Thursday, March 5, 2015: Sometimes Getting In Doesn’t Mean Getting Out

I woke up at 5:00 and Tommy stayed on the bed while I handled my personal issues. I went back to bed, but by 6:00, Tommy let me know that she thought it was time to exit the bedroom. I opened the door and let her go explore, play, etc. while I went back to sleep.

I was able to sleep until 7:00 when the heat came on and Tommy came in to get me out of bed. After feeding her I went and took care of the morning printing and posting.  Tommy came in to see me, but left when she saw what I was doing.

When I went to find her later, she couldn’t be found. I finally heard her crying in the bedroom. Somehow she had gotten under the bed and couldn’t get out. Once I moved some items, she came out.  I tried to find out how she was getting in there and blocked what I thought were the openings.

This happened three more times in the morning.  Each time there would be a cry, a box moved, and an escape. Each time I would also try to find another way that she could have gotten in and tried to block it.  I have no idea what’s going on with her today.

She hasn’t bothered with the area under the bed for months, but today she wanted to get under there even though she has plenty of hiding places. I even moved her special little box in the study so that I couldn’t see the opening from the desk.  I’m not sure if she’s reacting to the three days of company we had, but since we’re here alone she shouldn’t need to hide.

The rest of the morning proceeded without incident. We spent some time having a play session and Tommy also brought her “new” little mouse toy out in to the living area and put it by the green glass cat. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to share it, but after the glass cat didn’t move, Tommy started rubbing against it until it fell over. I was sitting close by so I righted the glass cat, but Tommy moved to the study.

Just when I thought that the under the bed issue was over, Tommy again got stuck under the bed.  This time, I put her in a secure area with food, water, litter box, and bed and moved enough boxes and other storage items under the bed that I filled the area.  With any luck this will finally settle the issue and I won’t have to keep rescuing her from her own devices.

Tommy spent some time sitting on my lap while I explained life to her. I know that she doesn’t understand what I’m saying, but I’m doing it for my own good.  Tommy doesn’t usually sit on my lap, so getting her to sit and let me pet her let her know that I wasn’t angry (just very frustrated) and that I loved her.  After a few tense moments I could tell that she calmed down and relaxed.  After I was sure that she was still relaxed, I let her down.

I gave her the hairball treats that she likes and put out the grass. She still seemed a little wary of me and probably was upset that she had lost (I hope) an area which got her into trouble and could potentially hurt her. I wasn’t sure how the rest of the day would go.

Tommy spent most of the time “staying out of my way.”  I felt bad that she was not seeking my attention, but I knew that I had to fix the under the bed problem before I needed to be gone for several hours and have her trapped under the bed.

When it was time for dinner I put out her food and she ate some of it.  I closed off the study where she had spent most of the afternoon.  I retreated to the bedroom since the DVR would not be able to record all the programs. I needed to watch a couple programs in real time.

While I was in the bedroom, Tommy moved to the sofa. I checked in occasionally just to reassure her, but I saw that she still wasn’t eating.  I put the food up on the sofa near her to see if that would help.

The next time that I came in, I saw that the food hadn’t been touched.  I went and sat next to her and petted her. While I was reassuring her, she moved to the bowl of food and started eating. She continued to eat until she had finished all the food.  She then let me know that she also didn’t want me to keep petting her, so I took the bowl and went back to the bedroom.

When it was time for bed, I closed up the condo and picked Tommy up to take her to the bedroom.  She allowed me to pick her up and didn’t fuss at all. When we got to the bedroom I put her down next to her snack which she quickly ate.

Once she was finished, she jumped down and went back to the living room.  I put out a little more of her snack on the plate on the bed just in case she decided to return. I was pretty sure that she’d sleep in the living area and I would be alone on the bed which is the usual setup when Tommy is upset with me.