Saturday, November 29, 2014: Twenty-one weeks and counting…

Tommy came to bed a little after 3:00. She must have taken a break from playing and fallen asleep on her rug.  Once she curled up on the bed, I knew that we were good for at least a few more hours.

I was awakened by the sound of the heat pump kicking on. Usually Tommy wakes me up well before that happens.  Of course, I barely had my eyes open when Tommy woke up and let me know that it was time to get up and prepare her breakfast bowl.

Once that was accomplished, I worked on the morning posts while she ate. When I went to make coffee, Tommy let me know that I hadn’t given her very much attention, so we had some quality petting time until Tommy went to check out the view by the windows.

I went back to working on the blogs until Tommy jumped on the desk to receive a little more attention. The garage men arrived so Tommy needed to supervise, but the blinds in the study were still down. No problem, she just stuck her head through the slats. When I went over to open the blinds, she removed her head and I completed the job.  Tommy doesn’t like the noise of the raising of the blinds so she hightailed it out of the room.

When I went to let her know the noise was done, she stayed in the living room where the view was better. When I came in to sit on the sofa, Tommy was enjoying the sun by the balcony door. She came and jumped up on the fleece throw next to me, but jumped back down after a short visit. I’m sure that she figured that it wasn’t worth her time if there wasn’t any sun in that spot. She settled on the ottoman where she curled up to continue enjoying the sun.

With the living room being filled with sun, Tommy explored the room looking for reflections and refractions of the sun. She sat on the back of her chair by the window, and climbed all over the sofa and table behind the sofa.

She finally came down and sat by my feet. We played with the worm for a while in between Tommy’s grooming episodes. She spent more time playing with the cord attached to the worm than actually playing with the worm.

After an exhausting morning watching me work on blogs and baking bread, finding the best sunny spots, and checking out the action inside and outside, Tommy needed some quiet time and went into the bedroom. She went to her new favorite sunny spot under the table across from the bed.

After the sun went behind the clouds, Tommy moved to the bed to continue her nap. I thought that this would be a good time to change the almost flat tire on my car. That task completed, I returned to the condo where Tommy greeted me with a reminder that she hadn’t had her wheat grass snack yet. I dutifully went and retrieved it which she then munched for a while.

When she was finished, she moved to the sofa. Since the Badger football game was starting I joined her on the sofa. I tried to remain quiet, but occasionally woke her up when the game wasn’t going well for the Badgers.  When she was awakened she would either get up and get a drink or look around and then at me to make sure that I was not going to continue making a lot of noise.

At halftime, she moved to the bedroom and had some quiet time in the bungalow’s box. It’s probably one of the warmest places in the room when the sun isn’t shining in the window, so I could understand why she’d choose that spot.

She came out when she was hungry and ready for dinner, ate half and went back to her retreat. She came back to finish her meal and to have a play session with the laser pointer. When she grew tired, she went back to her hideaway.

I think that after 21 weeks, we’ve learned how to read each other and have grown much closer.  We both need some quiet time, but also need together time. One of my favorite quiet times is sitting on the sofa reading while Tommy is curled up on the fleece beside me.

I decided to go to bed early and do some more reading, so I joined Tommy in the bedroom. She spent some time in her little box house, but then left the room. She probably figured that this was a perfect time to enjoy the living room without interference.

As I was falling asleep while I read, Tommy jumped up on the bed and ate her snack. That done she again went up in her bungalow as I turned out the lights and fell asleep. I know that during the night, she’ll probably curl up on the bed by my legs.

Friday, November 28, 2014

I was awakened by Tommy’s purring by my head a little after 5:00 this morning.  Although it was way too early to be awake, it was the best sound. We slept (or at least I did) until the heat pump kicked on at 6:45, then Tommy was all about the breakfast. I was surprised that the whole building didn’t wake up. She definitely wanted me to get moving and get her breakfast out, which of course I did.

After her breakfast, Tommy sat by the window and watched the snow float down. I took the time to work at the table. Once she got tired of watching the snow, she curled up on the fleece throw on the sofa and I went and sat down to do the daily puzzles next to her. This was the way mornings should be.

I had to run to the local bookstore to check on a title, so Tommy held down the fort sitting on the sofa and watching basketball and the view out the windows. When I returned she stayed right where she was and this time I was the one who came over to greet her.

We spent the afternoon watching basketball, doing laundry, and preparing my Thanksgiving dinner. I usually don’t bring home leftovers form the family feast because there isn’t enough to make all that I want to make (and I don’t want to appear greedy). The 5# turkey breast went in to roast and Tommy stayed out of the kitchen. I made sure that I kept giving her quality time whenever I could.

When a load of laundry was folded and put away, Tommy would jump in the empty basket for a few minutes. We played with the laser pointer or the fleece teaser in between her naps. During her naps I took time to work on the blogs and read a book.

Tommy crashed on the rug so I knew that it was time for bed. I went into the bedroom and Tommy jumped up on the bungalow where she had been napping in the early evening.  Once I was in bed, Tommy bounded down and out to the living room to play. I guess she got her second wind after that power nap she just took. I fell asleep knowing that once her energy was spent she’d be up on the bed for her treat and to settle in for the night.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Tommy was back to her old ways. She started waking me up at 5:00, but at least she still started with the purring and rubbing my arm. She didn’t get vocal until around 6:30. She really kicked it in gear when the heat pump started. She jumped on the bed and let me know that it was time to get up and take care of her.

I gave her the Thanksgiving breakfast of turkey and vegetables in gravy. She ate most of it and then went back to bed. That gave me the time to catch up on Grandpa’s diaries. The rest of the morning was spent getting ready to go to visit the family in Oshkosh.  Tommy could tell that something was up when I turned on the radio, she ran to the living room and sat on the sofa.

When I was ready to leave, I went to the living room and picked up Tommy. As I took her back to the bedroom she cried which just made it all the more difficult to leave her. She had her food and water and toys. She’d be okay, and I would be back soon.

When I returned Tommy was glad to see me and spent some time purring as I petted her. She enjoyed sitting in the Market Day cooler bag and just smelling all the new scents that I’d brought back from the family and their pets.

We spent the rest of the night just being together playing and enjoying each other.  Tommy would at times go into the bedroom and hang out in the bungalow, but when I went to either computer, she would be near. As I work on the dining table, Tommy sat on my gloves and hat. She was making sure that I wasn’t leaving.

When it was time for bed, Tommy beat me into the bedroom. I went in to find her on the top of her bungalow searching for the illusive ray of light. She doesn’t quite understand that the light is refracted from my glasses and I wasn’t there yet.

I wished her a good night and as I was getting into bed, Tommy jumped on the bed to have her late night snack. Once that was done she bounded back up to the top of the bungalow and then back down and out to the living room. I was sure that she still had plenty of pent-up energy that needed to be expended. Once she was done, she’ll come to sleep on the bed. 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Tommy didn’t wake me until almost 6:30 this morning.  She also changed her tactics. I woke to her rubbing her head against my arm, licking my hand and purring. This was a definite improvement over the yelling in my face. After I acknowledged her with some petting, she curled up near my head. This was going much better than usual.

After about 10 minutes, Tommy jumped down to explore the condo. When the heat pump kicked in, she came back into the bedroom to let me know that it was time for her breakfast. When I didn’t jump out of bed, she jumped up and came near my head to let me know that I needed to get moving.

We moved to the kitchen and I took care of her breakfast. While she ate I started working on the morning posts.  She came into the study and sat on the desk between the screen and the keyboard. As I worked I also petted her. Her purring made me want to keep working at the desk. Once she realized that her plan wasn’t working, she jumped down and went into the living room.

I grabbed some coffee from the kitchen and called my sister. Tommy must have figured out that I’d be busy for a while, so she went and curled up in her bed by the window and enjoyed the sun.

After the call I went back to work, but this time moved to the laptop on the dining table.  At one point I went into the bathroom and stayed there for a little while, Tommy came in to check on me. Once I finished, she went back to her living room bed.

When I’d go to fill my coffee Tommy would look over at me. I made sure that I stopped and spent some quality time with my girl. I did some cleaning and then it was time for lunch.

After lunch I moved to the sofa to read. Tommy started to investigate her Santa hat bed; I’m sure that throwing a little catnip under the cushion had nothing to do with it. I took some photos. Once Tommy was done exploring, she came up on the sofa and curled up on the fleece throw. We spent the next couple of hours hanging out on the sofa. It was great to have her so close.

I ran to Whole Foods to pick up the last couple items I needed for tomorrow. When I returned, there was Tommy glad to see me. We went to the computer to see if the security scan had worked, but since it hadn’t I would an adware remover at cnet.com that was free.  Tommy sat up on the desk and followed my progress.

When we got back to the living room, she was hungry and started licking a leaf that fell from the houseplant. I took it and then realized that she hadn’t been given her afternoon “salad” of grass. I remedied that immediately. When she finished she sat on a chair next to the table to supervise my work on the laptop.

At dinner time, Tommy ate a little of her dinner as always saving some for later. She then went and relaxed on the top of her bungalow for a while. I worked on transcribing Grandpa’s diaries. Tommy came for a visit and we had some bonding time which meant she sat between the keyboard and the screen and wanted my attention which of course she got since I couldn’t see the keyboard anyway.

When she got bored or had her attention fix for a while, she went back to the bungalow and I went back to work. Later after a play session in the living room Tommy went back in the bedroom to have some quiet time on her rug. 

I went in later to check on her, and she started moving up the bungalow as I was moving. It appeared that my glasses were reflecting on the wall. The problem occurred when her head came between the light source and the reflection. She couldn’t figure out where the little light had gone. It was so funny to watch.

She came back out in the living room when she heard me closing the blinds. She must have known that it was one of the two that faced the balcony. Even though I left one of the blinds open for her to use, she still would stick her head behind the closed one to look out. To get her to stop worrying about the blind, we had another play session. The fleece teaser is still her go to plaything.  When she got tired of playing she went over and ate some of her dry food. She’d been eating some of it every day now that she figured out that if she was hungry in between getting canned food that the dry food was always available.

After her snack, she moved on to playing with the yellow ball, her other go to plaything. As she played I began closing down the condo. I could close the computers down and close off the study well before we went to sleep.

She then did her evening run through the condo. She bounds off the chairs and runs from room to room. I’ve never figured out if I’m supposed to be chasing her or just finding her when she hides. Her reactions vary so much I don’t think there’s a pattern.

We had a rousing game of catch the laser light, but she still tried to lay on her back and expected the light to float over her. Once she went back into the bedroom I finished closing everything down. I knew that she probably still had energy to burn, but mine was spent and it was time for me to go to bed. Sooner or later she’d probably want to sleep and end up on the bed too.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Around midnight Tommy came to bed. I was relieved that she finally was again sleeping with me.  I woke up at 5:00 and saw that she had moved a little farther up the bed. She used to sleep by my feet, but this spot was above my knees.

Her first wake-up call didn’t occur until 6:05. I wasn’t sure how I had missed her moving around since she usually started waking up around 5:00. During the next 40 minutes Tommy would come up near my head to talk (purr or meow) and make sure that I knew what time it was and who needed attention.

When the heat pump started at 6:45, Tommy got a little more vocal. She knew that this was a sign that it was time to eat. She waited on the bed until I actually got out of bed, but ran toward the kitchen the minute I stated moving off the bed.

She ate and then waited for me as I worked on the computer issues. She came into the study often to check up on me and make sure that I remembered who needed attention.  She would nuzzle her face against me or call to me from the floor. When I’d look down she’d flop unto her back or side to let me know that she was in need of petting.

She also reminded me to open the blinds, but would always hang back until the room’s blinds were all open. Then she’d go and check out the activity outside.  With all the blinds open in the living room, Tommy had the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the sun.

Later she moved to the bed and I went to do some grocery shopping. When I returned I was met by a curious kitty who wanted to know what was in my backpack. After putting the food away, I left the backpack on the table. Tommy jumped up to take a closer look at the inside. It looked like she was going to sit inside the backpack, but changed her mind.

While she was exploring on the table she came over by me. As I petted her, her purring grew quite loud. We spent some time just sitting with me petting her and she purring away.  It’s become one of my favorite sounds.

During midafternoon I needed to take a nap, so I joined Tommy on the bed. She looked at me and then toward the window probably wondering what was going on. It was still light out, but I was heading to bed. Could the day be over already?

After napping I realized that I hadn’t gotten Tommy’s dinner out of the refrigerator. The grass was still out, so she did have a snack. I went and practiced for choir. Tommy doesn’t care for my singing so she went in the bedroom.

When I got ready for choir, Tommy watched from the bed. She had eaten some of her dinner, but was saving some for later. I left for choir and Tommy could listen to NPR while I was gone.

I was greeted by Tommy when I returned. There was still a little food in her bowl, so I fluffed it up and made a little pile so she could finish it.  Tommy inspected the pies I had gotten from the grocery store while I worked.  Once everything was done I watched the news and then headed for bed.

Tommy jumped on the bungalow and watched me. When I got into bed, she went out to the living room to play since I hadn’t played with her when I got home. I promised her that we’d play more tomorrow to make up for my lack of energy today.

I turned out the lights and went to bed. A little before midnight, Tommy joined me up on the bed. It seemed that she was back into the routine of sleeping on the bed.

Monday, November 24, 2014

     Tommy again chose to sleep in the living room, and came to wake me a little after 5:00. We continued our morning “dance” each time Tommy seemed to be more affectionate and wanting more attention. When the furnace kicked in at 6:45 it signaled breakfast time for Tommy.

I got her meal ready and completed the rest of the morning chores. Tommy seemed to still be a bit skittish. The least little noise or movement would cause her to jump or run. She didn’t seem as comfortable around the condo as she had before and I wasn’t sure what was causing the anxiety in her.

She played a little with her yellow and pink balls before going to take her late morning/early afternoon nap.  Today she slept on the unmade bed which dashed my theory that she would only sleep on the bed once it was made in the morning.

I completed my paperwork and correspondence for the day and then decided to spend the afternoon transplanting a well rooted cutting and reading my library book. I accomplished quite a bit while Tommy napped.

Around 3:00 Tommy woke up and came out. At first I think she thought it was time for dinner, but when she spied her grass in the living room, she went to have some lunch. She finished and came over to see me as I read on the sofa. Show noticed the snow flurries outside and then went back to “guard” her grass and have one more bite.

By this time I had moved to the laptop on the table. Tommy came over and sat on the chair next to me. She started to come up on the table, but changed her mind.  After I petted her, she moved around the condo stopping by every so often for some petting and attention.

Close to 5:00 Tommy went and took a quick pre-dinner nap.  She has acute hearing, so when I’d even stepped into the doorway of the bedroom she woke up and looked up to see why she had been disturbed.

When I was stirring up her dinner in the bowl, Tommy came running out into the kitchen. As I said, her hearing is so acute. I wasn’t making very much noise, yet she knew exactly what I was doing. Dinner ready, she enjoyed a little over half of it saving the rest for later.

While I ate dinner, Tommy went to take a little after dinner cat nap. After I was done, she came back and finished her meal. I had been baking so I was using the dishwasher today. She doesn’t like the noise, so since it would be running late, I figured there was a good chance that Tommy might sleep in the bedroom.

With dinner completed, we played for a while in between watching some television. When it was time for bed, the dishwasher was going, so when I went into the bedroom, Tommy followed and jumped up on her bungalow to check out what I was doing.

I put her late night snack on the bed and got into bed. Tommy jumped down from the bungalow and hopped up on the bed. She ate her snack, then flew off the bed and ran into the living room. I’m not sure when or if she’ll be back during the night, but I do know that we had ended the day well.

Sunday, November 23, 2014: A Day of Ups and Downs

Just as I suspected, Tommy stayed in the living room all night. Her first appearance was around 5:00 to let me know that she was hungry. She didn’t come up on the bed and left the room right after calling out. She didn’t appear again until around 6:00 when she jumped up on the bed. I remained “asleep” and she left to let me go back to sleep.

The third time she jumped up on the bed and walked over me. Again, I wasn’t time for breakfast so I remained asleep. When the furnace kicked in, Tommy was back to let me know that it was time for breakfast. We had a short conversation before I got out of bed.

I got her breakfast out and put fresh water in fresh bowls. I then made coffee and went back to bed to read. Since my plans had changed, we would be staying home and working around the house. As I was reading in bed I heard a noise in the living room. Tommy had knocked over the vase that held her toys. I knew that she was trying to get my attention, but this behavior wasn’t going to make me a happy slave.

I went out and righted the vase, but left the toys laying where they were. As she watched from under the dining table I also made sure her yellow ball was out.  Having completed my tasks, I took my coffee and went back to the bedroom to read and work on the laptop.

It wasn’t long before Tommy showed up. She came up near the bed and cried out for attention. I invited her to jump up on the bed and we talked.  While we talked I noticed that her nose was now her usual shade of pink. Maybe she hadn’t been feeling well yesterday and that was why she wanted to be alone.

As I started to pet her, she started to purr. She licked my hand as I continued petting her. After our reconciliation session, Tommy jumped down and I went back to work on my posts. I realized that I hadn’t given her a treat, so I put some out and called to Tommy.

It took her a moment to realize what was happening but then came up and enjoyed her treat. We again had some petting and purring time until Tommy decided to leave the bed. Since I was in the middle of writing this blog, I continued.

After a few minutes Tommy came back up and let me know that I was spending too much time on the blog. She jumped down and left the room. I’m sure that she expected me to follow, which of course I did.

We spent some time together, but Tommy didn’t seem to want to play, but just wanted to sit and watch the goings on outside. After a while she left to take a nap.  I spent the afternoon watching the Packer game and making some cookies. At halftime I checked on Tommy and got her to come out into the living room and have some wheat grass since she hadn’t had any in the morning. After she finished eating she decided to take a nap.

When she came back later she didn’t seem to be in a very good mood so I thought that this might be a good time to brush her teeth. I tried a few different ways to get brush her teeth trying to get into a position where I could actually see her teeth. She was much more fidgety than she’d been before. I finally had to put her on the table and work form there. Although she continued to fidget, it wasn’t as bad.

Once we finished the task, I had some treats for her, but it took a while for her to eat them. It was almost as if she didn’t want to accept something I’d given her. When she went to the toys, I pulled out the worm which she was pawing. Once I tried to play with it with her she lost interest and just sat there. She was nearby for a while, but then went back to the bedroom to nap.

At dinner time, I went to the bedroom to find her lying on the bed, but awake. When I petted her she licked my other hand, so I knew that we were okay. I let her know that dinner was ready and went out to break up the big pieces. When she heard me prepping her meal, she came running. She ate most of it, saving a little for later and then went back to the bedroom which was her usual routine.

.When I went in to put down the blinds she didn’t run to hide, but just sat there. Again I petted her t make sure that everything was okay. I then went back to practice for choir since we only had two more rehearsals before the first concert. Tommy “listened” from the living room, but then left the concert to take one more nap.

Later she came out and we played for quite a while using all sorts of toys. I had taken some of the teaser attachments and put them at the end of long pieces of yarn. Tommy seemed to enjoy chasing after some of them. We finished the evening playing with the ball of yarn,

When I got ready for bed and closed down the condo, Tommy stayed under the dining table. I looks like she’d be sleeping in the living room again and I’d be in the bedroom.  We would see what she decided later.

Saturday, November 22, 2014: A Good Day That Doesn’t End Well

When I was falling asleep, I heard Tommy jump on the bed for the night. She was still in the same position when I woke up around 5:00. Tommy didn’t wake me until after 6:00.  She came up and wanted some attention which of course she got. 

When I finally got up Tommy was ready for breakfast. She usually got her grass after eating her “first course.” I thought about giving her a luncheon of grass instead, but Tommy went by the study door and let me know that she wanted her grass. I got it out and she had a few bites and then went and finished her breakfast.

I completed my chores right after Tommy used her litter box. I thought that I had finally timed the cleaning. After completing that task, Tommy came in to use the facilities again.  I thought that maybe she’d been toying with me and giving me a false sense that I could figure out her actions.

After finishing her meal and using the litter box a couple times, Tommy went into the bedroom. When I went to check on her, I found her on her rug. I thought that since I was there already I might as well make the bed. Tommy sat and watched me complete the task.

I left the bedroom after giving Tommy some attention. When I returned later to go into the bathroom I saw that Tommy was napping all curled up on the bed. I think that Tommy would only sleep on the bed if it’s made or if I’m sleeping in it. She was a little princess after all and wanted things to be just as she liked them.

I was going to the opening of the new east side library and needed to get ready. Tommy watched for a while, but then I couldn’t find her. She was hiding under the bookcase again. She’d been hiding under there quite often lately, and I’m not sure what’s going on with her.  She seemed to be more timid again, just when I thought she was finally passed that issue.

I left with her still under the bookcase, but I put some treats out while I was home and they were still there.  When I returned, Tommy greeted me at the door which I thought was a good sign. I brought out her grass to give her a little taste and she enjoyed it.  She didn’t overeat, so I was able to put it away for the day.

We tried playing, but Tommy seemed to be distracted. She was still trying to hide at times among all the television & speaker wire. I’m going to need to find a way to keep her out of there as it just seemed too dangerous. Tommy continued to bounce between seeking attention, seeming nervous, and trying to play aggressively with her claws and my hands. I tried my best to remain calm and loving, but I think Tommy could see the concern on my face.

She finally went to take a nap on the bed. I went in and petted and tried to soothe her a few times. She seemed to be calming down, so I let her have some quiet time while I watched the Badger football game.

Around 5:30 Tommy came out looking for dinner. I had gotten her food out of the refrigerator so I thought that it would be ready. Tommy tried a little of it and then went back to the bedroom. I guess that it wasn’t quite up to room temperature yet.

While she would come out occasionally to have a nibble of food, it wasn’t until around 8:00 that she came out to finish her dinner. After she had eaten the rest of her dinner, I did the dishes. She sat patiently on her rug waiting for me to finish.

When I was done I thought it would be a good time to start some play time and have her burn some energy.  We played with the fleece teaser until she got bored and then moved on to the laser pointer. We played with that for quite a while until she indicated that she was tired by moving to her rug and starting to doze off.

When I was ready for bed, I turned on a night light near her food. Tommy again had moved under the bookcase, so I went to say good night. While I tried to use soothing tones, when I tried to pet her good night, she lashed out with her paw.

I don’t understand why she’s acting like this when we’d had a good day that ended with a good play session. I was very disappointed and let her know that I didn’t appreciate her actions. I reminded her that she was always welcome to come to bed and I headed for the bedroom to read before going to sleep. I didn’t think that she’d show up on the bed tonight but would probably remain in the living room since this was her usual behavior when she was in this kind of mood.

Friday, November 20, 2014

Tommy didn’t wake me until she jumped off the bed at 5:20. It had been a while since I had slept until that time, so it was welcome.  There were only a couple “reminder alarms” by Tommy before the furnace kicked in at 6:45. By now Tommy knew the routine. Since she was on the bed next to me, she jumped down and looked up at me as if to say, “Okay, I’m out of bed, so let’s get crackin’!”

I dutifully got up, served her breakfast and completed the rest of my chores. Since Tommy was getting her nails clipped, I brought out her carrier when I returned with her grass.  She checked out the carrier, but the minute she saw me looking at her would run away from it. I wasn’t sure if she knew where we were going. She likes Stephanie at Petco, so she should be okay.

As I finished getting the condo open for the day, I opened and raised the blinds. Tommy again sought the shelter of the table. It’s funny how she doesn’t like the noise, but also doesn’t like the blinds being closed and down. If I haven’t raised them, she’ll stick her head in between the slats and then complain when her head gets caught. She’s going to have to learn that if she wants the view she’ll have to put up with the noise first.

Tommy decided to play with one of the balls. As she was dribbling it across the room, it knocked against a waste basket and starting spinning. Tommy was intrigued and started dribbling it again when it stopped. I think she was trying to get it to spin again, but hadn’t figured out how she did it. She finally gave up and went to check out what was happening outside.

After finishing her breakfast and having an end to all the excitement of the morning, Tommy sought the solace of her bedroom rug. I went in and petted her as she purred, but as always, she let me know when enough was enough and she was in Greta Garbo mode. (“I want to be alone!) I left and had my own personal morning quiet time.

When it was time to leave for Tommy to get her nails clipped, she let me put on her collar without much of a fuss. She also let me pick her up and put her in the carrier again without too much fuss. This was going much better than expected.

Tommy let me know how much she didn’t like traveling in the elevator or on the freeway, but once we got to Petco, she seemed to calm down. Tommy was a little more squirmy than usual for Stephanie and jumped back in the carrier before she could do the last back paw. Stephanie is so good, she didn’t miss a beat, but just clipped the last nails while Tommy was in the carrier.

The trip home was pretty quiet. At one point I thought that Tommy had gone to sleep she was so quiet, but the occasional meow told me that she was still impatient to get home.  Once home, she let me take off her collar, pet her and give a treat right away. After that it was time for her to chill for a while and enjoy the sunny areas of the condo while I started doing the laundry.

Around 3:00 while working on my grandfather’s diary, Tommy came into the study to check up on me.  She didn’t jump up on the desk like she usually did but just complained until I finally stopped working and went back into the living room.  She didn’t want to be petted and she didn’t want to play. I’m not sure what she wanted, but since the dryer had just ended, we went in to the bedroom and I folded the clothes. Once that was done, Tommy decided to take a nap and I went to get rid of some programs on the DVR.

Every hour or so I went and checked on Tommy to see how see was doing.  If I walked to or from the bathroom without stopping to see her, she would call out and I made sure that I’d stop and pet her and talk to her. She seemed to be wiped out and just wanted to sleep. I know that this had also happened last time she had gotten her nails clipped.

About 6:00 I made another stop to see her and this time I mentioned food, hungry and dinner. She jumped down from the bed and went out to see if there was food. I put her dinner down and she ate much of it then went to take another nap. We again went through the routine of me stopping in to pet and talk to her.

Around 9:00 she came back out and finished her dinner. I did the dishes and then spent some time giving her some more TLC. I noticed that the end of her nose was a little redder and wetter than normal. I wasn’t sure if it was from the colder weather or she had picked up some cat bug.

She wanted to rest so I figured that she knew what was best for her. She went to sit on her rug. I tried to get her to play, but she wasn’t ready to participate. I decided to wait her out and try again later.

Sure enough after a while Tommy decided that it was time to play. She didn’t want the worm, but instead we played with the fleece teaser. At one point, Tommy stopped playing and went and sat on her rug. I mentioned that if she was done, I was going to bed, so if she wanted to keep playing, she should keep playing. Wouldn’t you know it, Tommy started playing again. I’m not sure if it was my tone (not stern or harsh, just informative) or she just happened to have taken a short break, but she always seems to understand what I’m saying.

We played for quite a while, but then both of us knew that we were played out. I got everything ready for the night while Tommy watched. She came in the room and watched me get into bed. After I was in bed, she headed back out to the living room. I knew that soon she’d be back and asleep on the bed.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

When I woke up during the night Tommy was sleeping up on her bungalow. As I passed by on the way to and from the bathroom I stopped and petted her. Right after I got into bed, Tommy came down and jumped up on the bed to sleep. Whatever had been bothering her was now gone and all was good again.

Sometime after 5:00 Tommy began her not so subtle way of letting me know that she was awake. This time after announcing that she would be coming up near my head, she stuck her nose right in my face as if to say, “I love you, I’m here and you should wake up.” I of course ignored her pleas but did always pet her and say nice things to her.

When the furnace kicked in for the morning, it was Tommy’s cue that I would be getting up. She came running into the bedroom to check on my progress and ran to the kitchen when she saw me coming. She supervised my breakfast preparation until she was served, then I was free to go about my other business.

Right before I got out of bed I heard Tommy in her litter box. She seemed to be scratching plastic, but I wasn’t sure what had happened.  When I went to empty the litter box I rolled it over and saw the screen flap. When I opened the drawer there was a huge amount of litter. It appeared that Tommy had unhooked the screen. I fixed the screen and tried again; this time with success.  I hope this was just an accident and Tommy wasn’t going to continually unhook the screen since she’d never done it before today.

Chores all done, I ate breakfast, did the puzzles and completed some paperwork. Tommy enjoyed the morning sun on the ottoman. When I was working in the study, Tommy came in to remind me that I wasn’t spending enough time with her, so I went out in the living room, but Tommy went and sat in the sun under the glass table…so much for quality time together!

 I was meeting a friend for lunch, so I got ready and as I put on my shoes, Tommy figured out that I was leaving. She moved to the ottoman. I put a treat in her hat/bed and left. When I returned the treats were gone and Tommy greeted me at the door.

As I was sitting on a chair Tommy came up to nuzzle my feet like she always does. When she finished, I uncrossed my legs and put my feet on the floor. Tommy came back, jumped up on the chair and sat on my lap for a minute while she rubbed her face against the clipboard I was holding.  She didn’t stay long, but at least she sat on my lap for a couple minutes, something she hadn’t done for quite a while.

I moved to the sofa to read and Tommy again jumped up. This time she walked around the top of the sofa before exiting and heading to the bedroom for her afternoon siesta. After a while I wanted to stretch out, so I also moved to the bedroom where we enjoyed a nap and Tommy had me next to her to keep her warm.

When it was time for dinner I got up and Tommy figured out that it must be time to eat, so she followed me out to the kitchen. I already had put out her dinner to warm it so she was able to eat right away.  As she ate, I went to close the blinds. Tommy doesn’t like the noise associated with raising and lowering the blinds, but I didn’t expect her to go under the dining table. After I finished, I went and try to reassure her that the noise was over, but she chose to move to the bedroom. I guess she would finish her dinner later.

I continued and then prepared to go to the condo association annual meeting. Tommy came out and I got to pet her and say good bye before I left.  When I returned after the 2½ hour meeting, we played and hung out until Tommy indicated that she was tired. I was glad that she was ready for bed, because I was too.

I got ready for bed and Tommy snoozed in the living room on her rug.  When I turned out the lights and said good night, Tommy stayed in the living room. After about 15 minutes I heard her calling out so I called for her, but there was no response. I turned out the lights and soon the calling started again, but this time when I called Tommy came in, jumped on the bed, and curled up to sleep. I fell asleep reassured once again the Tommy was happy and in the right place.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

I woke up during the night and felt Tommy’s head resting on my leg. This was new; she’d never used me as a pillow. I was almost afraid to fall back asleep, fearing that I’d accidentally move my leg and either wake her up or push her off the bed.  While I was falling back to sleep, she did wake up and went out to get a little snack and a drink of water. I fell asleep before she returned.

She must have returned because she was sleeping peacefully at 5:00 when I woke up to use the facilities. She awoke, but never moved knowing that if it was dark I probably wasn’t getting her breakfast for her. Of course, she did start her morning wake up “service” at 5:30 and continued about every 15-20 minutes until I finally got up at 6:45.

Having fed Tommy, given her fresh water, and put out her grass, I got ready for school. Tommy usually watched me get ready while sitting up on the bed.  She has gotten used to my comings and goings, but still usually runs and greets me when I return.

We got a new little Christmas hat bed in the mail.  It looks like it night keep her a little warmer when the sun isn’t shining and it would make a nice Christmas card IF I could get her to let me take a picture while she’s in it. When I put it out, she did investigate, but wasn’t going in it. I put a couple of her treats in the hat, but she still wasn’t going to stick her head in the bed.

She left to take a nap, so I went to the study. Later when I returned, she was sitting on the ottoman and the treats were gone from the hat/bed.  She just didn’t want me to see her exploring. I went back to the study and soon Tommy came in to get some attention. It’s always a welcome diversion, and her purring is always so soothing.

Later she left to amuse herself, but returned to remind me that it was getting close to dinner, which meant I needed to put out her dinner so it would warm to room temperature. We spent more time at/on the desk as Tommy watched me typing. I think that one of these days she’s going to try to type. After I finished we went back to the living room and I put a tuna treat in the hat.  Within minutes Tommy stuck her head in the hat and retrieved the treat. We were making progress.

I put Tommy’s dinner out for her and she ate about half of it.  I then decided to have some soup, so I started getting it ready. Tommy came out to see what I was doing. I guess that it looked like I was preparing a meal for her and she came to “help.” I finally showed her what I was making and she left wondering how I could eat that “stuff.”

After dinner Tommy appeared to want to play, but didn’t play with the worm or the fleece teaser. When I brought out the laser pointer, she started playing. I decided to spend some time putting the red dot in the new bed/hat.  Tommy would stick her head in the bed, but because she was blocking the way, the laser was of course no longer on. She would get her head out of the bed and look around for the little red dot.

We played for quite a while, but then Tommy sat on her rug. This indicated that the play session had ended. I read for a while until Tommy let me know that she wanted some attention.  I brought out the worm and we again got to spend some time playing. She went back to the rug, but would occasionally come back over to play with the worm again.

Once there was an extended period of inactivity I knew we were done. I finished working on this blog on the laptop on the dining table while Tommy slept on her rug nearby. It was time to head for bed. As I left, Tommy went under the bookcase near the door. When I tried to pet her good night, she tried to bite. I don’t know why she felt threatened, so I let it go and went to sleep not knowing if she’d come to bed later.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Tommy didn’t stir on the bed until 5:30 this morning. She even stayed put during the night when I got up to go to the bathroom.  Either she was very comfortable where she was and didn’t want to make the effort to move, or she was just tired.

Once 5:30 came around, Tommy was ready to eat, but wasn’t too much of a pest, only trying to rouse me a few times before 6:45 when I finally got up. I cut my finger removing the lid from her can of food and had to run and take care of it.  She didn’t complain at all, but just waited patiently in the kitchen until I returned with my bandaged finger.

Once breakfast was done and grass had been eaten, Tommy seemed to be upset.  She didn’t want to be touched, but kept talking to me. She finally went into the bedroom and sat on her rug. She allowed me to pet and scratch her and began purring. Sometimes she’s not very specific about her needs and it takes me a while to figure it out.

Having received the attention that she wanted she went back into the living room and settled down on the ottoman to enjoy the sunshine. I spent the majority of my day trying to catch up on paperwork. Whenever I needed a break, it seemed that Tommy would show up, jump on the desk, and get me to focus my attention on her.

After feeding her dinner and having my own, I got ready and went to choir.  When I returned, Tommy was ready to play, so we spent some time expending some energy. Once that I was done, I was off to bed knowing that sooner or later Tommy would want to sleep on the bed and get some of my body heat.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Tommy has made it a habit to spend the entire night sleeping up on the bed. I’m not sure if she wants to be close to me or just wants the warmth since it’s been so cold. Either way, it works for both of us.

We completed the morning chores and I left for class 30 minutes later than usual since I’d be riding the bus.  I also got home sooner. When I got home, Tommy was enjoying the morning sun.

We spent a relatively quiet day. We played with her “worm on a string” a few times. She really enjoys it and she will chase it, paw it around, bite it, and just have all sorts of fun with it. I’m glad that I brought it out again, so she could enjoy this toy again.

As always while I was working on the computer, Tommy came up and stationed herself right in between the keyboard and me. It’s funny how she doesn’t want to be held or sit on my lap, but she wants to cuddle up on the desk.

I moved to the bed after dinner to watch television stretched out under the blankets. Tommy stayed on the bed for a while, but then first moved to the top of the bungalow and then to her living room rug. I’m not sure if she wanted space or quiet, but she found a way to get it.

When it was time for bed, I said good night to Tommy, but knew that later she would seek the warmth and comfort of the bed.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Tommy spent the entire night sleeping up on the bed. I woke up around 2:30 to go to the bathroom and unfortunately woke up Tommy. She thought it was time to eat, but once she realized that it was just time for a bathroom break, she jumped back on the bed and went back to sleep.

She didn’t wake me until after 5:00, but found out that it was too early for me. She left and amused herself in the living room. I got out of bed about 6:30 and gave Tommy her food. Once she finished eating she called to me and went to the study door. I guess that it was time to get her morning grass. She keeps me in line and on task whenever I forget.

After eating Tommy spent some time chasing her favorite yellow ball and looking out at the snow that fell on the balcony and surrounding area. She also spent some time napping on the bed. I’d been trying to change the sheets and it seemed like every time I went to accomplish that task Tommy would be napping on the bed.

I went to make a peanut butter sandwich and Tommy must have thought I was getting some food out for her.  I knew that she didn’t like peanut butter, but when I was making the sandwich, Tommy kept trying to see what was happening.  I put the jar down by her and she was repulsed just like I would be if I smelled sour milk. At least she now knew what I was making and she went to her living room bed to knead and nap.

Later when I went to put the dishes in the kitchen Tommy came running and seemed to be in distress. There was fuzz all over her from the bed. The most disturbing part was that there was a piece caught just below her lower lip which seemed to be causing the issue.  She tried rubbing it off, but it wouldn’t move. 

I got her to calm down and after a couple attempts I was able to get the fuzz off her face.  We then spent a little time clearing the fuzz off the rest of her body.  Once that was accomplished, she went over by her food and ate some of the dry food. Who could blame her for not wanting to get fuzz in her food.

Once she had satisfied her need for food and water, she went back to the newly made bed to take a nap. When I went in to check on her I sat down. After a short petting session, Tommy appeared ready to leave, so I got up and sure enough, she stayed right where she was. She didn’t want to share the bed during her late morning/early afternoon nap.

While Tommy napped I started making bread and practiced for choir. When she woke up I knew that we had about an hour before dinner and we still needed to brush her teeth. I got everything ready, and put her on the table. When she saw the brush she starting opening her mouth and let me brush her teeth. We quickly finished the sides and only had to do the front. Tommy thought we were done and started to move, but settled down and let me finished.

I put her down when we finished, and gave her lots of praise, petting, and her “I brushed my teeth” treat. She didn’t eat the treats for a couple minutes. She was probably still enjoying the chicken flavored toothpaste. I’m glad that we were close to dinner because I knew she was hungry and she shouldn’t be kept waiting after her stellar behavior.

After the triumph of the teeth brushing, we experienced the tragedy of dinner. I tried to warm up her dinner and it became a mushy mess. When I tried to fix it by adding some new turkey, it just made it worse. Tommy wasn’t having anything to do with either concoction. I finally just got her some fresh dinner in a new dish and gave it to her.

I also changed the fleece on the bed to the heavier Brewers fleece since it was going to get very cold. I used the lighter fleece to wrap up on the sofa.  Tommy came to investigate and sat on the fleece for a few seconds before noticing my feet right underneath. She said on the sofa arm and glared at me for a minute before going into the bedroom. I found her on the bed on the Brewers fleece, so at least I hadn’t completely screwed up her nap space.

We played with a few toys, but Tommy didn’t seem very interested. I went and brought out her worm teaser and we played with that for a while. After an extended play period, Tommy was ready to take a break, so she went and relaxed on her rug in the living room.

Later Tommy was falling asleep, so when I got up and she woke up I carried her into the bedroom. I thought that she might as well enjoy the quiet of the bedroom when I knew that the dishwasher and television would be making a lot of noise.

When I finally was ready to go to bed, I needed to reprogram the thermostat. Tommy followed me around checking out what I was doing and then decided to stay in the living room.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew that the top of the bed would be one of the warmest places in the condo. Sure enough not long after I went to bed, Tommy jumped up and curled up near my legs. The girl knows how to find the warm spots. We settled in for the night; I just wasn’t sure when the first wakeup call would occur.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Tommy spent part of the night sleeping up on her bungalow and didn’t wake me until almost 6:00. I got out of bed a little before 7:00 and gave Tommy her food. Once she finished eating she came into the study to get her morning grass.

Having completed all her morning courses of food, Tommy spent the remainder of the morning enjoying the sun while I started doing the laundry and other chores.  She moved around the living room and occasionally called out to get my attention to let me know that she needed petting or just some TLC.

In the afternoon while Tommy napped in her living room bed I watched the Badger game, but made sure to keep my voice down so I didn’t scare her with my yelling. I’ve never whispered my comments while watching a game, but I was getting better at it.

Tommy would make herself known at times. She’d nap in the bedroom and occasionally I would stop in and check up on her. At other times, she’d jump up on the desk and curl up in front of me and just want to be petted and hugged. Her purring is always a welcome sign to me that she’s glad to have me around to give her attention and love.

Once when I went in the bedroom around dinner time, I was petting her and asked if she was hungry. I told her that her dinner was ready and before I could even think of moving, she jumped off the bed and went right into the dining room by her bowl.  This was one cat that definitely understands some English words.

After dinner she went back for a short rest period before coming back out. We then had a play session. Other times during the day, she had played alone with her ball, so I was glad that she wanted to have a play session with me. When she got tired, it was back to the bed.

After I finished doing the dishes and watching a program on television, I headed into the bedroom to join Tommy. We watched some television and fell asleep. I wasn’t sure how long Tommy would tolerate us on the bed together, but since it was cold outside I thought she might want to stay near her human furnace.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Tommy again tried to wake me a few times between 5:00 and 7:00 when I finally got out of bed. I gave her food and went to the study to work on the blogs as I was very far behind on my grandfather’s diaries.

Tommy came in once to get her morning salad of greens and a second time to jump up on the desk to get some attention.  Once that was done, she retreated to the living room to enjoy the morning sun until I finished.

I had to leave to take the car in for some repairs, so Tommy got to spend a few hours alone.  When I returned, we spent some time together before I had to leave again to go to a movie.

When I got home, it was time for Tommy to have her dinner. It was still cold so I warmed it in the microwave. She didn’t want it right away which was odd, so I changed bowls and cooled it a little even though it didn’t seem that hot. She then deemed it well enough to eat and finished it off. 

She then came in to the study and stood by the grass. She can’t reach it (or at least hasn’t figured out a way yet). Since I had been gone so much I got it down and let her have a little. I hope this doesn’t constipate her because we’ve had that problem before.

After dinner Tommy was ready to crash for the night.  She played with her yellow ball a little. I attempted to get her to play with the fleece teaser, but she clearly wasn’t in the mood.  When it was time for bed, I got ready and went to bed wondering when I’d hear from Tommy during the night.

Thursday, November 13, 2014: An Early Morning and Company

Tommy still wasn’t sleeping on the bed when I woke up at 4:00. I went to check on her and there she was sitting up in the living room waiting for me.  I picked her up and took her into the bedroom. She didn’t fuss at all while I held her, so I thought that we were doing okay. She slept for a little while and then left, so I went back to sleep.

Tommy tried to wake me a few times between 5:00 and 6:30 when I finally arose. I got out her food and started getting the condo in order as we were going to have company later in the morning. Tommy supervised the dusting and sweeping, but left to leave me unsupervised during the vacuuming.

Tommy was very polite when our guest arrives and was very attentive at first. She checked out Michele’s scent, coat and purse. Once she understood that we’d be talking for a while, she moved to the ottoman to enjoy the sun and the sights.

When the delivery person arrives, I had the door wide open and Tommy came to investigate, but never got close to the door. Michele kept out her hand as a warning and Tommy followed the suggestion not to bolt to (or out of) the door. The sun had gone behind the clouds, so Tommy moved to the bedroom to nap.

Tommy spent the rest of the afternoon napping on the bed while our guest and I talked. She as again very well behaved when Michele went to say good bye.  The rest of the afternoon and evening Tommy spent on the top of her bungalow, coming out occasionally to eat or just investigate what I was doing.

When I went into the bedroom to watch television while lying on the bed, Tommy remained on the bungalow again occasionally leaving to eat or check around the house. I fell asleep on the bed and there I remained all night while Tommy slept on her bungalow.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014: Not Enough Time

Tommy came in sometime during the night and slept on the bed in her usual spot near my knees. I wasn’t sure when she’d arrived, but she was still sound asleep at 6:00 when I woke up. I tried to fall back to sleep, but Tommy must have figured out that I was awake because she soon was awake and let me know that she was hungry.

We handled the usual morning routine and then I left for class.  When I returned Tommy was enjoying the sun while curled up on the ottoman.  As I entered she just looked up. Usually she’d jump down, run toward me and greet me, but today she didn’t move. 

When I asked her why I didn’t get my usual greeting, she jumped down and sauntered about half the distance toward me before sitting down. This might have been the beginning of her “moody time,” so I walked over and petted her letting her know how happy I was to see her.

My class had been long both in length and depth of subject.  There were many notes to transcribe and many images to find, so I thought I’d better get to work.  I spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening working on the notes.

Tommy, of course, needed attention and she made sure that she got it. She also got fed at the normal time, but I knew that I probably wasn’t paying enough attention to her. I had a couple other things that needed my attention, so time just flew.

Before I knew it, it was 10:00 and we still hadn’t had a play session. I tried a few toys, but tommy didn’t engage in the session until I starting using the laser pointer.  We spent quite a bit of time playing before I needed to handle one last issue.

By the time I finished, it was almost 1:00 A.M. Tommy had given up long before and had gone to sleep on her rug in the living room.  I tried not to disturb her, but she did wake up as I was turning off the lights.  She didn’t move toward the bedroom, so I wasn’t sure if she’d be joining me later, or would just camp out on her rug.  I just knew that I needed sleep and wasn’t sure how long I’d have before Tommy would want my attention in the morning. I hope that she’d want to sleep later, but I wasn’t counting on it.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014: Tommy Time Has a New Twist

Tommy decided to sleep in the living room, but came in hourly starting at 4:00 to check on my sleep progress.  I finally gave up at 6:30 and got up. We handled the usual morning routine and then I went and worked on the computer in the study.

As I was working Tommy came in and joined me up on the desk. I was in the middle of uploading from my walking watch and writing the information on the desk calendar. Of course that area of the calendar was right where Tommy chose to sit.

Since given the choice of either working or spending time with Tommy, Tommy time always wins.  She kind of curls up in front of me around my arms and that’s about as close to being able to hug her as I usually can get, so I relish those moments. She only stirred once when the neighbors were leaving and she heard them talking. She likes to eavesdrop on hallway conversations, but this time chose to stay in the study to listen.

When she got restless I started printing my notes from class.  Tommy loves to watch the paper moving in and out of the printer.  When that was finished, so was she. She amused herself in the living room with her toy balls or napped in the bedroom.

While playing with one of the balls she dribbled it into the study. When it got caught in the electrical cords, she went and “hid” behind some books on the shelf.  Once I freed the ball from the cords, she was off again into the living room to continue playing and/or napping.

After lunch I was tired, so I decided to take a nap. Imagine my surprise when Tommy jumped up on the bed and decided that we’d both take a nap. As she laid curled up next to me, I thought that this was one of those moments that pet owners cherish.

When I woke up I knew that I needed to head to the fitness center and do some miles on the treadmill.  I thought that this was a good time to brush Tommy's teeth and we accomplished that task with only a few "fussy moments." Since I was leaving for the fitness center, Tommy decided to spend more time napping, but moved to the living room windows.

When I returned we worked on the computer. Actually I worked and Tommy just curled up on the desk and wanted attention. Again, this was one of those moments that I enjoy, so not as much work got accomplished.

I gave Tommy her dinner and I ate mine. We played a little and then I went to choir. She still hadn’t finished her dinner, but I figured that she was just saving some for later. I left a little early so I could stop at the pet store and pick up some new grass for Tommy.

When I opened the door upon my return, Tommy was waiting. She had finished her dinner and noticed the grass. She let me know that she’d appreciate a little late night snack/salad, so I let her have a little and promised that she could have more in the morning.

We had a final play session and after watching the news I went to bed.  I wasn’t sure if Tommy would join me or again stay in the living/dining room overnight.  I just knew that tomorrow would be an early and busy morning, so I needed to get some sleep.

Monday, November 10, 2014: Fleece Is Her Choice

Just as I was dozing off to sleep I heard Tommy calling out in the living room. She was making many different sounds, so I called to her to try to get her to come in the bedroom.  She stayed out there but quieted down, so I fell asleep.

I woke up a little after 3:00 A.M. and noticed that Tommy wasn’t in the bedroom. On my way back from the bathroom I checked on her. I found her under the dining room table, so I went over and talked to her while petting her. When she seemed calmer, I went back to the bedroom.

Later she appeared on the bed and did her usual on and off the bed activity. She would occasionally wake me up. One time she brought her face really close to mine and I thought I was about to get her wet nose greeting, but instead, she licked my face.  She’d never done that before, so I knew that we were doing great.

When it was time to get up, Tommy ate her breakfast and then reminded me that the grass had not been offered. I put it out and got ready for class. When I returned I checked around and saw that Tommy had eaten the treats that had been on the Brewers fleece, but not those on her bungalow.

She’s been napping on the bed since I added the light fleece on top.  Whenever she goes there, I know that it’s a good time to get some work done on the computer. If she feels the need, she comes in and checks up on me. I usually have WPR on the radio and when they were playing some accordion music, Tommy came flying in to investigate this new noise. It looked like she wasn’t a big fan of it.

I moved to the dining table and worked on the laptop to finish my class notes.  Tommy came up and sat on the chair next to me. She seemed to be attracted to technology although she quickly became bored and jumped down.

While she was walking around the condo, she ate some of her dry food. She hadn’t been eating much of it, so this was an accomplishment. There are times when she will quickly eat all her wet food as if she’s starving. I know that when she’s really hungry, she’ll eat her dry food.

We had our afternoon play session and she seemed to have an easier time jumping up on the bed now that the fleece had been added. After we finished, she went to groom, but couldn’t quite reach an area of her back.  I got out the “brush glove” which she sometimes attacks. Today, she accepted the brushing and actually seemed to enjoy it.

It was time to meet a friend for dinner. I put Tommy’s dinner in the study to warm up while I was gone.  She’d be eating a little later, but since she’d eaten some of her dry food, I wasn’t concerned.

When I returned I got out her food. She wasn’t sure what it was at first since it had come from the study, but once she saw what was in the dish, she ate her dinner. We didn’t have much activity the rest of the night. I tried to have an evening play session, but Tommy wasn’t interested in any toy that I used.

I fell asleep on the sofa and Tommy fell asleep on her rug. When I woke up and headed for bed, Tommy remained in the living room.  I wasn’t sure if she’d join me later, or if this was a living room night. Either way, I knew that she’d wake me up when she needed me.