Search Results for: blog chaotic cat chronicles the potty pact

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Cat Box Terrorist

There is a saboteur living amongst us in the Team Pryor household. A messy, smelly, ornery rebel who likes to drop bombs aplenty. (When she’s not partaking in other cat box terrorist maneuvers.) That’s right, I said “she.” As in Tabby. Not Mr. Meow, the creepy cat, who you might expect to be the culprit. Nope. Instead it’s my beautiful, sweet (most times, except when it comes to the cat box), precious baby girl. What is a “Cat Box Terrorist?” A cat box terrorist sees opportunity for terror in something that should be scared: the litter box. Cat box terrorists … Continue reading →

How Annie and Cujo Learned to Use the Cat Door

You may or may not remember Annie and Cujo from the night Moose, Lally, and I slept over at my friends’ house. Annie and Cujo are a pair of rescued cats that belong to some very good friends of mine. Those friends decided it was time to reclaim their spare room. Since they moved into their new home, one room has been a catch-all for boxes, stuff they didn’t know what to do with, and the litter boxes. Months passed. Eventually, they wanted their spare room back! My friend Jen is quite the home improvement diva — she designed and … Continue reading →

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Cats vs. The Oxygen Machine

When my mom fell sick a few weeks back she was put on oxygen while in the hospital. Since her oxygen saturation level still wasn’t where it should be when she was released, they had to put her on oxygen at home. At her house she had the same set up we ended up getting for her once I brought her here. It’s a little machine with tubing (we call it her tether) that lets her roam pretty much everywhere while still being connected to the oxygen. Since she has no pets, she could wander at will at her house … Continue reading →

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Student and the Teacher

Once upon a time Aimee wrote a series of articles called Dogs Teaching Dogs, Exhibits A, B, C, and D — Bad Habits. Well, dogs aren’t the only ones who teach each other. Lately I’ve noticed Mr. Meow learning a thing or two from Tabby. That’s right. The wizened old fart is picking up pointers from the young whippersnapper. Lesson 1: Being More Loving Won’t Kill You Mr. Meow’s pretty standoffish with most anyone else. It’s the rare person who doesn’t see him as a creepy cat. But he’s always had his quirky ways of showing me he loves me. … Continue reading →

Tabby’s a One Cat Kind of Dog Lover

I’ll never forget the first day Murphy and Tabby met. When I first brought her home it was early on a Friday evening. Both Murph and Mr. Meow crowded around the cardboard carrier I had her in while I went about preparing her room –-or bathroom, I should say. I thought the best place to keep her would be in the guest bath in case she wasn’t litter box trained. I didn’t let them see her then. I thought it best not to overwhelm her right off the bat. But the next morning Murph was insistent upon helping me check … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for December 17-23

Merry Christmas Eve! Maybe you were like me and rushing around last week doing last minute Christmas errands, which left you little time for reading. (Or much else for that matter.) If that’s the case, and you want to catch up on what Aimee and I dished about here in the Pets Blog, look no further. You’ve found the handiest tool around: the Week in Review. Monday, December 17 Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Cleanliness Aimee’s new job made more good fodder for the Pets Blog. She explained what she spends the majority of her time doing at the … Continue reading →

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Potty Pact

Back in the dark days of this year when poor Tabby harassed Mr. Meow every chance she got even litter box time wasn’t sacred. There was one time, before her pregnancy hormones kicked into high gear and she got so nuts she’d attack him every time she saw him, that was kind of funny though. She decided to be a booger and planted herself in front of Mr. Meow’s potty box and didn’t budge until I moved her. (I wrote about it in Tabby Time: Adjusting to a New Family Member under the “Pottytime” heading.) But for a few months … Continue reading →

The Family That Plays, Potties, Drinks, Sleeps, and Heals Together Stays Together

Something life with Murphy has made me realize lately is that Wayne, me, and our fur kids are one tight knit clan. Which is sort of a remarkable thing in one respect. On the one hand, we’re a family made up of humans and animals. We’re not related by blood, but our bond is as strong as any blood bond could be. On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that just a little over a year ago we were a house divided. (Literally. Wayne was in Florida working a new job while I stayed behind trying to sell the … Continue reading →

Murphy Meets the Paramedics

Yesterday my mom’s health took a scary turn. She was extremely confused when she woke up. She was holding the clothes she’d been wearing the day before but saying she’d lost her clothes. Explaining she was holding her clothes only made her contemplate the bundle with confusion. As he almost always is, Murph was at my side to help with the Grandma Dorothy wakeup routine. When my mom kept saying she didn’t have her clothes but needed them because she was “going home today,” I opened her closet door and showed her all her clothes hanging there. Murph even snatched … Continue reading →

How Do You Punish Your Spouse for Bad Behavior?

Do you even punish your spouse for bad behavior? I’m not talking about major felonies, but minor misdemeanors. The times when they’re being PIAs (Pain in the A–) as my friend Roxanne likes to say. In 20 plus years of marriage can you believe it wasn’t until last week that it even occurred to me I had the power to punish Wayne? (By “power” I mean a threat I could wield to make him snap back in line.) The “Do” that Ignited the First Shot It all started in the morning. I guess I woke up with a wild hair … Continue reading →