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.