Monday, August 18, 2014: Another Visitor Who Comes Bearing a Gift

Tommy woke up at her usual 4:00 time and seemed to be irritated. I tried to calm her down, but it didn’t last long.  I continued to be awakened occasionally and finally gave up at 6:45 A.M. I started the day with the usual routine, but Tommy didn’t want to be petted, so I knew that I’d get a lot done while I waited for her mood to change. I finished the puzzles and started making bread. Tommy surprised me by coming over to watch. She stayed away from the pantry/closet when I asked her so I could get out the big mixer. When I left the whip attachment on the cart, Tommy jumped up to check it out. Unfortunately she also licked it, so I had another item to wash.

She sat quietly and watched while I was in the kitchen. After I put the dough in the bowl to rise, Tommy decided that it was time for a nap and headed to the bedroom to sleep under the bed while I headed to the computer. I got everything I needed to do on the computer and shaped the dough into loaves.  Tommy didn’t reappear until the bread was baked and then she was curious about the aroma.

In the afternoon we played in between cleaning and preparing for company.  When my friend stopped over to meet Tommy all went well. Tommy as always impressed the company and even rubbed her head against my friend’s legs. We thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that my friend had cats and Tommy was just letting her cats know that she had been with Tommy.

We went out for dinner and when we returned Tommy was again a good hostess. In fact, I swear she understands English. When my friend and I were talking about Tommy not liking to be picked up or sit on someone’s lap, my friend picked her up and put her on her lap. Tommy waited a moment and then jumped down. She then came over to me and jumped on my lap. I wasn’t sure if she was showing me that she knew to whom she was loyal or that she was just trying to be fair and sit on both laps. She didn’t stay on my lap very long either, but as they say, “It’s the thought that counts!”

After my friend left, Tommy was given a treat of some home grown catnip that my friend had brought over for Tommy. She devoured it and then seemed to be a bit aggressive. I left her alone and worked in the kitchen. When I finished, she was on her dining room chair and seemed much calmer. I petted her and let her know that all was well.

We spent a quiet evening and then headed to bed early since Tommy was already falling asleep. She seemed to get a second wind once we got in the bedroom but settled down again after showing me that it was too early to be in bed. I know that sooner or later she’ll be sound asleep next to me on the bed.

Sunday, August 17, 2014: A Morning Surprise

As usual Tommy wakes me up during the night as she goes through her overnight routines. I wake up a couple other times on my own and each time I see that she is right there next to me and has at least one if not both of her forepaws on my arm.  When we wake up in the morning I give her my usual “air kisses,” but this time she surprises me first by bringing her paw near my lips. I, of course oblige, and kiss the tops of her forepaws. She then brings her face up to me and “kisses” me back. It was so sweet. I never thought I’d wake up and get a good morning kiss from a cat. While I’m used to her rubbing and licking me, this was an unexpected but happy surprise.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon goes well. We have play time and actually run around the condo with the fleece teaser. We both could probably use a little more exercise.  Tommy is also staking out a place in the condo based on my activity. When I’m talking on the phone she usually sits on her dining room chair or on the floor and waits for me to finish. If I talk too long though I can expect her to let me know that it’s time to end the conversation.

I also need to practice for choir rehearsal. As I’m singing with the MP3 player and the keyboard both blaring, Tommy seeks shelter in the bedroom. I also partially close the door so there’s more of a buffer. I leave it open enough so that if she wants to join in or watch, she can.  She has yet to venture out of the bedroom when I’m practicing.

I get ready to leave for rehearsal. Tommy sits on the bed and waits for her treats.  She looks up as I leave but doesn’t try to make a break for the living room. I promise that I’ll return as soon as possible and head out. I think she’s glad to see me leave for a while as we’ve bumped into each other a few times this morning.

When I return all is well. Tommy is glad to see me and wants some attention. After giving her the attention, she allows me to eat, but as I finish she brings over Mr. Rat, a stuffed toy that my sisters gave her. This is her way of letting me know that it’s time to play.  I still haven’t figured out why she brings Mr. Rat over since there’s really no way for us to play with him together.  We’ve tried and Tommy just doesn’t seem interested. We play with the fleece teaser and laser pointer until Tommy climbs up on her dining room chair and curls up to take a nap.

When it’s time for bed, Tommy again thinks it’s too early, but is lured into the bedroom with a treat that she left on the bed. I settle in to sleep and Tommy settles in to do whatever she does during the night.

Saturday, August 16, 2014: Strike a Pose

Tommy wakes me up during the night and this time I can’t figure out why. I think she just wanted to remind me that she was also on the bed and I need to be careful about how I move. When morning comes, she’s sitting by the window waiting for me to get up and take care of her needs. That is of course why I’m around and tolerated, isn’t it?

I have rehearsal this morning so everything needs to be done quickly. I don’t think that Tommy going to appreciate having the master suite to herself again. We did get some play time in before I left, but as always, Tommy could sense that I was leaving and would make a mad dash for the suite doorway whenever I was near it. Treats always lure her on to the bed where I can tell her goodbye and that I will return. This time I get smart and put the treats down one at a time and move closer to the door as I toss each one on the bed.

When I return Tommy scolds and wants to stick close by but doesn’t want to be petted. I hope that it had something to do with the heat. She lounges for a while by the balcony screen door and strikes a pose.  The rest of the afternoon she naps near me while I work on the computer. I have to leave to pick up a friend and take him to pick up his car, so I’m sure Tommy won’t appreciate the “alone time.”

The evening was spent relatively quietly except for some much needed play time. When It was time for bed, I picked Tommy up and she didn’t squirm around like she usually would do. I think that she was just as ready for bed as I was. Maybe she had been partying and playing too much while I was gone.

Friday, August 15, 2014: A Bed Rediscovered

Tommy doesn’t wake up during the night, or at least she doesn’t wake me up. When morning comes, she’s sitting by the window although I know that she was sleeping on the bed. This isn’t a good sign. I seems she’s upset with me, but after a treat and some petting she’s less upset. I give her a little alone time while I work on the computer. This usually reminds her about how good it is to have me around the condo.

Tommy spends the morning running between the study when she wants my attention and the living room when she wants to be alone.  A friend stops by for an impromptu visit and Tommy puts on a show. She’s very well behaved (most of the time), but sometimes the kitty entertainer shows up and she does some climbing that she’s never done before.  She even naps in her bed in the living room which she hasn’t been in (other than to knead or walk through) since her first day here.

The afternoon is spent either napping or playing. A clear plastic blind pull in the study gets her attention for a moment, but then she realizes I’m typing and she needs to get my attention. As the afternoon continues we vary our activity between playing and napping. It seems that now that Tommy has rediscovered her bed in the living room, she enjoys spending time in it when the sun comes through the windows.

In the evening I have to leave to attend a dinner and when I return it’s the usual scolding and petting. We play for quite a while before I head to bed. Tommy still isn’t ready to settle down, but I’m sure that she will amuse herself and come up on the bed later to sleep.

Thursday, August 14, 2014: My Assistant, Tommy, Helps Me Type

Tommy woke up a couple times during the night. Each time she ended up by my head getting comforted and petted. She always calmed down and would lick my hand and then rest her head or one of her paws on my arm. It was easy for both of us to go back to sleep. When she was on the floor whether getting a snack, water or scratching her post, she’d always “announce” that she was coming back up on the bed. When I’d acknowledge her, she’d jump up. I guess she didn’t want to surprise me and possibly get accidentally pushed off the bed.

When we get up in the morning Tommy is unusually clingy. She sits by me at the computer and follows me wherever I go. It finally dawns on me that we hadn’t played last night and maybe Tommy wanted to play. Sure enough, when I got out the fleece strip teaser she was all over it for about 20 minutes. She sometimes had to stop for grooming, but usually would keep the strip under one paw. My favorite part is when she’s on her back and trying to grab it. She looks so intent…sorry there’s no photo, it’s too hard to coordinate the camera and her movements.

I continue to work at the computer with my assistant. Tommy likes to lay in front of the keyboard and once in a while her butt will add a line of spaces, 0’s or 1’s to the section I’m narrating.  I haven’t figured out how she does the 1’s yet as the 1 key is above the 0 on the number pad. She also likes to lay by the study window which gets the best afternoon sunlight.

After dinner I left to attend a fund raiser. When I return Tommy is happy(?) to see me. Once we finish our usual “I’m back!” rituals Tommy and I play for a little while but she doesn’t want to play for very long. We head to bed even though I can tell that she’s not ready. With any luck, she’ll amuse herself until she’s ready to sleep.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014: A Peaceful Sign

Tommy again woke up around 4:00, and seemed very nervous or scared. She even hopped up on the bed near my head. It took some time, but with much petting and a quiet voice, she finally calmed down and just curled up near me.  It didn’t last long, but I’m glad she felt better. How do I know she was better? She pushed the bottle of water I keep on the nightstand down onto the floor to play with it.  Fortunately I always keep it capped, so no harm, no foul!

When we wake up Tommy seemed to be in a good mood. I was hoping that we would have another good day. All seemed to be going well, when as I was petting her, Tommy again tried to bite. Right after the attempt and my scolding, she crouched down on all fours which made me think that she knew she had done something wrong. I left the room as I always do and went to print the morning puzzles (a good excuse).

When I opened the door and returned to the living room, I found Tommy in a very submissive pose. She was on her side and kind of curled up, but it wasn’t her normal “sleeping in a ball” position. When I went to her I petted her and talked to her very quietly. There was no biting and at times she extended a paw to touch my other hand. I could tell that she knew her behavior was wrong and wanted to make amends. After a few minutes, she finally got up and all went back to normal.

Tommy was pretty quiet throughout the morning. I’m not sure if using the pheromone spray on the sofa to stop her scratching had any effect on her.  At one point she was laying in the dining room and as I walked by I got down and petted her to let her know that all was well. She started licking my fingers which usually leads to a bite, but this time after she finished licking my fingers she started grooming herself. I’m glad I trusted her this time and let her prove herself. She tried once more later, but I think it was my fault for not catching her signs about where she wanted (and didn’t want) to be petted.

I spent much of my day doing some organizing and trying to find my bank bag that has all my important documents. It took quite a while and of course Tommy wanted to help. She climbed around the closets and “helped” look in all the drawers. We found it; it had fallen behind something.  Tommy was pretty tired, so as I was finishing up, she took a nap in the sun by the study window.

This may seem a bit bizarre, but we’ve had relative peace for a few days now, and today my peace lily started unfolding a flower for the first time in four years. It’s a special plant to me as it was given to me by my local union when my father died. I thought I’d killed it when I went on vacation four years ago. I tried reviving it, but it didn’t come back and after cutting all the dead leaves off (which were the only leaves there were) I couldn’t bear to throw it out.  A month later just when I thought the soil had finally dried out, a shoot appeared.  It’s come back, but hadn’t flowered until now.  I guess it’s a sign that Tommy and I are finally settling in to a peaceful coexistence.

When I start transcribing my grandfather’s diary by dictating into the computer, Tommy decides that there’s be less noise in the closet and naps there. Most of the rest of the evening Tommy spends on the dining room chair, but expects attention (which she receives) whenever I come near. The day ends peacefully as we head to bed.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014: A Bit of Progress Is Made

Tommy woke up around 4:00 and once again I reminded her that I don’t do extremely early morning.  When I wake up at 7:00, Tommy seems friendly but doesn’t do her usual morning wake up; she just sits near my feet.  We handle all the normal morning items and I prepare to leave for a meeting.

Tommy just sits on the bed, but when I go to say goodbye she darts under the bed.  When I return there’s the usual complaining, petting and treating.  Tommy also spends a considerable amount of time head rubbing my legs and feet. I can tell that she’s glad that I’ve returned.

We play in the afternoon for a while, but Tommy still occasionally darts away without and provocation. Sometimes I think that she’s afraid of shadows or she hears things that I can’t hear.  Whatever the reason we alternate between playing and “running away.” Darlene from Happy Endings No Kill Shelter (Tommy’s previous home) sends me a message about Tommy’s behavior and gives me some suggestions. One of my reasons for writing this blog is to get advice and Darlene comes through again!

I leave to go with friends to our usual Tuesday movie. We’re going earlier than usual, so I’ll be home for dinner.  With any luck, Tommy will feel better about being left during her usual afternoon nap time.

When I return Tommy again spends a considerable amount of time scolding me and then head rubbing my legs.  Tommy also jumps up on the sofa occasionally to sit by me and of course get the attention that she feels that she deserves. Although she stills spends some time on the dining room chair which is a safe place for her, I’m glad that she’s at least spending some time sitting near me.

She also continues to let me pet her without biting me.  I can tell at times that she’s ready to bite, but either I stop quickly enough or she’s trying to hold back. I hope that she’s finally starting to learn not to bite.

We again get to spend time playing and then it’s time for bed.  Today has been a better day and I feel that we’re finally starting to make some progress towards Tommy feeling calm and secure here (and of course only biting/chewing her food and not her owner).