Monday, October 13, 2014: Back to the Pro Plan Canned Food

I woke up a couple times during the night, and each time I did I noticed that Tommy was asleep by my head.  Either she’s really good at anticipating when I’m going to wake up and she quickly gets in place, or she’s staying in that spot for most of the night. I’m glad that even after I had been gone for several hours during the day, she still was sleeping on the bed at night.

When we got up in the morning I put out Tommy’s grass and then took the bag that had the rest of her canned food into the study with me. I hoped that it would warm up enough so that the princess would eat it. The last two days have been a struggle to get her to eat.  It appears that she doesn’t care for the Blue Buffalo Brand. During the night she did eat some of the dry food. It’s rather crunchy and I usually wake up if she “picks the right time” to eat.

After I completed printing the puzzles and checking my email, I went back in and got her food ready.  I put it down for her and you would have thought I had done something really mean to her.  She started yelling/complaining all the time looking at either me or the dish of food.  This was the same food that she had (reluctantly?) eaten yesterday.

After she finished her tirade (which lasted for several minutes), she went into the bedroom and sulked (my words, not hers!) under the bed. I couldn’t imagine having this reaction when she was given food and I knew that it couldn’t continue. It was time to settle on the kind of food I knew that she had liked during this little experiment.

Off I went to Petco to get her the Purina Pro Plan classic meals that she had eaten during the first few days of the “canned food experiment.” Fortunately when I got to the store I learned that the food was on sale and if I bought 15 cans or more there was a 25% discount. I quickly picked up 20 cans and also got her some more hairball control treats.  As I left I checked in with Stephanie to see what her schedule was like since Tommy’s nails needed clipping again. (Tommy & I need to get tot eh point where she trusts me enough and I’m confident enough to clip her nails.)

When I returned with the food, tommy came out and acted like she was ready to eat. I put the food in the dish and gave it to her. She immediately started eating it and finished half of the contents before taking a break. She was definitely in a better mood, so I decided that maybe now would be a good time to try to brush her teeth.

I followed the directions and put a little bit of paste on my finger and offered it to her.  She didn’t lick it off like the directions said that she would.  I put a small bit on the brush and tried to start brushing her teeth. After a short “struggle” Tommy “escaped” and went under the bed. Day one of the brushing experience had been a failure, so I’ll try again tomorrow.

It took a while to coax Tommy out from under the bed.  She saw that there was nothing in my hands, but peeked out and looked up to make sure that I didn’t have the brush near. When she finally felt that I was telling the truth and had given up for the day, she came out and joined me in the living room.

Later I figured since she was already upset with me for trying to brush her teeth I might as well vacuum. I got the living room vacuumed while Tommy was under the bed. It took some coaxing to get her out from under there so I could vacuum the bedroom. Once I finished all the rooms, it again took a while for Tommy to venture out.

When it was time for dinner, I put her dish with the food, that I’d taken out of the refrigerator a while before so it would come up to room temperature, on the floor. She was ready to eat and so I left her in peace while I worked.

When she was finished she joined me up on the desk.  I put my arm on the desk and Tommy curled up against it. We spent quite some time with her purring and me petting her and enjoying the closeness and trust.  When she heard a strange noise, it was time to investigate and she was gone.

Later I ate my dinner which Tommy thought was a second helping for her. Since it was a salad she quickly left me to eat alone. While I cleaned up and did dishes, Tommy took a nap.  Later she let me know that she was hungry and I brought her dry food to her. She ate a little of it, but it was clear that this was not the kind of food that she wanted.

Once she was back eating her preferred canned food, she no longer felt a need to try to bite me. All hostility was gone and she was back to being the affectionate cat that I’d been used to seeing.  We’re still working on meshing our schedules, but I’m sure that sooner or later we’ll get the play times, nap times, and bed times in synch.

We were able to play and enjoy the evening. When it was time for bed, Tommy decided that she wasn’t quite ready. I had to corral her, semi-blocking her movements until she finally gave up and ran into the bedroom. Once there everything was fine, so we settled in and I went to sleep.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

I woke up during the night to find Tommy again at my side. After she also woke up and got some attention, she decided to jump down and play with her foil ball and eat, two activities that make a lot of noise. Somehow I still fell back to sleep.

When I woke up again in the morning, Tommy was nowhere to be found which told me that she was under the bed.  When I called for her she darted toward the door and after I opened the door went right to her rug. She knew that her morning meal would begin with grass. I went and got the grass and while she enjoyed it I handled some personal needs.

When I returned and headed toward the kitchen, Tommy raced passed me. She knew that I would be getting out her canned food. While I got it ready she eagerly jumped around me and stood on her hind legs trying to see what was happening.  When I started to walk away with the bowl in my hand, she went right to the area of the carpet where I’ve been putting her meal.  This girl sure knows the routine.

I usually remove her grass while she eats, but I decided to make coffee first.  Tommy took advantage of the situation and went back to the grass for a second helping. She knew that I would leave the bowl of food out, smart kitty! Once she finished I immediately put the grass away. She finished her meal while I typed.

When she was finished she came over and rubbed against my legs. I’m sure that this was her way of thanking me for being a good man servant. She then went back into the bedroom for her first morning nap while I got ready to leave for two walks in which I participate. It was the first time that they had been scheduled on the same day.

When I was ready to leave, I found Tommy under the bed and said goodbye. I had left a few treats around the room. My hope was that she would venture out from under the bed and do some exploring while I was gone.

When I returned I was greeted by a cat who was happy to see me, but seemed to want to be fed. I checked in the bedroom and found that she hadn’t touched her dry food. I took the dish out of the container and put it near her. She ate some of it. I knew that she eats the dry food during the night and afternoon, so this shouldn’t have been an issue.

I tried to get her to play, but she wasn’t interested. She wanted to be petted, but as I petted her, she suddenly tried to bite me.  I could tell that she was now “in a mood,” so I left her alone.

When it was time for her dinner I got out her food and waited for it to come to near room temperature before putting it out. I’d learned my lesson about cold entrees. She started to eat it, but then walked away from it. I knew that she was hungry, so why didn’t she want it? I tried a different flavor with the same result.  I decided to let it go.

After a while she came back out and ate a little of the meal. She also played with the laser. I thought that she was now in a better mood.  When I tried to petting her, she again tried to bite me. I knew to walk away and let her get out of her mood.

Later in the evening while I worked on the laptop on the dining room table, Tommy came back out of the bedroom.  She went to her food and finally decided to eat it.  After her meal she came over by me and began rubbing against my legs. It seemed that I was back in her good graces.

We spent some time with either me petting her including her laying on her back and letting me pet her belly and chest, or her rubbing against my legs.  She was purring so I knew that she was finally in a better mood and we could enjoy the rest of the evening.

When it was time for bed, Tommy went in to the bedroom.  After I got ready for bed, she jumped up on the bed and ate her treat. She stayed for a moment, but then jumped down.  She scratched her post and went by the door to complain that we were going to bed too early, but gave up when she probably figured out that I wasn’t going to change my mind.

About 11:00 Tommy jumped on the bed and curled herself up against my stomach. I was laying on my side and was also kind of curled up so she fit right in the curve.  I didn’t know how long she’d stay in this position, but at least she was there as I fell asleep.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Tommy woke me up a couple times during the night. She wanted some attention, but jumped down when her needs had been met.  At one point she started to cough while she was sitting near my head, but moved down by my feet to continue coughing. I thought that it was rather polite of her to do that, but I doubt that she was trying to be polite. She probably just didn’t want any attention at that point.

When we woke Tommy immediately went to the kitchen. I went to the study and got her grass. I thought that it might be better to start with the grass and then have the wet cat food so the food could guarantee that the grass made it down to her stomach without any trouble. Of course, when I headed to the kitchen a little while later, she was right behind me.

As I prepared her breakfast, she rubbed against my legs and stood on her hind legs to get a better look at what I was doing on the counter.  I’m still amazed that she doesn’t jump on the counters in the kitchen. They’re the same height as the counter between the kitchen and dining area and she doesn’t have any trouble jumping up on that one. I’ll just count my blessings that she doesn’t jump on the kitchen counters. (Note: She can’t do it when I’m not around because she doesn’t have access to the kitchen when I’m gone.)

I happened to get an email from Wisconsin Public Radio and decided that I would listen to the station. When I turned on the Blu-ray in the living room and changed it to radio, Tommy came to investigate from where the voices were coming.  She went to the speakers and put her face near them trying to find the people who were talking.  After a while she no longer was interested in the radio probably because the people continued to hide themselves from her.

I needed to walk up to UWM and pick up my bag/shirt for Sunday’s Panther Prowl, so I got ready. Sure enough, once I starting tying my shoes, Tommy headed for the bedroom.  She looked around for her treat, but I hadn’t quite gotten to it yet. She went by the bed and waited. When I entered, she moved under the bed. I gave her the treat, said goodbye and left.

When I returned Tommy reminded me that she hadn’t had her hairball kibbles yet. She sat by the cupboard and called out.  She sometimes seems better at the routine than I am. After her treats and attention, she planted herself in the sun.

While she napped in the sun, I worked on blogs and paperwork. Later I heard her complaining in the living room. The sun was at a different angle, so it wasn’t shining into the living room. I got her to follow me into the study and when she saw the sun shining on the floor, she moved to it for her nap.

I continued to work on the paperwork understanding that if I did any transcribing I would have to dictate quietly or Tommy would complain and the computer would add her comments. Sometimes she would come in to investigate or just get some attention. When she’s ready to play/hunt. I hear all about it.

We played and when it was time for dinner, Tommy was ready. I had taken her food out of the refrigerator earlier. I had learned that she doesn’t like it cold, so since I had been going into the refrigerator to get something for myself, I thought it would be best to let her dinner warm up.

We had our evening meal and then settled in for an evening of play and television. I was able to watch many programs because Tommy wanted to just chill on her rug.  She did show some interest when I watched My Cat from Hell on Animal Planet. I like watching the program because it reminds me how lucky I am to have Tommy and how well behaved she really is.

Tommy complained during the evening and I wasn’t sure what the issue was. I followed her around to try to learn what her issue was.  We went first to the cupboard, then the refrigerator, and finally the bedroom, I figured that she was hungry. Since the vet had put her on a feeding plan and she had already eaten her daily allotment of wet food, I put her bowl of dry food in front of her.  She figured out my message, and ate some of the kibbles. I also knew that during the night when she again was hungry, she would return to the dry food to eat.

Tommy was (finally) ready to play when I was ready for bed, so as always, she won. We played for quite a while until Tommy went into the bedroom.  I turned off the television and the lights and joined her in the bedroom. She stood by her scratching post and waited for her treat.

I put the treat up on the bed, but she continued to sit by the post, so I got into bed. As I moved to turn off the light, Tommy jumped up on the bed and ate her treat. She then came up and rubbed against me. Was this her new way of saying good night? After I petted her and said good night, she jumped back down and stared playing with the ball. I guess she wasn’t done playing, she was just done with our play session.

I turned off the light and went to sleep. Thankful for another great day with Tommy and knowing that sometime during the night she would remind me that she liked being with me.

Friday, October 10, 2014

During the night I woke up when I lowered my arm to the side and it fell on Tommy.  She, of course yelped out and I, of course apologized and comforted her.  She had never slept right against my side, so I didn't notice her. I hope that this mistake didn't scare her into not sleeping up on the bed.

When we woke up for the day, Tommy was under the bed, but quickly exited the room. She was ready for breakfast and went right to the cupboard, sat there, and called out to me. I’ll bet that if she spoke English, I would have heard, “Well, what’s taking you so long? I’m hungry!”

We spent the morning in the usual way. We played, and I worked while Tommy napped. I finally got some laundry done and Tommy supervised.  I was able to work on transcribing my grandfather’s diaries for a blog. Sometimes Tommy would come in to the study and either remind me that she needed some attention or lay in the sun and supervise my work.

During the afternoon I heard some strange sounds coming from the living room. When I got out there I saw that the window washer was working his way down the building and Tommy was warning him that she was here guarding our place.  The closer he got, the louder she got and farther away from the window she moved.

After he finished our windows and moved down. Tommy went up to the window and watched him below still howling and yowling out warnings to him. Once the “threat” was gone, Tommy headed under the bed for her extended afternoon nap.

When Tommy woke up she called out and let me know that she would once again be ready for my attention. Lately when I go to pet her she tends to flop over on her side and stretch out. It looks really funny, but I try to keep a straight face because I know that she’s showing me how much she trusts me.

She then let me know that it was play time. She sat right by the fleece teaser and yelled out. We played for quite a while until she had other more pressing needs. She continued to switch between cleaning herself and wanting my attention. At one point she put her paw on my nose, but since she seemed to be in an aggressive state, I went to the computer until she calmed down. She then jumped on up on the chair next to me and sat down, her way of letting me know that she was calm (or upset).  At first she accepted my petting, but then she tried to bite me. I let her sit and calm down.

I went to finish some work and after a while Tommy came in and showed me that maybe being petted wouldn’t be such a bad thing. We spent the rest of the evening playing, petting, and catching up on television.

When it was time for bed, I turned off the lights and Tommy and I went into the bedroom.  Tommy sat and waited for her snack. While I got into bed, Tommy played with her scratching hanger. She hadn't been playing with it, but maybe she wanted a quick whiff of catnip before bed, or needed a pick-me-up. I went to sleep, but knew that sooner or later Tommy would be up on the bed to get some attention and/or sleep.

Thursday, October 9, 2014: A Long Day Alone

I woke up early and saw Tommy sleeping next to me. She had jumped up during the night and had remained there. If this is her pattern, she was going back below the bed once the sun rose and she sought a darker spot. I also noticed that she had eaten quite a bit of her dry food during the night. That was a good sign that although she preferred the canned food, she would also eat the dry mix when she was hungry.

I started the day by giving Tommy her breakfast of canned food while I showered and dressed. When I finished getting ready she got her snack of grass. When I tied my shoes, Tommy noticed and headed into the bedroom.  When I went to find her, she was under the bed.

I felt terrible about leaving her for so long, but promised that we’d have a better day on Friday. Knowing that I was going to be gone for about 12 hours didn’t help, but the seventh grade had asked for help, and I couldn't refuse.

When I returned I gave Tommy the other half of her wet food. It had been in the refrigerator, so it was chilled. She got near it, but wasn't going to eat it until it was warmer. I’m sure that she will only wait until it was tolerable and not a minute longer before she’d eat it.

We spent the few hours we had left in the day playing and just enjoying our time together. Although we hadn't spent much time together I made sure that it was quality time.  I was really tired, so I went into the bedroom and rested while watching the news. 

When I went to the living room to turn off the lights, Tommy was ready and moved into the bedroom. Again since Tommy wasn't ready to go to bed, she played by herself and I fell asleep.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014: Tommy Gets New Food

Within an hour of going to bed, Tommy decided to move up on the bed near my head. She settled in and we slept for several hours before Tommy woke me up to get some attention. She’s spending more tie up on the bed, so hopefully whatever caused her to move below the bed is becoming less of an issue.

When we got up I handled the morning duties and got ready to go to class. I was planning on doing some shopping after class to get the supplies requested by the veterinarian. I hadn’t planned to forget the car keys, so when I returned home from class, I needed to stop in and pick up the keys.  I’m not sure that Tommy heard me, but she didn’t come up to the door and call out.

When I got back from shopping it was time to see if Tommy would eat canned, wet cat food. I put some in one of her bowls and she devoured it.  I was glad that I hadn’t given her the full amount that she was allowed because she’s not good at pacing herself and she would have gotten sick by eating it all very quickly.

Later I gave her the rest of her dinner. I was concerned that now that half of her caloric intake would be wet food, she wouldn’t eat her dry food, but would expect to be given more wet food.

After eating I needed to get everything ready for the morning because I would be waking up earlier and leaving for the day to be at Outdoor Education all day.  We spent a quiet evening but I made sure that we had an extended play time.

When it was time for bed about 90 minutes earlier than usual, Tommy wasn’t sure what I happening. She jumped up on the bed to watch me set the clock radio. I’d never done that before since she’d arrived, so she watched intently. When I got into bed, she jumped on the bed probably wondering what was happening.

I turned off the lights and Tommy jumped down and went to play. She knew that I was going to sleep, but she wasn’t ready. Fortunately she played quietly enough that I fell asleep knowing that she’d soon be back up on the bed and curled up by my head.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Tommy is spending more and more time sleeping up by my head.  She still usually starts out under the bed, but now comes up onto the bed before 2:00 A.M. She usually cries out to let me know that she wants to come up and waits for me to tell her to jump up.  I’m hoping that soon, she’ll just either start up on the bed or just jump up on her own when she’s ready.

She’s also getting better at figuring out what’s happening and what she needs to do.  When I get up from bed she still has trouble figuring out when it’s time to get up and go to the living room.  Whenever I get up from bed even if it’s dark, Tommy will usually move toward the door. She has learned that if my glasses are on, we’re probably going to the living room.

At night when I turn off the television and lights in the living room, we’re going to bed. Tommy will usually move toward the bedroom door now, if she isn’t too tired and wait to see if I’m also moving into the bedroom. If she’s not ready to go to bed, she may be quite vocal, but she still goes into the bedroom.

After completing our morning tasks I needed to leave around noon to go up to camp and shadow a group leader who was doing the same activity I’d be leading on Thursday. I also needed to stop at the school where I taught to pick up materials, and I wanted to visit some of my colleagues.

By the time I returned I only had time to eat, have a quick pet and play session with Tommy and get ready for choir.  I needed to go over the songs on the keyboard and so I went into the study. I knew that Tommy didn’t like my singing, but she came into the study. As she sat beneath the keyboard, it suddenly stopped working. The plug had been “nudged” out far enough to turn it off.  My little critic tried to put an end to my singing.

After a laugh, we moved to the bedroom so I could say goodbye and leave for choir. When I returned we watched the news, played a little, and headed for bed.  After I got ready and got into bed, Tommy jumped up and ate her treat. She usually leaves it for later, so this was a surprise.

Of course, she then jumped down and played for a while before heading under the bed. We had a typical day without either of us upsetting the other being.  After three months I saw that we’re getting better at understanding each other and are getting closer.