Search Results for: blog tabby time adjusting to a new family member

Modifying Behavior-Lesson 2: Trial and Error

The first lesson in learning to modify behavior was getting to “know thy pet”. Which I tried to better explain in What it Means to Know Thy Pet. To illustrate both Lesson 1 and this next lesson, I’m going to use the example of an unwanted behavior I had to deal with last year: Tabby banging on the blinds. Step 1: Applying Lesson 1 – Why the Blind Bashing Ceremony? No one likes to be awoken in the wee hours by a cat determined to figure out how to make it past the blinds blocking her view out the window. … 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 →

Mr. Meow’s Minky

Mr. Meow horsing around on his Minky. Have you ever heard of a cat having a security blanket? I never had, until Mr. Meow stole mine. Sort of. He didn’t nab my real security blanket. By the time Mr. Meow came along my beloved Minky was nothing more than a tattered rag. (Which I still have tucked away in a drawer. I just can’t seem to toss the darn thing.) No, the Minky Mr. Meow laid claim to was a replica my sister had given me for Christmas 1999 as a joke. But the joke was that Mr. Meow thought … Continue reading →

Thunk, Doing, Whap: What a Racket!

Sometimes our house gets to be a noisy place. Sure there’s the routine noises that most cat and dog houses have: Murphy barking at something outside, the stampede to the food bowls at feeding time, the cats mewing like mad right before mealtime, and Tab’s midnight jam sessions on the blinds. But they also make their own distinctive brand of noises. Ones that when made help me identify the maker by my ears alone. Thunk! Murphy has a sturdy, strong, long tail that when he’s happy, watch out! His tail has been known to leave welt marks. He doesn’t mean … Continue reading →

Dog Days of Summer Deals for Cats at Doctors Foster and Smith

It may not feel like it, but the Dog Days of Summer are nearing an end. So are some of the great deals that some of my favorite pet stores are offering. Like at Doctors Foster and Smith. I always look forward to shopping in my Doctors Foster and Smith catalogs, but most especially when they send me ones with red tag savings up to 50% off. Sales won’t last much longer though. Their current deals are good through September 4, 2007. Since we’re getting ready to move, I’m actually trying to restrain myself from making any purchases. (I’ve already … Continue reading →

The Wiffie

What the heck is a Wiffie you may be wondering? It happens to be Tabby’s favorite toy. “I thought the red and blue-and-yellow huts were her favorite toys?” those of you who have followed the continuing Tabby saga might be asking. True. They rank up there. But they’ve been out ranked by a seemingly boring white and green wiffle ball-like cat toy that Mr. Meow’s had since as far back as I can remember. He never paid it much mind, but Tabby? It’s like her security blanket. Nothing’s more playful than a young cat. ~-Thomas Fuller-~ It wasn’t her first … Continue reading →

Tabby and Mr. Meow: Friends (And Playmates) At Last

Mr. Meow letting Tabby share his leather chair. Ever since I found Tabby and became a foster cat mom, she and Mr. Meow have had “issues.” If you’re new to reading my blogs, let me catch you up: The First Three Weeks Things were fine to start with. They tolerated being in the same rooms together, but kept a healthy distance. It was during Tab’s fourth week with us that things started changing… The Pregnancy During that fourth week she suddenly got just plain nasty towards Mr. Meow. She’d chase him from our bedroom and eventually got so territorial he … Continue reading →

The Problem of Selling a House with Pets

First Aimee and her crew decided to move, now it looks like me and my crew will too. Except we’re moving exactly opposite from where Aimee ended up –we’re going back to Jacksonville, Florida. That means selling the house. But before we do that, we have to get the house ready to go on the market. For homeowners with pets (like us), this can present some challenges. People’s Pet Peeves and Phobias Some people do not like to live in houses where pets lived before. The owners who bought our last house demanded we have the carpets cleaned prior to … Continue reading →

The Cat Cottage: Can I Get My Money Back?

Back in January I was shopping the sales for cool Christmas clearances for cats and saw these fun looking cardboard cat playhouses. I knew I had to get one! Well, originally I was going to get the City Place Cat Playhouse. At $25 it was going to be the most expensive pet toy–dog or cat–I’d ever bought. But I was sure Mr. Meow, who loves playing in boxes, would love it. Well, when I realized how much Tabby also liked to play in boxes, I decided, “Oh no, this cat cottage is just too cute. They have to have that.” … Continue reading →

Mr. Meow and Tabby: How Goes the Positive Reinforcement Training?

If you’ve been following my what to do about Tabby dilemma regarding the way she treats Mr. Meow, you’re aware that I’ve been looking for new ways to help them get along. One of those ways was trying to use positive reinforcement. Maybe you’re wondering how that’s working out. To be honest, it’s been working. Sort of. Mr. Meow is still skittish if Tabby’s around. Coaxing him out into her presence so I could reward the both of them has been an obstacle. But we’re getting there. The Sun Room For some reason, the sun room is the one place … Continue reading →