getting the knowledge

I am learning all kinds of things about cats. Training, for instance.

You can train a cat. To sit, lie down, and stay. To come to its name. You can encourage behaviors you want (no meowing, using the scratching post) with treats, and set up avoidance methods for those you don't want. For instance, I do not want Lindy to ambush me at the door and slip out. So I have a trick. I stand outside the door, jiggle the handle, open the door an inch, and squirt her with a spray bottle. It freaks her out so badly I feel guilty. And she knows it's me. But it keeps her at a safe distance.

There's lots of free advice in the kitty world. Two tips today: to discourage undesirable behaviors, put pennies in a jar and shake it. They hate the sound. Cats also dislike citrus smells. And a good trick for keeping your cat stimulated is to get a Fedex box, cut holes in it, and pour the food inside. It takes the cat 15 minutes or so to pull each nugget out through the holes.

I'm going to have my hands full with Lindy. She's smart as a whip. She goes into the closet where I keep the interactive "noodle" toy and drags it out, stick and all. She gets naughty when she's hungry, jumping onto the dining table -- a definite no-no. Just wait until the penny jar is assembled, little kitten.

My favorite moment so far: Tonight I introduced her to the last room in the apartment, my bedroom. I let her wander, having spent 30 minutes cleaning all the baseboards, behind the couch, and under the bed. (Apparently cats each a lot of dust and it's not "clean" or good for them.) I turn around and she's frozen at the edge of the couch cushion. She'd leapt up and come face-to-face with a round, sausage-shaped pillow of buckwheat hulls she's never seen before. It has a gold cover that leaves one huge black "eye" looking right at her. She's terrified, staring at this thing, head down, waiting for it to strike, growl, advance. Cats are super territorial, which is why new places are so dicey for them at first. I took the pillow and dropped it on the ground, rolling it with my foot. She relaxed maybe an iota. I was kind enough not to laugh at her.I run into huge-eyed pillows all the time, myself. Terrifying.

Meet Lindy

I have secured a fluffy new friend. Her name is Lindy and she's gray/blue 2-year-old with very cute white marketings: a vest, goatee, and four white paws. She's pretty much the cutest thing ever, still kittenish, with yellow-green eyes and medium-length fur. She likes to stare at me a lot, and meow. I'm hoping she'll get more independent as she settles in.

Upsides to Lindy: friendly, bold, sweet, cuddly, playful, cute as hell.

Downsides to Lindy: intrepid, escape artist, sensitive to noise, meowing, diarrhea, biting herself.

She's into everything. Her favorite activity is to watch water dribble down the sink drain. She also likes the noodle toy, eating, my lap, following me, talking, and when the toilet flushes.

We have a big day planned, including a trip to the vet this afternoon, possible flea eradication efforts, a session or two of apartment exploring (the bathroom is her "safe room" for the first 24 hours), an evening feed, and a final play session. Routine is important, and early training. And I have a lot of cat-related shopping to do.

So far I am an awesome mom. Lindy's got a behavior problem of biting when she gets overstimulated from petting, but so far I haven't seen this from her yet. She was spayed just last week, so we're taking it easy for now.

Photo soon!

scaredy cat vs. ugly tail

My cousin said something very wise: wait a few weeks, it will be spring, there will be lots of kitties. She's right. Only I'm not going to make it that long.

Tomorrow's a holiday, and I have all day long to play with my new cat. Here are my choices:
- "Dolly" a charming tabby cat, 6 years old, with an excellent mew and gorgeous markings. She also has a kink in her tail that really pretty much grosses me out. I'm wondering if this is something I can "work with" as the Buddhists say. She does cute headbutts and her mew is to die for; it's like a doorbell: "excuse me but I'm mewing now." She's soft and lustrous and built like a German milkmaid.
- "Candy Cane". I know. So stripper. And this cat is anything but an exhibitionist. In fact, this little 2 year old is so skittish she will actually hiss at you if you try to pet her. For me, she just shuddered with distaste. She's a lovely black shorthair, which is what I wanted, with lively green eyes.

It's an overcast Sunday and my laundry is in the wash cycle. Definitely a day to drag a friend to the pound.

Hot for Kitty

Here were the two jobs: Product Marketing Manager at Autodesk for their online products for architects, construction professionals, and engineers; Web Editorial Manager at Adobe Systems. Upside to Autodesk: continuity, already know the politics, bonus in April, location of the office. Downsides? Travel.

They told me officially 25%, which is one week a month and doable. Someone unofficially told me to expect 40% or more. My would-be manager travels 98.9% of the time. He's a fiend for the Blackberry, replying to emails within seconds.

I chose Adobe, deciding to stay home (all the time) and get a cat. Now I have everything I need: litter box, litter, food, treats, toys, scratching post (Thanks, Peggy!), bowls. Just no cat.

Which is not for lack of trying. Tried to get one at the SPCA over the weekend, but they were running low. Turns out kitten season starts in the spring, and their inventory is depleted. People come in for a kitten and go home with a cat. I am so hot for a cat that I almost took home a 15-year-old gray ("blue") long-haired animal named Casey. I changed my mind when they told me he's been having issues with diarrhea and vomiting for the past week or so. There are many things I can deal with; catshit on my new duvet cover is not one of them. (Thanks for the duvet mom!)

Meanwhile I am truly suffering cat deprivation. It's like all my maternal urges have been redirected into cat acquisition. It's a little scary. I can see how people end up with 3. Or 6. Or 8 cats. Will this stop with one? Will I have the self control? Only time will tell.

I already have narratives about what I will do with my cat: we will watch movies together. He will chase a feather on a string. Eat skin from my fish dinner. Lap up unused chicken broth. We'll have a negotiation game around coat-brushing, just like any good relationship. There's even a scenario where I make him warm milk at bedtime.

Clearly, I am already in a lot of trouble. Last night I went to a work friend's house. She's just been "given" three cats. I practically mugged her for a 9-year-old tabby named Owen. And I wanted a black cat. At the last moment our mutual better judgment stopped me from taking one home right then. I did, however, threaten to come back later. The cats came froma household of 6 cats, one woman. The woman had taken two of the cats with her to England. I'm sure it was very Sophie's Choice.

Happy 2008!

Things I like about 2008: Getting two job offers
Things I don't like about 2008: Even the gray hairs are falling out

So far so good in the new year. I have a new job I start in early Feb., at Adobe Systems (finally, discounted software I can use!) here in San Francisco, at the old Macromedia offices. The location is not as good as Autodesk, which is in One Market, the best location in the city, right across the street from the Ferry Plaza and the biweekly Farmer's Market. This last Tuesday, I invested in Fuyu persimmons, and they are wonderful.

But the location is okay. It's in an industrial part of town, 7th and Townsend, near the Rainbow Grocery, which rocks, Costco, my friend Ginger's workplace, Trader Joe's, and a few other useful tidbits. I might try riding my bike, easily doubling the amount of exercise I'm getting these days.

The first week of the New Year was rainy and dreary, but in true Northern California style, that didn't last. These days it's brilliantly sunny, crisp, and gorgeous. I love my town.