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| Adventures in Cat-Sitting last updated 5/8/04 |
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| 12/14/03 - A.J. drops Venus off along with food and kitty bathroom facilities. She immediately bolts down to the basement. I can't find her for the life of me. (It would help if my basement were cleaner.) I finally find her under a chair. She doesn't seem happy that I won the first round of hide-and-seek. I just hope she notices where I put her litter box. 12/15/03 - Morning - Cat is no longer in her hiding place. I put the alotted amount of cat food into her bowl and give her fresh water. I find her under my living room couch. She gives me a "Drat, she found me again" look. I check out the litter box and much to my (and my carpet's) relief, it appears that she's found it and used it appropriately. Evening - still under the couch. This time she doesn't shrink back when I peer under the slipcover. I run some errands and buy a catnip toy. When I arrive home she is no longer under the upstairs couch. The hunt continues. I find her under the basement couch. This time I swear she is just hiding to keep me on my toes. I give her the catnip toy and she grabs it and rolls around in ecstasy on the carpet beneath the couch. She comes out briefly to be petted and retreats with the toy under the couch. Progress. Later I look under the couch, but alas she has moved to Hideout #4. I check #1-#3, but she is too smart to go back to them. I look all over and cannot find her. She is just slightly easier to find than Sadaam. 12/16/03 - Morning - Find her in the laundry room behind some boxes. This time she gives me a "Man, she's good!" look. After work - still in the same place. This time she comes out to be petted. Alex comes over for our standing Tues night date to watch "24." He asks where the cat is and I show him, cautioning him that she's really timid right now and not to make any sudden moves. I coax her out and she goes right over to Alex to be petted. He leaves the laundry room and she looks around the corner to see where he went. She actually stands on her hind legs to get a better look at him. Suddenly, the one who provides food, water, love, and kitty litter scooping (while refraining from singing "Smelly Cat" from Friends) is now the human equivalent of chopped liver . . . maybe not the best analogy for a cat . . . well I'm now about as interesting as the kitty carrier. After Alex leaves I coax her out again. She pays more attention to me, but not before she takes a good look around for Alex. This time I tease her with a peacock feather. She goes NUTS, looking like a starving feral cat after a fresh piece of meat. She actually goes airborn taking a dive for it. 12/21/03 - well, things have settled into a routine with Venus. She is not afraid of me any more, but she has established her own little "kitty condo" in my laundry room. Her penthouse includes a cushy sleeping/lounging area where she hangs out behind some boxes. I guess I contributed to this little luxury by laying down an old matress pad where she likes to hang out. I know she likes it because she knows I know where it is and she hasn't found a need to establish Hideout #5. After figuring out that she likes to stretch out on carpet and especially likes small remnants or rugs, there are now many old bathmats and carpet remnants scattered around the house for her enjoyment. She hasn't been eating much, but figure it's not a bad thing since she is supposed to lose weight. I thought that maybe since she's so comfortable in the basement that she'd like her food and water down there, too. I moved them by the laundry tub and noticed that slightly more is gone each day. Of course, that could be because she'd subsisting soley on the protein content of the many bugs I seem to find in the basement . . . I used to laugh at the statement "Dogs have masters; cats have staff." Now I'm living it! 12/22/03 - The cat has started greeting me at the door of the laundry room. She begins purring as soon as she sees me because she knows I'm a softie and will spend time petting her. (Either that or it's because someone -- and I'm not naming any names -- threw a confetti party in her litter box.) Sometimes she even comes up from the basement if I don't go down there right when I come home. Tonight she came up the stairs looking for me and found me reading on the couch. After sitting and looking at me hoping to be pet, she came over to the couch and looked at me. For the first time she came up onto the couch and sat on my feet while I read. On 12/31/03, I officially adopted Venus. My next page will be titled, "Elizabeth's Adventures in Cat Ownership!" |
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