Thursday October 30th, 2014

Tommy woke me up a couple times during the night. I couldn’t figure out if she wanted attention or thought that she could fool me into getting up early and giving her an early breakfast.  Either way, it didn’t work and I got up at the normal time.

I had a lunch date with a couple friends, so I wanted to spend some time with Tommy before I left.  We played for a short time, but them the phone rang.  A good friend with whom I hadn’t heard in a while was calling, so I was glad to spend time catching up.

Unfortunately I didn’t pay close attention to the time and when we ended the call I need to quickly get ready to leave. Tommy sat and watched me hurry through the condo. She knew better than to get in the way and risk a collision. Before I left I made sure to say good bye and give her a “thank you” treat.

When I returned there was Tommy in her bed napping. Before I could even get the door shut, she was over by me greeting me.  I tried to get her to play or at least let me pet her, but it seemed that I had interrupted her nap and she went back to sleep in her bed.

Since it was probably the last good weather walking day, I decided to take an extended walk. Before I left I removed her dinner from the refrigerator and put it on a shelf in the study to warm up while I was gone. I also closed the study door so that Tommy wouldn’t try to reach it and possibly accidentally spill her dinner on the books.

Upon opening the door when I got back, I was greeted by Tommy who let me know that it was time for dinner.  Her protesting grew louder as I headed for the study as if to tell me to pay attention to her.  When I got the dish from the shelf and as we went back into the dining area, Tommy stopped protesting, but didn’t seem sure about what was happening.  Usually when I show up with her dish, she follows closely underfoot. This time she hung back a little until the dish was put down. She then understood what was happening and quickly moved to the dish to enjoy her dinner.

After dinner while I watched television Tommy slept on her rug. Later I went and snuggled near her on the rug. She enjoyed the attention for a while, but then decided I was too close and went to sit next to the rug. I got the message and gave her back her space on the rug while I moved back to the sofa.

When it was time for bed, Tommy watched me as I left the living room, but made to attempt to follow.  Just when I was ready to turn off the bedroom light, Tommy showed up.  She played with her scratching post and then curled up on her bedroom rug. I said good night knowing that sooner or later she’d visit me on the bed either for attention or to try to get me to wake up and start the day with breakfast.

Wednesday October 29th, 2014: National Cat Day

Tommy woke me up early. Since I had class I was glad to get up and have plenty of time to prepare. Tommy was just happy to have an early breakfast. She ate as I got ready to leave for class.

When I returned, I had to spend a considerable amount of time to work on my notes. Tommy was good about coming and visiting me when she needed some attention or was just curious about what was keeping me so busy.

When I finally finished, we spent a considerable amount of time playing with the laser pointer.  When Tommy was ready for her afternoon nap, I went to work on my blogs and other paperwork.  When I read that it was National Cat Day I decided that Tommy deserved a little extra canned food today.

Once Tommy finished her dinner and I had finished mine, we spent some time just lying on the floor and giving Tommy the attention that she deserved. She really must have enjoyed the extended petting because her purring was loud and long.

When it was time for bed, Tommy joined me in the bedroom for short period of time. When I turned off the lights and television, Tommy took that as her cue that she was on her own for the rest of the night. She left the bedroom and went to the living room to do whatever cats do when they have free time.

Tuesday October 28th, 2014: Tommy Stops Hiding

     We had a regular morning on Tuesday, but since a friend was coming over later, I needed to vacuum. After we finished breakfast, I did the daily puzzles while Tommy took her morning nap. Then it was time for cleaning.

     When I brought out the vacuum cleaner Tommy moved into the bedroom. I wondered how she would handle the vacuuming since under the bed was no longer an option. I closed the door most of the way and proceeded to vacuum the rest of the condo.

     When I finished I put the vacuum in the bathroom. When Tommy saw it she ran out to the study. I then vacuumed the bedroom and closet. When I finished I put the vacuum away and when I return to the living room, there was Tommy sitting on her rug.  She had always stayed under the bed for at least an hour after I vacuumed, so this was quite an improvement.

     My friend came over and as always Tommy was a prefect hostess. She was attentive and let my friend pet her, but as we talked, she also wasn’t demanding constant attention. After visiting, we left for lunch.

     When we returned Tommy came to the door to greet us. My friend also has cats and was impressed with Tommy’s greeting.  Again I was reminded about what a special kitty Tommy was. When I friend left, I made sure that Tommy got lots of attention and a treat.

     Since she was in such a good mood, I thought I’d press my luck and brush her teeth.  Although she still wasn’t comfortable with having a brush in her mouth, she at least didn’t fight it TOO much! We completed the brushing and I was ready for Tommy to dart away, but she just went to her rug and sat down.  Again it was time for positive attention and a treat.

     Before dinner I went to the study to go over my music for choir. Tommy came out and again started playing with the keyboard plug.  I swear that she understands that if she can cut the power, maybe I’ll stop singing.  I let her know that if she didn’t want to listen to my singing, she should leave the room, which she did.

     I left for choir after dinner and when I returned, we played. Tommy still loves playing with the laser pointer and the fleece teaser, so it’s pretty easy to tire her out when I’m ready to go to bed. When we finished, I went to bed knowing that Tommy would sleep wherever she chose and would wake me up during the night and let me know when it was time to get up in the morning.

Sunday, October 26th – Monday October 27th, 2014: Changes

Tommy seems to be having some trouble lately. She’s begun cowering and running away whenever there’s a noise in the hall or something new.  I moved some boxes and now she doesn’t have access to under the bed. It’s not like she doesn’t have anywhere to go. She just got that new bungalow and there are other safe places around the condo for her.

Under the bed is hard to clean up after her if she throws up or if I need to get her out of the condo in an emergency. After putting the boxes in place, Tommy was not a happy girl. She spent the rest of the morning on the top perch of the bungalow except when there was wet food or she wanted to play.

I left for an historic tour. When I returned Tommy was glad to see me. We had dinner and I tried to play, but she just left the room and went back to her top perch of the bungalow. She stayed there the rest of the night.  I went in a couple times and petted and talked to her.  I decided to watch the second half of the Packer game in the bedroom. Once I got on the bed, Tommy jumped down and went into the living/dining room.

I went out later, but she wasn’t having anything to do with me.  I guess she was still upset about the boxes under the bed. I knew that she’d adapt and forgive me. I just didn’t know when that would happen.

When it was time for bed, Tommy was still in the living room, so I went out, tried to pet her and said good night.  After I turned off eh lights, I could hear Tommy chasing a ball in the living room. It must have been her favorite yellow ball because the pink ball is soft and doesn’t make any noise.  Only time will tell when she’s ready to forgive my transgression.

About 3:00 in the morning, I woke up and heard Tommy eating some of her dry food.  She then came over to the bed and called out. I let her know that it was okay to come up on the bed (like she’d listen if I said no!). She jumped up and came and curled up near my head. It had been a while since she’d done that, so I let her know how happy I was so see her. After she got her share of petting and attention (and I got to hear her purring) she jumped down from the bed and went back up to her perch on the top of the bungalow.

She jumped up again around 5:00 and again curled up near my head, but on the other side. After a few minutes she was off to explore in the living room.  I didn’t hear form her again until she let me know it was time to wake up a little after 7:00.

I took care of her food needs and then got ready to go to class. I hoped that things were better, and I knew that I’d know more when I returned.  When I got home, Tommy was glad to see me and followed me around until I had given her enough attention while I changed clothes ate lunch and completed some work on the computer. She even jumped up on the desk to help. Again this was something that she hadn’t done for a while. It appeared that Tommy was starting to show her confidence again.

After finishing some work I was ready for a nap. I reclined on the sofa. Tommy jumped up on her chair and curled up for a nap. She hadn’t napped on her chair for quite some time, so this was another good sign. We woke up at almost the same time. Tommy jumped down and went into the bedroom. I finished watching a program.

When the program ended I checked the bedroom and there was Tommy curled up on her top shelf sound asleep. I knew that this would be a good time for me to get some work done. Just as I finished the last entry, who should show up, but Tommy ready for some attention and I was ready to give it.

Before we played I noticed that I should have gotten out Tommy’s dinner from the refrigerator to warm up. I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator while Tommy followed close behind. As I placed the bowl on the counter, Tommy was leaning up as far as she could practically begging for her meal.

I put it down for her knowing that she wouldn’t eat her dinner when it was so cold. Sure enough, she put her mouth near it, but walked away right toward me to complain. I knew that I wouldn’t hear the end of this, so I put it in the microwave at low power just to get the chill out of it. I put it down again, but it seemed that now it was too warm, so I put it by the open balcony door to let it cool.  Soon we finally had some success and Tommy was eating her dinner.

After dinner, Tommy had her usual nap while I worked. When she woke up she played a little with her “cat dancer,” foil ball and her yellow ball. I went to practice my music. Tommy came under the keyboard and I swear she tried to unplug it again. She finally gave up and let me finish.

When I left the study there was Tommy sitting under the dining table waiting for me to return. When I came out she got up and moved to her rug. I went to close the balcony door since it was getting cooler. Tommy complained, so I went to get the laser pointer. I had barely touched it when Tommy came running.

She knows the sound, and we then spent quite a bit of time with Tommy chasing after the little red dot of light. When she needed a break she would either work on grooming or would roll over on her back which usually meant that she wanted to be petted. After the first time, she changed things up and wanted to swat at my hand.  We went back playing with the laser until she tired and just sprawled out on the rug. When I went to put the laser pointer away, Tommy went and sat by the bedroom door. It looked like someone was ready to sleep or at least take a nap.  I was more than happy to comply. Today had been a good day where we both worked and played together.

Once we entered the bedroom, Tommy changed her mind and decided to go back out to the living room. Now that she had the freedom to choose rooms at night, she was exercising her options. I’m sure that later, she’ll come into the bedroom and sleep up on the top of her bungalow and probably jump up on the bed a few times too.

Saturday, October 25, 2014: Another Attempt at the Harness

When I woke up during the night, there was Tommy sleeping on the top shelf of the bungalow. She woke me up later at 6:30 when she ate some of her dry food. I warned her that it was almost time for breakfast, so not to eat too much and spoil her appetite.  Surprisingly she stopped eating and “told” me that I should get up and feed her.  I begged for another 30 minutes, but was only given 20 minutes, a good compromise.

We went through the early morning routine and then I did today’s puzzles while Tommy went and took her “after breakfast” nap. After finishing the puzzles I moved on to completing some small items on my to-do list.  As I finished one, Tommy appeared and let me know that she needed some attention.

After attention was paid, I made a scrambled egg breakfast. I offered a little to Tommy, but not only did she turn her nose up at it, she turned her back to the little plate and continued to sun herself.  Lesson learned, although she likes chicken, she doesn’t like their eggs.

While I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom floors, Tommy continued to sun herself, but occasionally turned her head to check on my progress. I still needed to clean the carpet, but that would have to wait for another time. I could at least do some dusting. I hoped that it would meet with Tommy’s approval.

Once finished with the cleaning and because it was such a beautiful day, I opened all the windows and balcony door. A strong breeze ruffled through the blinds on the balcony door and caused the study window to slam shut. Tommy came running to me for protection. I petted and reassured her that I would fix the problem. I raised the blinds to the top and put the stone stopper in the window. Tommy was then again able to enjoy the fresh air and sun, but she did remain close by me for a while.

When she was sure that the problems were over, she again moved freely about the condo. When she went into the bedroom I followed just to make sure that everything was all right.  Tommy was seated in the sun by the corner of the bed, ready to retreat under the bed to safety should the need arise.  A breeze did move the blinds, so I raised them up even higher. I again reassured Tommy, but when an even stronger breeze came up, she scooted under the bed. I left her alone knowing that sooner or later she would reappear in the living room.

Tommy kept sitting by the balcony looking out, so I thought it was time to try to the harness again. Tommy let me put her harness on her with just a little squirming, but she didn’t want to walk out unto the balcony. She’d previously tried going out on the balcony without the harness and I wasn’t comfortable just letting her roam free.  I picked her up and we sat on a chair on the balcony. She seemed to be okay sitting on my lap for a couple minutes, but there was no way that she wanted to stay out there.

When she starting crying and trying to escape I knew that the experience was over. I got her to the door before she bolted out of arms. I came in and she was very cooperative as I got her out of the harness. She immediately got some treats and I put the harness away. She then sat and cleaned her face probably trying to get rid of any tell-tale odor form the harness.

I’ll continue to get her comfortable wearing the harness, but since it will be cold, we’re probably done with the balcony for this season. She is showing me that she does trust me and wouldn’t harm her.  I just have to remember…baby steps, baby steps.

Tommy spent the rest of the afternoon and evening napping. She still occasionally hides under the bed.  As I watched My Cat from Hell they talked about a timid cat who would always hide and needed to be more confident in her surroundings. It reminded me of Tommy. We’re still building trust, but she still retreats under the bed.  We’re going to have to work on her confidence.

Tommy did come out for dinner and didn’t finish it all in one sitting. She came back to finish about 9:00 and then went right back to nap on the top shelf of the bungalow.  She had been sleeping more today and I’m going to leave the bedroom door open tonight so that she can have play time and roam the condo while I sleep. Maybe tomorrow our schedules will be more in synch.

After the news I was falling asleep so it was time for me to go to bed. Of course, that was right when Tommy woke up and was ready for attention. I gave her some attention, but then went to bed. I know that she will find “appropriate” ways to amuse herself while I sleep.

Friday, October 24, 2014: Freedom for Tommy Continues

Tommy started out under the bed, but when I woke up in the middle of the night, there she was sleeping up on the top level of the bungalow. I don’t know when she moved. She has been moving much more quietly during the night when I’m asleep.  The only thing that seems to wake me is when she’s eating her dry food; it’s a little crunchy.

We spent a quiet morning doing all the normal things on our daily agenda.  Since I had nothing planned for the day, it was a good time to do some laundry. After I got a load going, Tommy let me know that we hadn’t had a play session yet, so we spent some time chasing the red laser dot of light. When Tommy curled up on a shelf of the bungalow, I knew that out play session had ended.

Tommy spent much of the afternoon napping on her top shelf while I spent it doing laundry.  The warmer weather meant that the windows and balcony door could be opened. Tommy enjoyed sitting by the balcony and having the fresh air as did I.

Since the weather was so nice, I decided to go out for a walk.  When I got ready to leave, Tommy was again confused that I didn’t move her into the bedroom.  She’s been doing well with having the freedom to roam around most of the condo when I’m gone. She pretty much ignores the plants and electrical cords.

When I returned I found Tommy asleep on her top shelf. She came out and reminded me that it was almost time for dinner. When her meal had lost most of its chill I set it out. She ate some of it, but left plenty for a later snack as she headed back for another nap.

Tommy spent much of the evening napping, but later (much later) came out and was ready to eat and play.  We spent some time playing before it was time for me to go to bed.  Tommy was awake but curled up on the big rug. I turned everything off and went into the closet to change.  When I came out, there was Tommy up on her shelf.

 When I got into bed, Tommy careened her neck around the corner and saw that the bedroom door as still open. Right after I turned off the light I heard her jump down from the bungalow and head to the living room.  After about five minutes, I got curious since I hadn’t heard anything. I got up to investigate.  Tommy was curled up on a dining room chair, so I petted her and said good night.  I’m sure that later she’ll return to the top shelf, her favorite sleeping spot.

Thursday, October 23, 2014: Tommy Shows Me What a Great Cat She Is

Tommy slept in the bungalow during the night. She did get up once to eat and a second time to jump up by me. I think she was looking for her snack, but since I hadn’t put one on the bed and there were a couple still on her bungalow, she gave me a quick how-do-you-do and then went back to her bungalow.

She didn’t wake me again until a little after 6:00 A.M.  Somehow she thinks I need to wake up at the time. I wonder what she will do when we’re no longer on Daylight Savings Time. Will she try to wake me up at 5:00 A.M? She jumped on the bed a few times until I finally relented and got out of bed a little before 7:00.

Tommy followed me up to the study door as if directing me to where her grass is kept. While she ate the grass, I printed the puzzles and came back out. She knew what was coming next and followed me into the kitchen and stayed with me while I got out her breakfast. She always rubs against my legs to thank me in advance for the meal.

As she ate I had my coffee and worked on the puzzles. When I finished, I showered and completed the morning postings. Tommy could tell that I was getting ready to leave and kept moving toward the bedroom.  She seemed to be confused because I wasn’t moving her toward the bedroom and I put her treat on her rug in the living room.

Because I was only going to be gone for a short time, I wanted to see what she would do if she could roam about the condo except for the study.  I had left the bedroom door open a couple times during at night and she didn’t cause any problems, so I thought it was time to let her try to have the condo to herself during the day.  I left the T.V. on in the living room and left.

About two hours later I returned. Everything looked fine. All of the plants were upright and didn’t have any chew marks on the leaves. Nothing was broken, tipped over, or as far as I could tell even out of place. I gave her a treat and gave her lots of praise and petting. While I’m still not sure that she could be trusted for an entire day, only time will tell. She pretty much ignores the plants, kitchen counters, and electric cords.

After lunch I noticed that Tommy seemed to be rubbing her mouth a lot more against sharp corners, so since we needed to do a teeth brushing anyway, I thought we might as well do it right away.

I brought out her toothbrush and let her smell it with the paste on it.  She didn’t like it and started to walk into the bedroom.  I left the brush at a convenient spot and waited for her to return. A few minutes later she was back, so I picked her up and put her on the table. 

At first when I tried to brush her teeth, she squirmed and tried to get away. When she realized that the escape route was closed and as I continued to speak to her in a calming quiet voice, she let me gently brush her teeth. As I brushed I kept praising her and she seemed to calm down and let me continue the brushing. It’s still a little awkward for both of us, but our methods are improving.

When I was finished I continued to praise her and gave her a treat. She didn’t take it right away. I thought for sure that she would bolt from the room and head under the bed, but she didn’t. She sat near the bedroom door licking her mouth. I hope that she was starting to enjoy the chicken flavored toothpaste that came with her brush. I think she also wanted to see what I would do next.

I put a little more distance between us so she could get to her treat.  She went over and ate her treat. Then she surprised me by coming over by me. I was so glad that she wasn’t upset with me for brushing her teeth. I spent a considerable amount of time petting and praising Tommy.

When she had enough attention, she played with her yellow ball while I worked on the blog.  I wanted to make sure that I wrote this episode down before I forgot any of the details.  Tommy keeps showing me how lucky I was to adopt her.  I had planned on taking a walk, but decided that it was more important today to spend quality time with Tommy.

After dinner Tommy went to take an extended nap on the top of the bungalow. I worked on blogs and talked to my sister. I hoped that she would come out before I was too tired to play with her.  It’s amazing how much easier everything has been between us recently.  We’re enjoying each other and trusting each other more. It’s been almost 16 weeks and it seems like we’ve been together much longer.

As the day winded down, Tommy showed up and was ready to play. We played with the laser pointer and Tommy jumped all over the bungalow. When she tired of that we moved on to the fleece teaser. We played with that for quite a while with Tommy pulling the teaser into the bedroom. The first time I waited for her and when she didn’t return I went and found her. We started playing again and again after a while she pulled the teaser (and me this time) into the bedroom.  She jumped on the bungalow and continued playing with the teaser.

When she tired of playing with the teaser she moved inside the box on the bungalow. This is the place where I knew better than to bother her.  She tended to get very aggressive, hissing and swatting at me, so I leave her alone.

In a few minutes she showed up in the living room and poised behind a chair, ready to pounce.  I threw a couple of her balls passed her and she was off in pursuit of her favorite yellow ball. The yellow ball got caught behind a chair. When I went to free it I also saw some fuzz, so I picked it up and went to throw it away.

As I went into the kitchen, Tommy must have thought I was going into the bedroom to bed, so she went to the door. To her surprise I went back into the living room and sat down. Tommy must have figured out that it wasn’t time for bed, so she went back to playing with the yellow ball.

When Tommy was finished playing she went and sat under a chair.  It was time for bed and Tommy wouldn’t go to bed until I went to bed. I closed everything down and got ready for bed. It had been a wonderful day and once again Tommy had shown me why she was such a special cat.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

During the night Tommy moved to the bungalow. At times she would make noise as if she wanted to hold a conversation. She even jumped up on the bed once, but left right after finishing her snack.

When we got up in the morning, Tommy was ready for the day and ate her grass and breakfast.  While she ate, I got ready to leave for class. When I was ready to go, I found Tommy back under the bed. I gave her a treat, said good bye and left.

When I returned Tommy spent quite a bit of time around me.  If I was working on the computer, she was either sunning herself or she would jump up on the desk to see what I was doing. She’s always ready to investigate the printer when it’s working.

Later when I couldn’t find her, I went into the bedroom to get a credit card for an online purchase and found her lounging on the top of the bungalow.  It was nice to be able to pet her and talk to her without having to get down on my knees.

Tommy came and got me later and seemed that she wanted to play. I got out the laser pointer and we spent some time in the bedroom and living room. She had quickly gotten the hang of getting up and down the bungalow quickly. When she was done playing, she went back into the bedroom to take a nap on her bungalow.

Once her nap was over, Tommy came out to check up on me.  She went to her bed in the living room and checked out the action outside. When it was time for dinner, she was ready and let me know when it was time to get her dinner out.

After dinner I continued working on the computer, watching shows on the DVR, and doing the dishes. She only came out to supervise when I was doing the dishes. It probably had something to do with the fact that I was cleaning her dishes.

When it was time for another play session, Tommy came out of the bedroom and sat by the fleece teaser. We hadn’t used it for a couple days, so I knew it was time. We had a good time playing and Tommy was moving much quicker. I’m not sure if that was because she was eating different food or that she was able to move better on the new rug.

After playing, we went into the bedroom. Tommy jumped up to the top shelf of her bungalow and I headed to the closet to change. Tommy came in to see what was going on and jumped up on the shelf that has my shorts. She hadn’t done that for quite a while, so it was nice to see her reacquainting herself with old places. She stayed there until I finished brushing my teeth in the bathroom.  She must know my routine.

Tommy jumped back up on the top shelf of her bungalow and I went to bed. I think that she’s found a new place to sleep. Although I miss having her on the bed by me, this is a better situation than her hiding under the bed.  I hope that the bungalow is making her feel more at ease and less timid.  Maybe she will come back to the bed later tonight or in the future.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014: Changes Happen

I decided to leave the bedroom door open tonight to see what would happen.  Would Tommy still sleep in the bedroom, or spend the night roaming through the condo? Would she get into trouble or play safe? Would she continue to ignore the plants or would she chew on them while I slept?

It turned out that for the most part Tommy either remained in the bedroom or played nice in the living room and kitchen. The only real change was that she didn’t sleep on the bed at all. I’m not sure if she slept in the living room on her rug, in the bedroom on her rug, or under the bed.  I just know that she didn’t sleep on the bed in her usual spot because her snack was still there in the morning.

In the morning we continued our usual routine. I was glad to see that Tommy had eaten quite a bit of her dry food. I think that we finally have found the solution; she just wanted a different flavor. I hope that she continues to enjoy this new flavor.

After we finished our normal chores, I needed to vacuum the new living room rug. Since Tommy was in the bedroom I thought that this was an opportune time.  When I completed vacuuming Tommy was under the bed. I had hoped to clean her teeth, but she didn’t come out from under the bed before I needed to leave. I guess cleaning will happen later.

When I returned from lunch I brought back a new item for Tommy. I knew that she seemed bored at times and probably missed the outdoors. I found a cat bungalow where she could hide, climb, jump and get some exercise. While I put together her bungalow, she inspected all the pieces and watched as it kept growing bigger.

Tommy on her bungalow

Once it was assembled, it took some time for her to realize that she was supposed to be using it. I put her on a couple different levels. At first she jumped right down, but after a while (and with a few small treats placed on the levels), she began exploring.  It didn’t take her long to discover that she could curl up in the little box and chill.

Chillin' in the box

Since she seemed to be in a good mood, I figured that now was as good a time as any to clean her teeth. I got out the jar of dental wipes and let her check them out. When she seemed at ease, I got behind her and petted her while hoping to get her in a secure position. She was on to me quickly and scooted out by backing out form between my legs.

I got a little frustrated and had a few choice words as I went to the bathroom to rewash my hands. I figured Tommy had retreated under the bed, but she wasn’t there. I found her in the living room sitting in the sun.  I went up to her and we calmly started again. I made sure this time that I continued the reassuring calm voice and locked my ankles together to prevent another back door escape.

She didn’t want to open her mouth and seemed at first to lock her jaws, but after I finally was able to gently get the wipe by her back teeth, she eased up and we were able to complete the cleaning.  Once finished there was much petting, praise, and a couple treats.  As time goes on and she gets used to this cleaning, I hope that it becomes easier and we can then progress to using a tooth brush or finger brush.

While I was working on the laptop, Tommy was watching. When I got up she looked up at me, so I got down and we had another petting and praising session.  I wanted to make sure that she had done okay and I hoped that she was okay with me cleaning her teeth. Her purring told me that we were okay.

I had put out her dinner from the refrigerator and left it out to warm up. Although I knew that it was probably still a little chilly, I put it down in a sunny place for a little extra help. Tommy took a minute to try to figure out why her dish was in a different place, but then settled in to eat her meal.

After I finished some work and ate dinner, I left for choir. Tommy was in the bedroom, so I gave her a treat before I left.  I couldn’t wait to return so we could spend some time with the bungalow.

When I got home Tommy came out to see me.  We went back to the bedroom because I wanted to see how she was using the bungalow. She didn’t seem completely comfortable at the upper level yet, and I wanted to see if I could get her to jump up to the top.

I got out the laser pointer and we spent some time using it around the bungalow. Whenever she got to the top, she found a treat and I also gave her lots of praise and petting.  She became very comfortable jumping up and down the various levels. We played for quite some time before she got tired and curled up in the box structure. She also snarled at me and swatted my hand, so I got the message and left her alone so she could chill out.

She came out occasionally to check up on me and make sure that I knew that she was still in need of attention. When it was time for bed, she went beneath the bed. I wasn’t sure if she would be joining me up on the bed later, staying below the bed, or moving to her bungalow.

Monday, October 20, 2014

During the night I woke up and there was Tommy curled up by my head. When I petted her since she was awake, she jumped down from the bed. I guess sometimes even one petting is too much. Later when I again woke up, there was Tommy lying next to my head. I looked at her and she again jumped down. I guess today I wasn’t supposed to notice her sleeping on the bed.

When it was time to wake up for good, there was Tommy waiting at the door.  I let her out and we completed our morning agenda. When I finished getting dressed, there she was on her rug watching what I’d do next.  When I started putting on my shoes, she got up and went into the bedroom. I went in, said good bye and left her a treat.

When I returned Tommy was definitely glad to see me. I gave her a treat and we sat in the sun by the windows.  She let me brush her and even got up and changed positions so I could brush both sides of her back. 

After I finished we just sat there until Tommy noticed something and dashed over to the wall. I couldn’t figure out what see saw, but I happened to shift positions and then she dashed over near the T.V. I then saw what caught her eye. I was still wearing my GPS watch and the reflection of the crystal was “dancing around” on the carpet. Now that I knew what was happening, we were able to play with the pretty ball of light for quite a while until Tommy got tired (or bored) and sat back down.

I worked for a while and ate lunch knowing that Tommy needed dose #2 of the deworming medicine and she hadn’t done well taking the first dose at the vet’s. When it was time I got out the syringe, uncapped it, and slowly moved the plunger down so the medicine was near the end.  I lost a drop or two, but knew that there was also some “slippage” at the vet’s. Tommy came over to check out the syringe and I came in behind her and had her “nestled” between my legs. At first she didn’t open her mouth but with a little help, she opened her mouth and it only took two squirts for her to finish her medicine.

Right after we finished she headed toward the bedroom. I followed her to give her a treat, but she scampered under the bed. I put the treat under the bed near her and I heard the crunch as she ate it. I left her alone and within about 5 minutes, she was back out in the living room. I made sure that she got lots of praise and petting. I also made sure to get behind her to pet her at one point in the same position that I had been in when I delivered her medicine. I didn’t want her to have only an unpleasant experience with me holding her like that. I’d need to use this same position when I brush her teeth tomorrow, so we’ll see if she handles that situation as well as she did the medicine.

When it was time for me to leave for dinner, I called Tommy to come in and get a treat. She came in, but the minute she saw my shoes were on, she went right passed the treat and under the bed. I hope that she’s this cooperative when I return.

When I came back I brought back some new rugs. The small one was just like the one Tommy has in the living room. This one was for the bedroom. I was hoping that this might finally get her out from under the bed when she wants to nap in seclusion.  The large one was for in the living room. The carpet is already showing signs of traffic patterns and I thought that adding the rug which can be repositioned would fix the problem. Tommy “helped” inspect and lay it down. She even crawled into the tunnel made when I was trying to move the cocktail table near the corner.

I also brought home a different flavor of her dry food hoping that this would end her eating issues with dry food.  When I put out the food, she investigated but didn’t eat any of it. I hope that this is just an initial reaction.

We spent a quiet evening with Tommy becoming familiar with the new items.  When it was time for bed, Tommy was already curled up on her new rug in the bedroom, so one problem was solved. I put her snack on the bed and fell asleep.  We had a good day even with the changes and medicine.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

I woke up around 1:30 A.M. and looked over next to me. There was Tommy curled up and sound asleep. Somehow she had joined me, eaten her crunchy snack and never woke me up.  I fell back asleep and woke up again about 5:30. There she was sound asleep and in the same position.

Tommy woke up around 5:45 A.M. and let me know that she was ready to start the day. We spent the time until 7:00 with her jumping on the bed, either curling up or walking all over (and I do mean all over) the bed and then jumping down and playing with her noisy foil ball and me falling into an uneven sleep.

I finally got up at 7:00 and headed to the bathroom. Tommy followed me and let me know that my needs, however great, really should take a back seat to her morning rituals.  After I finished and washed my hands, while Tommy reminded me to hurry up, I got out her grass and went to the kitchen to make coffee. While the coffee brewed, Tommy came in and let me know that it was now time for breakfast. After serving her breakfast, I went to work on transcribing Grandpa’s diaries since I didn’t have today’s month post done.

As I worked Tommy came in and first poked her head through the blinds and then somehow got her whole body through the blinds. I got up and carefully pulled up the blinds so she wouldn’t get stuck, caught, or entangled within the blinds.  Once the blinds were up, Tommy left the window area. I guess she wasn’t as intrigued once the view was open and the blinds weren’t causing a problem.

Just as I finished Tommy came back in to let me know that she needed attention. I’m always amazed that she tends to come in just as I’m doing the last entry. I wonder how she figures out when I’m nearing the end.

After posting, we played with the laser pointer. When she tired of just chasing it, I focused it on her yellow ball. She seemed to enjoy batting the ball away only to find the red light had returned and off she went to bat the ball away again with her paw. When she went and sat on her rug, I thought that pay time was over, so I went to the kitchen to put away the dishes and bad up the mini-loaves of bread.

I was wrong. Play time wasn’t over; we had just changed activities. Tommy stood and yelled to me. When I got close she darted away. It seemed that a game of Catch Me was our new activity.  Tommy would run around whenever I got close until again she sat on the rug to let me know that the game had ended.

She then moved to her bed which was now in the sun. She groomed herself and took a break while I worked on the blogs. A bit later I went up to her, sat on the ottoman next to her bed, and petted her. Suddenly she was up and on “high alert” looking out the window. It took me a while to find what was so intriguing. Two falcons were perched up on the top of the tall apartment building to the south.  She stayed focused on them until they flew away.

She moved to the floor and sprawled out. It was time for a “full body petting.” Usually I just pet her head, face, and back of her neck, but when she lays out, she wants her the front of her neck, chest and stomach petted.  This lasted until something else caught her eye. The sun was coming through my glasses and reflecting on the carpet.  Tommy loves to chase the light coming through my glasses and I do some much needed neck stretches at the same time.

While she sunned herself in her bed by the window, I tried to get ahead on the diary transcriptions.  Later I tried to empty some of the programs from the DVR. Tommy woke up and came over to get some attention. She seemed to be rubbing her teeth and jaw more against sharp edges so I wondered if she’s still having tartar issues. We’ll need to brush again today.

She also still doesn’t eat much of her dry food. We’ve been using a sample that she got from Stephanie and she really likes it. I’ll transition her to that food. I think that she thinks it’s a treat since she won’t eat much of it in any dish that I’ve put it out, but she’ll eat it when I put it directly on her rug like a treat. I’ve been putting out small amounts like a snack and she’s always eating it. She’s getting the right amount of calories now that she’s eating both types of food.

Well, it seemed that someone gulped her dry food down and didn’t chew it. Tommy just “brought it back up” and most of it was still solid pieces.  Usually she has eaten her food and chewed it. I don’t understand what happened.  I’m not sure I want to transition to this dry food if she’s going to gulp it down. It’s smaller in size than her other food. We’ll have to see how it goes.

I had an afternoon tour, so I needed to move quickly since I had spent lots of time with Tommy. She saw me getting ready and went back into the bedroom and under the bed. I put out a treat for her and left.

When I returned from the tour, Tommy was impatient to be fed. I’ll bet it had something to do with the fact that some of her dry food had been “deposited” on the carpet. I got out her dish and thought that maybe if I crushed up her dry food and mixed it with the canned food she’d get the correct caloric intake.  That was a mistake.

I gave her the bowl of food. She took one whiff of it and walked away. I left it out for a while figuring that she might get hungry enough and eat it, but after an hour she still hadn’t touched it and now was crying out for food.  I, of course, being the softie I am, relented and got her new food which she ate right away.

We spent the rest of the night just sitting around until Tommy started playing with her toy balls. She spent quite a bit of time dribbling them with her paws or whacking them away and then chasing them.  The only time she needed me was when one of the balls got stuck somewhere. She’d look at me knowing that I’d fix everything for her.

I decided to watch the evening news on the bed. Tommy came in to see what was going on and figured it was bed time, so she went to her usual spot under the bed.  I, on the other hand fell asleep during the news and didn’t wake up until hours later and that was only because Tommy jumped up on the bed looking for her snack.  I’m sure she was puzzled by the fact that I was still dressed and asleep on the bed.

Once I handled everything I sent back to bed. I wasn’t sure if Tommy would join me later or not. She had gotten her snack, so it would be interesting to see what she would do later.

Saturday, October 18, 2014: Many Wake Up Calls and a Mystery Solved

Tommy awakened me several times during the early morning. The first time she “announced” that she would be joining me up on the bed. As she curled up near my head, I made the mistake of petting her head thrice. She prefers to only be petted once or twice when she is settling down on the bed. She let me know of my mistake and jumped off the bed.

Once off the bed, she spent some time jumping up on one side, then crawling over me and jumping down the other side. After she grew tired of that game, she came back up and again curled up near my head. This time I was smart enough to only pet her once and she settled in for an hour long nap.

Around 6:30 A.M. Tommy could be heard chewing on her foil “ball.” I swear that she uses that toy to wake me up. When I look at her and tell her that I’m trying to sleep, she always give me that “Did I do something wrong? (Tee Hee!)” look. She continued to let me know that I needed to get out of bed until I finally gave up and got up.

I got her grass and while she ate, I prepared her breakfast.  When she heard the cat food can open, she ran out into the kitchen, to let me know that she was ready to eat. She ate about half of her food and then went back to the grass that I had failed to put away.  I decided to let her eat a little more and I’m glad that I did. 

She’s had a problem with the grass tipping over and falling out of the container. I thought it was because she was pulling on the grass as she ate and it tipped over which she has no control. I found out the real reason the contained tips over. Tommy plays with the container with her paw moving it around and grabbing the top with her paw until it tips over. Then she cries out that the grass is tipped over. Well, this time the grass was put away and I let her know that I was on to her trick.

After she finished eating, Tommy went back into the bedroom for a nap.  Here I was in the study already having had a couple cups of coffee. There was no way that I would be able to go back to sleep.  I finished up some paperwork and postings and decided that since she was sleeping this would be a good time to work on the diary transcription. When I’m dictating, she likes to come in to find out to whom I’m talking and why I’m wearing that funny head set. She always gets very verbal and wants me to stop and pay attention to her.

Just as I put on the headset, who should show up, but my little fur ball princess.  I don’t know how she does it, but she always seems to know when I need some quiet and makes sure that I stop whatever I’m doing. Once she’s “enforced” her rules, she usually tires of the game and takes a nap.  All I need to do is be patient and sooner or later I can get back to what needs to be done.

Tommy decided to take another break and as she walked into the bedroom I decided that it was a good time to run errands. I gave her a treat and left. When I returned, Tommy sauntered out to the living room to greet me. I gave her a salmon treat which she smelled and then moved away. I went into the bedroom to turn off the television, and when I returned the salmon treat was gone. Tommy was of course curious about what was in the grocery bag, but quickly discovered that there was nothing for her, so she went to her rug to take a nap.

Later when I went to the kitchen to make bread, there was tommy right behind me. She probably thought that she would be getting her canned food, but was disappointed when I got out butter, eggs, and yeast. She watched as I worked on the bread, but once I finished, so was she.

She went to explore in the study and jumped up on the desk. I stood in the hall and watched as she checked out everything. When she saw me, she started moving back toward the end of the desk, but her tail had moved the small flag stand and it was now blocking her way. She first tried gently moving it with her paw, but when it didn’t move far enough she gave up and jumped down from the desk. 

She then came out by me and hung out while I worked on the laptop.  I think that she thought that I’d cave and give her the canned food early if she just showed me some lovin’. When she realized that I wasn’t going to change and that she could eat her dry food that’s always out, she went to her bed by the windows and took a nap.

I thought that perhaps Tommy didn’t like her food in a metal dish since she didn’t like water in the metal dish, so I put her dry food in a regular dish. When she saw the dish she ran toward me. I put the dish down and she put her nose near the food. When she saw that it was dry she looked up at me. If a cat can show a look of disgust, I had just witnessed it.

I couldn’t figure out why Tommy didn’t like her dry food. She had devoured it when she was given a sample, so I thought that she liked it. I tried putting some on her rug which was where it was when she sampled it and she ate quite a bit of it. I’m going to have to figure out where/how to put it out so she will eat it. I’m not sure that I just want to put it on her rug.  When she finished her dry food snack, she went over an took a good long drink of water. I had heard that cats get their moisture from wet food and don’t drink much water. Tommy drinks water during the day. She doesn’t seem to drink an excessive amount but she does keep herself hydrated.

Tommy napped while I called my sister, continued the laundry, and finished the bread.  When she woke, her dinner was ready and when she noticed what is was, dashed across the room to the bowl.  She ate about half of it before she checked out the dry food and joined me at the table, licking her chops and checking out what I was doing (typing this blog).

With a full tummy she wandered back to her bed by the window, cleaned herself and took a post meal nap.  She had dined on turkey so I wondered if there was tryptophan in her meal. We again had a quiet night with play, petting and naps.

Tommy was losing steam and when she woke up she looked like she could go back to sleep. She looked at me, curled up, and was ready to go back to sleep. Since it was time for bed anyway, I thought I’d take advantage of the situation. I turned everything off and as I walked toward the bedroom, Tommy got up and led the way.

She watched me finish making the bed with clean sheets. When I finished and was ready for bed, Tommy crawled under the bed. I left her snack up near my head on the bed and went to sleep knowing that sooner or later she’d join me “up top.” 

Friday, October 17, 2014

The day began early at 4:00 A.M. when Tommy woke me up to let me know that she was on the bed.  She gingerly walked along the headboard and settled in ball near my head.  We fell back asleep until I woke up at 6:00 to find Tommy still in the same position.  Tommy also woke up and decided that it was time to wake up and play. She jumped down and played with her foil ball and scratching post, two of the noisiest things.  I managed to fall back asleep until a little after 7:00 when Tommy jumped up on the bed and yelled in my ear. I guess it was time to get out of bed.

We had breakfast and I worked on the morning puzzles. I brought out the carrier so Tommy would notice it and not be spooked when we got ready to leave to have her nails cut. I put it out too early; Tommy investigated and then went under the bed.

I moved the bag to the study and waited. Soon Tommy came out to see what was going on with the bag. When she didn’t see it, she calmed down and we played. I could see that she was having some trouble with the fleece getting caught in her nails. I kept moving us toward the study and once we were there, I got Tommy into the carrier. It took a couple tries, but she finally didn’t attempt an escape.

We headed out and as always Tommy let me know how much she disliked the elevator. Once we were in the car, she calmed down. The longer we drove the calmer she was. The last time that we had gotten in the car we had gone to the vet, but this took longer. I’m not sure if cats understand time, but I think she could tell this was taking longer.

We went to see Stephanie at Petco and as always Tommy was great. She let Stephanie clip her nails while she was sitting on her lap. Since Tommy doesn’t do laps, I was amazed that this was the same cat that doesn’t even like to be picked up or held. We quickly got back to the condo and Tommy settled in for a nap while I went to see a movie.

When I returned, Tommy was my sidekick for a while. Since she was letting me get close I figured that I might as well try to clean her teeth. Although she wasn’t completely cooperative, she at least let me put my finger in her mouth and check her teeth.  Since this was working I decided to go for broke and got out one of the dental wipes.  Again although she wasn’t cooperative, she did let me clean her teeth.

Once we were finished, she headed for under the bed to make sure that we were done.  I went and found her and gave her a couple salmon treats that I put under the bed. I didn’t want her to think that I was trying to coax her out from her safe place. She ate the treats and I went to the living room to give her some space.  I knew that later she would come out and all would be forgiven.

Just when I was ready to start transcribing Grandpa’s diaries, Tommy showed up in the living room. I spent some time giving her some positive attention and also gave her a taste of the dry food sample that Stephanie had given up in the morning. Tommy ate it right away. This was her second taste of the day and it was clear that she liked it. Perhaps we need to move to a different dry food to get her to eat it. I’m going to need to do some research about calories, etc. and if things work out, we’ll move to a new dry food.

While I was trying to weigh out the correct amount of the new food at the table, Tommy decided to help. First she wanted to play with a penny. Since I was afraid that she might eat the coin, I put out a little of the dry food. Tommy ate the few pieces except for one piece which she batted around a little before pushing it off the table. She then drops to the floor to finish that last piece. Tommy knows how to have fun with her food.

After we finished with the food, we spread out on the floor.  When I petted Tommy she moved away and went into the bedroom. She stayed under the bed for a few hours even after I went in and talked to her. I wasn’t sure if she was tired or upset, but I thought it best to let her have some quiet time. 

When Tommy finally appeared she was ready to eat her supper. Once that was finished we played and then Tommy moved to a dining chair and chilled for a couple of hours.  She didn’t seem upset, or I assumed that she was tired after her trying day.

When it was time for bed, I turned everything off and went to the bedroom. Tommy sat near the door and waited. When I called her, she came into the bedroom. I got ready and went to bed. Once I had my head on the pillow, Tommy jumped up and ate her snack that was near my head.  Once finished she left to play or crawl under the bed. I went to sleep knowing that Tommy would wake me whenever she needed something whether it be attention, food, or just to wake me up to notify me of her presence.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Tommy and I had a leisure morning. I had a lunch appointment with some friends, so I could take my time. Tommy seemed to enjoy her grass although lately she’d been pulling the entire mass out of the container and then would look at me to fix it.  It seemed that she doesn’t like to eat her grass when it laying sideways on the carpet.

I left for lunch and to stop at the library to do some research. When I returned after about three hours, Tommy started following me around the condo.  We played and napped through the afternoon.

When it was time for supper, Tommy was ready to enjoy helping number 2 of her beef and carrots pate that she had started for breakfast.  I ate a salad and Tommy was interested in what I was eating. Maybe she thought that I was eating her grass.

I was supposed to go to a lecture, but since I had napped a little too long, I stayed home. Thursday is always a busy television night and I still had to watch the first two episodes of American Horror Story. I guess Tommy doesn’t care for horror. When I started watching, she headed into the bedroom to nap under the bed.

Later when I was watching Grey’s Anatomy, Tommy came back and sat on her rug.  Tommy and I played for a while as I watched the show. She had gone and sat by the fleece teaser to indicate that we hadn’t been playing enough.

After playing for a while Tommy went back to sitting on her rug and I reclined on the sofa to watch Scandal.  The next thing I knew it was 12:30 A.M. We had both fallen asleep. I got up and as I was turning everything off, Tommy woke up and headed right into the bedroom. She got her second wind and started playing on the scratching post. When I finished getting ready for and got into bed Tommy played with her yellow ball. I knew that we didn’t have to get up early in the morning so I said good night and turned out the light. Tommy walked around the bed and jumped up, mewed at me and jumped off the other side. I’m not sure if she was complaining that I wasn’t going to play, or was saying good night. I was too tired to investigate and knew that I would learn her meaning during the night if she came up on the bed or stayed under the bed.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

I woke up and realized that I had slept through the night.  I didn’t know if Tommy had slept on the bed or even whether she had gotten up and played during the night.  I gave Tommy her grass and then got her breakfast ready. Because she was hardly eating any dry food, I mixed what was left of her dry food with her wet food. She ate most of it, and fortunately chewed her food. I was afraid that she would gulp everything down and have a problem with the dry kibbles.

I got ready for class and realized that it was raining, so I didn’t need to leave quite so early since I would be taking the bus. I went to class and returned. I saw that tommy had finished her breakfast including all of the dry food. I now had a plan should she not eat her dry food.

We spent some time together playing and napping when I returned. At one point during Tommy’s napping I went down to the fitness center to put in some miles.  When I returned Tommy reminded me that I’d been gone long enough and I needed to pay some attention to her.

While I watched the evening news on television, I would go into the kitchen during the commercials. Tommy would follow me and remind me that she needed her supper. I put it out so that it could come to room temperature since Tommy doesn’t like cold food. I had tried giving it to her soon after removing it from the refrigerator once and she wouldn’t eat it until the chill was gone from it.

The evening was pretty quiet. My sister called and Tommy was very patient while I talked on the phone. As we finished our conversation, Tommy reminded me that she was still waiting for her supper. She was pretty vocal and could be heard over the phone. Since her food had lost the chill, I fed her and she was eager to eat her salmon dinner.

The rest of the evening went pretty well. Tommy and I played and watched television. When it was time for bed Tommy again started to move away from the bedroom, but after a few quick moves on my part, she gave up and went into the bedroom. I got ready for bed and Tommy waited for her snack. When it was put n the bed, she jumped up and ate it.

I then went to bed and Tommy went under the bed.  I’m still not sure why r how Tommy decides to sleep on the bed, but hopefully she’ll continue feeling comfortable enough to sleep up on the bed, let me clean her teeth and maybe even sit on/near me.  Only time will tell.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

When I woke up during the night, Tommy was asleep by my head.  I’m beginning to think that since we’ve changed her diet to include canned food, she appreciates me more. She seems to be more affectionate.  Tommy did awake me when it wasn’t very light because it was raining. She was sitting on the table next to the bed in such a way as to block the time on the clock radio. I couldn’t tell what time it was, but didn’t think it was time to get up. Sure enough, it was a little after 6:00 A.M.

An hour later when I decided it was time to get up, Tommy was given her grass while I completed the rest of the morning routine. When I gave her breakfast, she again devoured the meal. I know she likes turkey, but I’m starting to wonder how much of her dry food she’s eating.  I know that I always hear her during the night as she crunches away, but it doesn’t last long.  I hope that she realizes that is she’s hungry during the day or night, there’s always a bowl of dry food out for her.

When Tommy saw me tie my shoes, she headed for the bedroom, but didn’t hide under the bed.  When I went in and put her morning hairball control “treat” on the bed, she jumped up after a little coaxing. I left for coffee with a friend while she waited for me to return.

I returned and noticed that Tommy still doesn’t eat her dry food when I’m gone but begs for wet food when I return. I’m going to have to come up with a solution. I’m going to send an e-mail to the vet and update her on Tommy’s (and my) progress about food and dental needs. Perhaps she will have some ideas to help.

It was a pretty dreary day and that was reflected in Tommy’s mood. She napped and just kind of lazed around the condo. Since it was a choir day, I made sure that I practiced my part which probably also drove Tommy to hide under the bed.

After an uneventful day, we ate dinner and I left for choir rehearsal. When I returned we played and spent a quiet night. When it was time for bed, Tommy again starting moving away from the bedroom, but changed her mind mid-step and decided not to fight it. She went right under the bed, so I left her snack on the bed and went to sleep. She will awaken me during the night; the only question is “When?”

Monday, October 13, 2014: Back to the Pro Plan Canned Food

I woke up a couple times during the night, and each time I did I noticed that Tommy was asleep by my head.  Either she’s really good at anticipating when I’m going to wake up and she quickly gets in place, or she’s staying in that spot for most of the night. I’m glad that even after I had been gone for several hours during the day, she still was sleeping on the bed at night.

When we got up in the morning I put out Tommy’s grass and then took the bag that had the rest of her canned food into the study with me. I hoped that it would warm up enough so that the princess would eat it. The last two days have been a struggle to get her to eat.  It appears that she doesn’t care for the Blue Buffalo Brand. During the night she did eat some of the dry food. It’s rather crunchy and I usually wake up if she “picks the right time” to eat.

After I completed printing the puzzles and checking my email, I went back in and got her food ready.  I put it down for her and you would have thought I had done something really mean to her.  She started yelling/complaining all the time looking at either me or the dish of food.  This was the same food that she had (reluctantly?) eaten yesterday.

After she finished her tirade (which lasted for several minutes), she went into the bedroom and sulked (my words, not hers!) under the bed. I couldn’t imagine having this reaction when she was given food and I knew that it couldn’t continue. It was time to settle on the kind of food I knew that she had liked during this little experiment.

Off I went to Petco to get her the Purina Pro Plan classic meals that she had eaten during the first few days of the “canned food experiment.” Fortunately when I got to the store I learned that the food was on sale and if I bought 15 cans or more there was a 25% discount. I quickly picked up 20 cans and also got her some more hairball control treats.  As I left I checked in with Stephanie to see what her schedule was like since Tommy’s nails needed clipping again. (Tommy & I need to get tot eh point where she trusts me enough and I’m confident enough to clip her nails.)

When I returned with the food, tommy came out and acted like she was ready to eat. I put the food in the dish and gave it to her. She immediately started eating it and finished half of the contents before taking a break. She was definitely in a better mood, so I decided that maybe now would be a good time to try to brush her teeth.

I followed the directions and put a little bit of paste on my finger and offered it to her.  She didn’t lick it off like the directions said that she would.  I put a small bit on the brush and tried to start brushing her teeth. After a short “struggle” Tommy “escaped” and went under the bed. Day one of the brushing experience had been a failure, so I’ll try again tomorrow.

It took a while to coax Tommy out from under the bed.  She saw that there was nothing in my hands, but peeked out and looked up to make sure that I didn’t have the brush near. When she finally felt that I was telling the truth and had given up for the day, she came out and joined me in the living room.

Later I figured since she was already upset with me for trying to brush her teeth I might as well vacuum. I got the living room vacuumed while Tommy was under the bed. It took some coaxing to get her out from under there so I could vacuum the bedroom. Once I finished all the rooms, it again took a while for Tommy to venture out.

When it was time for dinner, I put her dish with the food, that I’d taken out of the refrigerator a while before so it would come up to room temperature, on the floor. She was ready to eat and so I left her in peace while I worked.

When she was finished she joined me up on the desk.  I put my arm on the desk and Tommy curled up against it. We spent quite some time with her purring and me petting her and enjoying the closeness and trust.  When she heard a strange noise, it was time to investigate and she was gone.

Later I ate my dinner which Tommy thought was a second helping for her. Since it was a salad she quickly left me to eat alone. While I cleaned up and did dishes, Tommy took a nap.  Later she let me know that she was hungry and I brought her dry food to her. She ate a little of it, but it was clear that this was not the kind of food that she wanted.

Once she was back eating her preferred canned food, she no longer felt a need to try to bite me. All hostility was gone and she was back to being the affectionate cat that I’d been used to seeing.  We’re still working on meshing our schedules, but I’m sure that sooner or later we’ll get the play times, nap times, and bed times in synch.

We were able to play and enjoy the evening. When it was time for bed, Tommy decided that she wasn’t quite ready. I had to corral her, semi-blocking her movements until she finally gave up and ran into the bedroom. Once there everything was fine, so we settled in and I went to sleep.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

I woke up during the night to find Tommy again at my side. After she also woke up and got some attention, she decided to jump down and play with her foil ball and eat, two activities that make a lot of noise. Somehow I still fell back to sleep.

When I woke up again in the morning, Tommy was nowhere to be found which told me that she was under the bed.  When I called for her she darted toward the door and after I opened the door went right to her rug. She knew that her morning meal would begin with grass. I went and got the grass and while she enjoyed it I handled some personal needs.

When I returned and headed toward the kitchen, Tommy raced passed me. She knew that I would be getting out her canned food. While I got it ready she eagerly jumped around me and stood on her hind legs trying to see what was happening.  When I started to walk away with the bowl in my hand, she went right to the area of the carpet where I’ve been putting her meal.  This girl sure knows the routine.

I usually remove her grass while she eats, but I decided to make coffee first.  Tommy took advantage of the situation and went back to the grass for a second helping. She knew that I would leave the bowl of food out, smart kitty! Once she finished I immediately put the grass away. She finished her meal while I typed.

When she was finished she came over and rubbed against my legs. I’m sure that this was her way of thanking me for being a good man servant. She then went back into the bedroom for her first morning nap while I got ready to leave for two walks in which I participate. It was the first time that they had been scheduled on the same day.

When I was ready to leave, I found Tommy under the bed and said goodbye. I had left a few treats around the room. My hope was that she would venture out from under the bed and do some exploring while I was gone.

When I returned I was greeted by a cat who was happy to see me, but seemed to want to be fed. I checked in the bedroom and found that she hadn’t touched her dry food. I took the dish out of the container and put it near her. She ate some of it. I knew that she eats the dry food during the night and afternoon, so this shouldn’t have been an issue.

I tried to get her to play, but she wasn’t interested. She wanted to be petted, but as I petted her, she suddenly tried to bite me.  I could tell that she was now “in a mood,” so I left her alone.

When it was time for her dinner I got out her food and waited for it to come to near room temperature before putting it out. I’d learned my lesson about cold entrees. She started to eat it, but then walked away from it. I knew that she was hungry, so why didn’t she want it? I tried a different flavor with the same result.  I decided to let it go.

After a while she came back out and ate a little of the meal. She also played with the laser. I thought that she was now in a better mood.  When I tried to petting her, she again tried to bite me. I knew to walk away and let her get out of her mood.

Later in the evening while I worked on the laptop on the dining room table, Tommy came back out of the bedroom.  She went to her food and finally decided to eat it.  After her meal she came over by me and began rubbing against my legs. It seemed that I was back in her good graces.

We spent some time with either me petting her including her laying on her back and letting me pet her belly and chest, or her rubbing against my legs.  She was purring so I knew that she was finally in a better mood and we could enjoy the rest of the evening.

When it was time for bed, Tommy went in to the bedroom.  After I got ready for bed, she jumped up on the bed and ate her treat. She stayed for a moment, but then jumped down.  She scratched her post and went by the door to complain that we were going to bed too early, but gave up when she probably figured out that I wasn’t going to change my mind.

About 11:00 Tommy jumped on the bed and curled herself up against my stomach. I was laying on my side and was also kind of curled up so she fit right in the curve.  I didn’t know how long she’d stay in this position, but at least she was there as I fell asleep.