Saturday, October 18, 2014

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.

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