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.