Cats

Cat Grooming

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Instructions on a cat grooming product:

1. wet cat thoroughly
2. apply product and comb through cat’s wet coat.
3. keep cat from grooming for 10 minutes.
4. rinse product thoroughly off of cat.
5. dry cat to make sure (product) is completely off cat.

Of course they left out a few steps. Read the hilarious details here.

Speaking of cats, last night Cody went on a destructive rampage, knocking things down all around my home. He woke me up with loud meowing at 2:30AM and I found that he changed the thermostat setting (which he can do by climbing on my sofa and hitting the switch on it). After he started running around my bedroom, I shut the door and locked him out so I could sleep. Meanwhile, Midnight was laying on my bed and purring loudly. When I got up this morning, I found all of the destruction.

Two Cats

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The condo board meeting was tonight. I try to go every month, although out of 276 units here, usually only about 15-20 people show up. A few more than usual showed up because of the newsletter we got a few days ago. One of the condo rules is that we can only have one pet and this month’s newsletter printed a reminder of that rule, threatening to fine people with more than one pet.

I only had one cat when I moved here, and two of the board members encouraged me to adopt Midnight. I’m friendly with all of the board members and they all know that I have two cats. My neighbor also has two cats, although she had both of them when she moved here, which was only a few months before me. That was the big discussion at the meeting, and it seems the big complaint is about dogs, not cats. Specifically, there are people who don’t pick up after their dogs or let their dogs bark uncontrollably.

Having one or two dogs won’t make much difference if people don’t pick up after them. Two cats, on the other hand, is very different than two dogs. Cats don’t make a lot of noise, and they don’t poop everywhere. Most of the cats here are indoor cats, and the only time they’re seen is when they look out the window.

A few of my neighbors, including a former board member, are starting a petition to change the rule.

I had Cody since he was a kitten, so he won’t be happy living with someone else. Although Midnight, a former stray, has only lived with me about a year, he’s very attached to me. I’m the only one who can touch him, and he even lets me cut his nails. He hides from everyone else.

Cat reaction to the storm

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For the first part of the day, Cody was freaking out, running and hiding whenever the wind got really loud, but after a while he went to sleep and seemed to get used to it. Midnight stayed pretty calm most of the time. I put towels around the bottom of my windows & sliding doors. Midnight keeps stalking & attacking the towel and then backing off.

A Cat post

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I haven’t written a cat post for a while, so I guess it’s time for one.

Midnight has gone through a remarkable transformation from wild stray to affectionate lap cat. When I saw him for the first time last May, he seemed completely wild. He would run away if anyone approached him. Most likely he was an abandoned pet rather than a wild cat.

I started feeding him and eventually he would come over to me, but he still wouldn’t let me pet him. After a while he started rubbing against my leg & following me around. He still wouldn’t let me pet him & he scratched me a few times. He finally came into my home once but he ran out after he ate.

In late July, he finally moved in. I took him to the vet and had him neutered and got him all of his shots. He became very attached to me and now seems to be the dominant cat around here, which Cody isn’t too happy about.

As soon as I sit down, Midnight jumps on my lap and starts purring very loudly. He’s never scratched me, although he occasionally gives me a little nip when he wants attention if I keep ignoring him. He even lets me cut his nails without any fuss.

Cats are SO much fun :)

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I heard some noises in the kitchen & when I went to investigate, I found Cody on top of the refrigerator, knocking things down. No place is safe from him.

Midnight, on the other hand, rarely gets into trouble. He doesn’t climb any place he shouldn’t (such as my desk). I once caught Cody in the act of pooping on the floor outside the litterbox and he still does it every few days. I’m pretty sure Midnight doesn’t do it – he always makes a big deal of using the litterbox. Before he goes to the litterbox, he starts meowing to make sure I see him go.

Midnight does sit at the table when I’m eating. Once when I got up to get something, I found him sitting in my chair and eyeing my food when I came back. Whenever I sit down, Midnight jumps in my lap. If I ignore him too long, he’ll give me a little nip on my arm.

Christmas Kitty

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xmas_kitty.jpg

This cat is hanging around outside my apartment. One of my neighbors thought it was Cody at first, but his coloring is a bit different. He’s also a lot smaller and looks like he’s been in a few fights. His ears are cut up pretty badly. He’s very friendly, though.

Update: One of my other neighbors recognized him. He lives in another building in the complex.

Productivity Killer

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My biggest productivity killer isn’t a game or a website; it’s Midnight. Whenever I’m busy, he’ll jump on my lap and demand to be petted. If I ignore him for too long, he’ll give me a little bite.

No more pooping on the floor

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I returned the Littermaid today. Cody & Midnight were using it, but Cody still pooped on the floor a few times. The littermaid was disgusting. It was impossible to keep clean, and when it scooped, it tossed more litter on the floor than the cats do. Emptying the container was messy & disgusting. Thankfully, Target took it back and gave a full refund.

I was able to solve the poop problem by getting the biggest litterbox I could find and putting it on the bare floor. It seems that Cody likes to poop on carpet, but not on bare floor. He & Midnight are both using the box now.

Littermaid

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For a while I’ve had a problem with one of my cats pooping on the floor outside the litterbox. I suspect Cody although I’ve never caught him in the act. I had two litterboxes and both were being used. Midnight always makes a big show of pooping in the box when I’m watching him. I’ve also seen him attack and chase Cody away when he was using the box.

Someone suggested the problem may be that the box isn’t clean enough (I try to scoop it out whenever I notice a mess), and I know Midnight is using both boxes, so today I bought a Littermaid.

I left it off so it wouldn’t scare the cats if the motor came on. I also left one regular litterbox next to it. Cody was the first to explore it, but he didn’t use it. A few minutes later, Midnight explored it. Something frightened him and he ran away, but he went back and used it. When I went out for two hours I found that someone used it while I was gone, and when I got back Midnight used it (and made sure I was watching). Cody eyed it suspiciously a few times. I noticed that the other litterbox is also being used.

As I was writing this, Midnight jumped up on my lap. He purred loudly and wanted me to pet him, then he suddenly bit my arm and ran away.