tuxedo will explore more of her world. I also have to get used to sharing my world with her. Not just when it’s convenient, but when something bad happens, too. I have to cat proof my house and I’m not sure what that means or how to do it. It’s like baby and toddler proofing a house to protect household belongings and household dangers in those areas she can reach as she grows.

Having an animal sharing my space requires my patience, understanding, and love for my cat. There will be times I will likely tolerate her. Most of the time, I will love her, appreciate her, and forgive her. That is the grown up thing to do when you have a pet.

Tuxedo Mannerisms I Like #12

I guess every cat has cute mannerisms. These are a few of Tuxedo’s:

• She likes me to kiss her on the head while I hold her in my arms so she can take a nap

• She is so anal. She re-marks me all over my body with her head after I take a shower. This is in order to reclaim her smell on my body. She makes me laugh because I won’t stay in one place, and she chases me so she can mark me up by rubbing the side of her head on me.

• When the house is really quiet, I can hear the sound of her lapping water from her bowl in the bathroom. She always drinks water when I am in the bathroom. I think she feels safe to drink. She doesn’t feel like she has to be on the lookout all the time. I used to keep water next to her food bowl in the kitchen. She wouldn't drink from there. I think she wants a buddy to drink with her. 

• There is a 6 inch ceramic platform at the back of my bathtub where I lay my head and soak up the bubble baths. Since she’s been here, Tuxedo has taken over this spot to sit on and watch me shower! She doesn’t care whether or not she gets wet. Strange…

• I love watching her sit in the bedroom window for hours watching a bee climb the outside of the window screen.

Spring and Tuxedo - Part 11

The weather is getting better. Tuxedo likes to sit by a window and watch birds chirping and flying around. She enjoys seeing people and cars pass by.

I had to move my bamboo plant again, this time to an even higher place. Tuxedo is 3 feet long when she stretches out. More than tall enough to jump almost anywhere she wants. Thank goodness I only have one plant to protect.

Since the weather has started to get better, I allow Tuxedo to go onto the front and back porches. I leave the apartment doors propped open so she can go in and out. She goes out and looks around, then returns inside the house. She looks out of her favorite window in the bedroom.

As she flies in every 15 minutes to make sure I am still here, I wonder why she prefers being in the house to the outside. Then I remember that she was an outside kitten, fending for herself. It must have been rough on her at two months, by herself, trying to avoid trouble, looking for food, and not having a safe place to sleep. I can understand why she prefers to be an indoor cat even with the safety of a second floor porch.

As long as she is happy, then I’m happy.

Tuxedo and I Are Learning a New Way of Life - Part 10

I have to cat proof my house. Tuxedo is now old enough and tall enough to jump on dressers and tables and bookcases. She is causing disorder and havoc with my furnishings and my nerves. I am at my wits end trying to figure out how to re-arrange my furniture so my vases, and other paraphernalia don’t end up broken on the floor.

As a kitten, she is naturally curious. She likes to push things off tables and furniture to see what happens. She is like a toddler seeking to explore and push her limitations with me. After nearly pushing a bamboo plant from the top of my television, I had to take action.

I went to her, shouted “No!” close to her face, and then lightly hit her behind. She jumped off the TV. The second time she went for the plant, I repeated the corrective action. The third time she jumped off the TV before I started in her direction. Lesson learned so far.

Now, I don’t know what she does when I’m not home. Still, Tuxedo must learn to stay within her pet domain and respect me when I am around her. I am learning how to discipline her, and she is learning her limitations in the house. So far, so good.

Tuxedo's Separation Anxiety - Part 9

Tuxedo hates it when I leave the house. As soon as I start to get dressed, she knows the deal. She circles me and screams at the top of her lungs. She sounds like I’m beating her. She follows me from room to room as I try to get ready to leave, crying the entire time. I feel guilty for leaving her.

Eventually she will lay across the threshold of the door so I have to walk over her to get out of the room. Then she’ll grab my legs and hold on like a toddler holding on to her mother’s legs. I can’t walk. I have to pick her up off of me.

I try to trick her. I wait until she’s occupied with something else. Then I open the door and attempt to go through and close it before she knows what’s happened.

But Tuxedo is really fast on her feet. No matter where she is, when I open my door, she zooms outside. Then she runs up and down the stairs. She is too fast for me to catch her. I usually wait until she has had enough and return to the apartment. Sometimes by that time, she has decided to allow me to leave.

The worst part is coming home. The minute I start to walk up the stairs, I can hear her crying through the door. I feel like a selfish person, leaving my poor cat by herself. When I open the door, Tuxedo is right there, and starts to cry. As I change clothes, she will continue to cry and follow me around until she is satisfied that I am home for good. She will jump on the bed and take a nap. I take one with her, and when we wake up, we are both refreshed.

Tuxedo's a Jumper - Part 8

Like all cats, Tuxedo is very active around the house. She explores everything and everywhere, high and low. She runs around the house using my bed as a diving board. As she grows, she has discovered she can jump on things.

She likes to look out windows. I keep a window shade open in my bedroom so she can look outside and see me at the same time. One day, I woke up to find that she had slept on my bedroom dresser all night. Of course, I was not happy about that.

She used to jump off when I approached her and sternly instructed her to get off the dresser. Now when I see her and reprimands her with my stern and commanding voice, she just stares at me like I’m crazy. It’s a “What Do You Want?” kind of stare that makes me want to strangle her little cat neck. She is testing her boundaries.

I haven’t been able to keep up with her jumping on things. I had to move my bamboo plant to a place where I hope she cannot jump. She is so different from my other cats in the past. She knows I don’t like it, but so far she is having her way with me. She’ll give me a little respect if I give her a deadly stare, and will jump down. She knows she’s not supposed to be on furniture. I have decided to pick my battles. As long as she gets down when I tell her, I’ll take that and be happy. When I’m not home, she clearly has the run of the house.