Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I woke up during the night and unfortunately Tommy thought that this was her cue to get her day started.  After a couple hours of frequent reminders, I finally got up at 6:30 and fed her. She had eaten earlier in the day yesterday, so I was sure that she was hungry.

I went back to bed, but at 7:00 when the heat came on, Tommy came in and jumped up on the bed to let me know that I needed to get up.  After some petting and assurance, she left me alone for almost another hour, only stopping in once during that time to check up on me by jumping on the bed near my head and “announcing” that she was waiting.

Once I got up and completed my morning chores, Tommy seemed to settle down. Although we still hadn’t had our morning play session, I’m sure that she was at least glad to see me moving. We had a short play session before settling down on our respective morning spots, her on the perch of her scratching post and me on the sofa.

After Tommy went for a nap on the bed, I went and completed some of my transcribing before getting ready for lunch with friends.  Tommy had moved to the sofa as I got ready. I put out her hairball treat(ment). As I left she was curled up on the sofa ready to begin her late morning to early afternoon nap.

When I returned, she was curled up on the sofa, but came over to greet me.  I had received a package, so she explored not on y the contents but also the packing materials and the box. She was very curious about the Talking Stefon, especially when he talked to her. I decided to leave him out and see what she would do. After the initial novelty wore off, she left Stefon sitting alone on the chair.

I put out her grass so she could have a snack. We then spent a quiet afternoon first playing and then just lying on a sunny portion of the floor.  I was even able to take a nap in that spot.  The sun felt so good; I understand why Tommy likes to find a sunny spot in the condo to relax.

When it was time for dinner we both had our dinner and then settled on the sofa for the night.  About an hour after Tommy’s first serving she had her second serving of dinner and ate quite a bit of it. Putting it out in smaller portions has considerably reduced the amount of waste from the food being left out and unrefrigerated.  I’m very careful about not leaving her dinner out too long although I had to just leave it when I was gone to Chicago for several hours and either she finished it while it was still “safe” or when it was beyond the “safe” time and it didn’t affect her.

I tried to get in one last play session before bed, but Tommy didn’t seem to want to play. Once we went into the bedroom, she did let me hug her before putting her on the bed for her snack which she quickly ate. Once I got into bed, Tommy jumped down and began some late night exercising. 

She jumped up and climbed on the bungalow before jumping back down and tearing around the bed. This was repeated several time with her also spending time on the top of the bungalow swatting at a hanging ball that she’d been ignoring lately.  If I didn’t know her better I would have thought that she was a crazed cat.

While she was running around I decided to read since I knew that sleep wouldn’t happen for either of us while she was running around.  Once she finally settled down and curled up on the top of the bungalow, I said good night and turned off the lights. I now that before morning, she will be curled up at my feet sound asleep.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

I woke up around 6:15 and Tommy was again still asleep on the bed. I got up and went to the bathroom. Tommy woke up and moved to the door. She probably thought that it was time to start the day.

After a quick petting I went back to sleep until right before the heat came on. By that time Tommy was sitting up near my feet and let me know that it was time to get moving.  I got up and gave her a portion of her breakfast which she ate while I worked on the morning chores and postings.

When I came back out I saw that she was finished her meal, so I put out the other morning portion. She was sitting by the balcony door, so I got out the fleece teaser and we had a short play session. I love to watch her get into her stance right before she pounces on the teaser. She wiggles her little butt before she pounces. After the session I worked on continuing the morning activities while Tommy moved to the bungalow to rest. 

When I came back out almost all of her canned food had been eaten and she was sitting on the perch of her scratching post near the balcony door. This gave her a great view of a lot of the surrounding areas outside. I worked on the laptop at the dining table while she surveyed the areas outside.

As I worked she jumped down and came over to say hi before starting her morning jog around the condo. She then jumped up on the scratching post perch before moving to the sofa to curl up for her late morning nap.  Once I finished my work I joined her on the sofa.

Later in the afternoon, Tommy jumped down from the sofa and after checking out the action outside from her perch, she came up to me to let me know that we needed to do something.  I got up and followed her into the study.

I thought that she wanted a play session, but she went and sprawled out in front of the window to enjoy the sun.  When I got close she rolled over on her back which meant that it was time for a neck/chest petting.  Once that was done, she laid down next to me. I took a short nap listening to her purring and occasionally feeling the light touch of her paw on my hand or arm.

I hated to get up since I was enjoying her company and the sun, but I needed to get ready to leave for a cabaret concert in Chicago with friends.  When I left the study, Tommy followed me out and went to eat some grass and enjoy the sun on the rug in the living room.

While I got ready, Tommy sat behind the grass on the floor. I wasn’t sure if she was using it to hide or guarding it. I finally had to put it away, but got out her dinner and put it in the bedroom where she would be staying while I was gone. She followed me into the bedroom when I took in her food. I’m sure that she realized that I was leaving.

When I returned it was a little after midnight. I was really tired, but I could tell the Tommy needed some attention before I went to bed. One thing I noticed was that she had eaten her dinner which I was happy to see.  She hadn’t been eating her dinner if I was gone, so this was a big improvement.

Since the study door was open, Tommy led me into the room where we had a really good and long play session.  Tommy was reluctant to go back into the bedroom, but once she realized that it was time for bed, she scooted in and waited for me at the doorway. I’m sure that she wanted to make sure that I was also going into the bedroom and not leaving her again.

I picked her up and gave her a big hug. She didn’t fuss at all so I got to hold her for quite a while.  I put her on the bed where she found and ate her snack. I got into bed and said good night knowing that morning would arrive way too early for me.

Monday, February 23, 2015: A New Cue that Tommy’s Done Playing.

I woke up around 5:00 and Tommy was still asleep on the bed. I got up and went to the bathroom. Although Tommy woke up, she never moved from the bed. She probably knew that it was too early to start the day.

After a quick ear petting I went back to sleep until around 6:30 when Tommy checked to make sure that I remembered that it was close to breakfast time.  There was one more awakening before the heat came on.

We did the usual morning routine before Tommy was ready for a play session.  We had a good session with the light and the air pillows. Once Tommy was finished and ready to nap, she flipped over on her side and her head ended up on one of the pillows. I wished that she had stayed there long enough to get a picture, but by the time I grabbed my phone, tommy had moved to the bedroom to continue her nap.

After I finished posting and doing the day’s transcription, I went to the sofa to catch up on programs on the DVR. While I was watching, Tommy came out and curled up next to me on the sofa.  It looked like she was also hooked on Downton Abbey and wanted to learn about Spring Green from John McGivern.

I needed to get ready for class, so I went to shower and get dressed. Tommy remained on the sofa while I ran around. She only got down when I put out her hairball treats. Once they were gone, she went back to the sofa where she stayed when I left.

When I returned, she was on the sofa, but jumped down and trotted toward the door. I always love to see her enthusiasm when I return. I got out her grass and also took her food out of the refrigerator so it could lose its chill.

Once I was done we had a short play session before Tommy moved to the top of her bungalow to rest.  Occasionally I would stop in and say hi or she would come out to eat. I completely lost track of time until I noticed that it was well after 11:00.  It was time for bed.

I closed everything down while Tommy watched.  She sat under the chair in the study and stayed there when I turned out the lights.  I wasn’t until I said “Out!” that she moved and I could close the door.  She sometimes does allow me to believe that she’s obeying commands, but I know that she’s just humoring me.

She did the same thing in the main room, staying under the table until I said “Let’s Go!”  She then ran into the bedroom.  I put out her snack, picked her up and gave her a good night hug before putting her on the bed by her snack. She ate most of it while I got into bed. She jumped down from the bed before finishing her snack.  Since she hadn’t finished her dinner, I moved the little plastic lid with the remaining snacks on the floor near her by the bed.  I could tell that she wasn’t ready to settle in, so I turned off the lights and went to sleep knowing that sooner or later she’d probably curl up on the bed near my feet.

Sunday, February 22, 2015: Oscar Night

I was awakened about 4:15 A.M. by the sound of Tommy preparing to throw up.  She hasn’t had many incidents of stomach distress until two cases this week.  It looked like another hair/fur case, so it was quickly cleaned and Tommy was soothed.

We went back to bed and as I was falling back to sleep I could hear Tommy purring as she settled in by my feet. I was happy to hear her contented and happy. I fell back to sleep not to be reawakened by Tommy until around 6:40.

Once the heat came on, Tommy made sure that I got up and got her breakfast ready. I finished my chores and then Tommy and I had a short play session.  I put the sheets in the washing machine half expecting Tommy to move away from the noise and to the bedroom, but she remained in the main room and sat up on top of her scratching post enjoying the sunlight.

We had played with the fleece teaser in the main room and a while later I noticed that Tommy had pulled it near her. This was my cue to play. While she stayed on her back I dangled the fleece above her. She batted it around with her paws before grabbing it followed by chewing and pulling on the end. When she was finished playing she went to the bedroom to have a nap on the bed.

I had to run to the grocery store and Tommy remained in the bedroom napping. When I returned, she came out to greet me. After a short petting session Tommy settled on the sofa. I wanted to catch her before she fell asleep, so I picked her up and brought her over to the dining table. She was very still while I rubbed the dental wipe on her teeth.

When we finished she got her treat and grass was put out. After she ate her lunch, she went back on the sofa to finish her afternoon nap. While she slept I started getting ready for the Oscar viewing/dinner. My friends who had been here on Friday were coming back so I hoped that Tommy would spend a bit more time with us.

When company arrived, Tommy came out to greet them although I still think that she was being very cautious. During the night as we watched the Oscars and ate, Tommy alternated her time among the bedroom study and main room.

A couple times she came over and sat on the ottoman next to the chair I was in. She also spent some time near the other guests. I was glad to see that she was more comfortable with my friends and not hiding in a different room. She probably spent as much time in the room with the humans as she does when I’m the only one home.

Once the company left, Tommy let me know that we needed to have a play session. We spent some time in the study chasing the light and then moved to the main room and bedroom to chase the flashlight and laser lights.

Tommy was nice enough to give me some time to put away the food before we played and put the dishes in the dishwasher and do some general clean up after the pay session.  Once all my work was done, we had one more short play session before a good night hug and snack. Once again when Tommy was done with her snack, she remained on the bed and curled up at my feet to sleep.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

We didn’t wake up until around 6:30 and then Tommy made sure that when the heat came on I rose and took care of her needs. Once the morning tasks were completed and we had our morning play session, I began the laundry which is too noisy for Tommy, so she went to enjoy the quiet of the bedroom.

Occasionally during the morning, Tommy would check up on me either by coming out to the main room or staring at me from the bed whenever I went into the bedroom suite.  She made an appearance when I was talking to my sister on the phone. I’ll bet that she wanted to know to whom I could be talking if not her.

We had a very quiet day. It was quite productive for me since Tommy spent her time either napping or hanging out with me. At one point in the afternoon Tommy jumped up on the desk to remind me of her presence.  She likes to flirt with danger up on the desk by getting very close to the desk lamp which has a very hot bulb.

Tommy once got a bit too close and her nose probably got a bit hot, so she’s usually careful. As she walked passed the light she stopped when her tail was close to the light. She stayed there and before I could get her to move, her tail swished against the light. There was a definite odor of burned hair. Since she still hadn’t moved I assumed that a couple pieces of airborne hair from her tail had come in contact with the bulb.

Since she didn’t flinch or even seem to notice I knew that it wasn’t serious. Still I examined her tail and it appeared to be fine. We’re going to have to be a little more careful and vigilant when Tommy’s tail gets near the light. 

The rest of the day and evening were spent quietly working, napping, eating, and watching television. When it was time for bed Tommy at first remained on a dining chair, but after the last light went out and I headed for the bedroom, she raced passed me.

As usual she let me pick her up to say good night.  When I put her on the bed she ate her snack.  As she finished, I was getting into bed and rather than jumping down and either going to the top of her bungalow or some other area of the bedroom, she curled up at my feet. It seemed that we were both ready for a good night’s sleep.

Friday, February 20, 2015: Another Early Morning

Tommy started waking me up at 5:15 and continued about every half hour until she began in earnest around 6:25. She hadn’t eaten much the previous day and I could tell that she had already eaten most of her dry food in the bedroom. I knew that she was probably hungry so I got up and let her out into the main room which had more dry food for her. I went back to sleep.

When the heat came on, Tommy was back on the bed to wake me up. This time I needed to get up and complete my morning kitty tasks. Once she had some food, she came by me in the study and we had a short play session with the light and air pillows. When she was fed and played out, she retreated to her bungalow in the bedroom for her morning nap.

I hadn’t put out her usual amount of food since she had just eaten much of her dry food. At 9:00 I put out the remaining portion of her morning canned food and let her know that brunch was served. She came out and ate more of her food. With only a little left I was satisfied and discarded the remainder.

Tommy and I went into the study and had a short play session. When she just sat there I knew that I could do some work. As she sat there, the heat came on in the study and Tommy jumped up on the bed case to investigate.  Once she got a good smell, she jumped off the case and scooted out of the room.

She came back into the study and went under the desk. I guess she realized that I hadn’t followed her.  Once she was reassured, she went to her usual sitting spots, under the keyboard and near the window. I’m not sure if she was hoping for sunshine or outside activity.

Later Tommy went to the bedroom and started her nap on the bungalow, but later moved to the bed. I got ready and left to get a haircut.  When I returned Tommy was still napping. In fact she napped until her dinner time which was right before friends were coming over to watch Boyhood.

When my friends arrived, Tommy was very curious but also very shy. Usually she joins in and sits with us, but tonight she hung back and spent most of the time in either the bedroom or the study. She would come out occasionally and sit far away and watch. Once she did come through between the two places where I usually sit, but my friends were now occupying.  She backed away and didn’t come over by me since I was sitting farthest away from her.

Once the company left, Tommy got some attention, but she just wanted to sit in the study. I sat in the living room and watched a program before getting ready for bed.  When it was time for bed, Tommy went in the bedroom once all the rooms were shut down.

I picked her up and gave her a big hug before letting her down on the bed. She ate her treat and then sat on the bed until I was settled under the covers. Maybe this was her way of tucking me in.  She went to the bungalow, but surprisingly soon joined me on the bed ready to go to sleep.

Thursday, February 19, 2015: A New Toy

Last night I turned the heat up and thought that I put the thermostat back to the automatic, but during the night I noticed that the heat came on which usually doesn’t happen. By 6:00 we had both been waking up for a while and Tommy  couldn’t decide if she should go back to sleep up on the bed or somewhere else and whether she should be trying to wake me and get me to get out of bed.  She was so confused that I decided to get up and get out her breakfast.

She ate some of her meal and then went back to sleep up on her bungalow. I stayed up and decided that I could get quite a bit done if I started early, so that what I did.  While Tommy slept I completed transcriptions and postings, puzzles and burning a DVD. Tommy must have come out and eaten some more if her breakfast while I worked.

When the sun was shining throughout the condo, Tommy moved to the living room and sat on the top of her scratching post to oversee outside her “queendom.”  She would occasionally come over and let me know that she was aware of my presence and would let me know when I was needed.

As she headed to the study, she called out to me and turned around to make sure that I was following.  We played a little, but it seemed like Tommy just wanted to sit in the sun, so I went back to clearing the DVR.

When Tommy came out again, I decided that it was time to brush her teeth. Tommy let me brush her teeth although I had a little trouble brushing her back teeth so it took a bit longer. Once we were finished, Tommy ate her hairball treats and a couple blades of grass.

Later I saw her sitting in the sun near the desk. When I went to join her, she turned over onto her back and she got a good rubbing/petting on her chest and neck.  We also spent a little time playing again with the fleece.

After that she sat on her rug in the living area where there was still a small sliver of sun. As I watched the news I realized that Tommy’s dinner should have lost its chill. I wondered if she was hungry, and as I broke up her food in the dish, Tommy came running out.

She started eating her dinner as I worked on the laptop on the dining table. Unfortunately the light wasn’t great, so I turned on the flashlight to see an entry in a diary appendix.  Tommy thought that I was signaling to play and so she abandoned her dinner and jumped on the table.

I told her to finish her dinner and she went and sulked. When I finished the entries I went to put the finished diary in the box in the study closet. Tommy came to help and a double air packing pillow drifted down. I had an idea.

I separated the two air pillows and put them on the floor. I got down so that my glasses refracted light onto the floor in one of the pillows. Tommy started trying to catch the light and as she pushed the pillow away, I made sure that the light continued to move with the air pillow. We had so much fun playing with the light and the pillows. When I needed to stop to eat dinner I put the pillows away so that Tommy wouldn’t accidentally pounce on one and burst it. I wanted to be near if that happened while we were playing so I could reassure her as I know that she’d probably get scared by the noise.

I went and ate my dinner, but Tommy still didn’t touch any more of her meal.  When I placed the dish by her in the study, she did eat a bit more. No matter what I did, it seemed that she was finished with her meal. Since she also hadn’t finished her morning meal I was surprised that she didn’t finish her evening meal.

I left it out while I did the dishes giving her one last chance before I would need to dispose of it since it had been out for a while.  When I finished the dishes she still hadn’t touched any more of it, so I dumped it and washed her dish.

Once the dishes were done, I moved toward the study and Tommy bolted ahead of me. We had another rousing session with the light and the air pillows. We didn’t play as long but Tommy again was quite enthusiastic. She seemed like a kitten again as we played.

Once she grew tired of playing and only wanted to watch the light, I put the air pillows away. I wasn’t about to continue twisting If she wanted me to do that she’d also have to put forth some effort.

I finished another diary appendix while Tommy chilled in the study.  After I finished I went into the study and Tommy came over to me. I could tell that we were both tired and as I closed down the study, Tommy moved toward the door. After closing down the main room, we headed into the bedroom. It was time to sleep.

Tommy let me pick her up and give her a big good night hug without any fussing. When I put her down on the bed, she ate her snack, then jumped down and came over by my side of the bed. When she saw that I was getting in bed, she went up on her bungalow to chill out for a while before she would curl up near my feet on the bed.