Yeah, you got it; Tamika, my cat, is a bird. By that, I mean she is a little “cuckoo” – nuts – strange – off it. I have always thought so, but never had such a good reason to, actually, post the thought until now. Here’s the event that spawned this “cat”astrophic “cat”aclysm:
This morning, as usual, I woke up too early. I staggered through breakfast and emails and blogging stats at my computer. Tamika HAD to be in the room with me. I am used to this. A lot of times, she will do that thing where they bend all four paws under them and squat sit. I don’t see how it is comfortable, but okay.
Today, she was meowing at me. She wanted attention and left no doubt about it. I leaned to the side and petted her, well, attempted to pet her. Each time I would reach, she would move just out of the way, so I would miss her. The only way to really touch her was to ignore the computer and really tip to the side before she could step out of the way.
Bad enough, you say?, well not done. Then, as I would stop and go back to work, she would repeat the maneuver of meowing and walking to the chair to be petted. Yes, then the last paragraph would repeat itself.
I put up with this about 3 times; then, I was done. I reached out, grabbed her, and sat her on my stomach so I could hold her and pet her. She would twist and squirm. She would let me pet her, but only with one hand as the other had to hold her in place. Every time I would loosen my grip she would try to jump off. After a minute or two, I would release her. She would immediately turn and jump to the floor.
About 3-5 minutes later, we would begin this entire process again. I went through this entire repetition 3 full times before just plain ignoring her. A lot of times when I ignore her, she will go to the chair, sit up on her back paws, and pat my shoulder and meow to get my attention. She did not do this today, but if I got up, she tried to guess where I was going and get there first.
Current shot – her favorite place – next to the window.
I don’t have a big problem with all of this other than nothing much gets accomplished and I still don’t know what she really wants. She has problems. Here is my main cat gripe list:
1) The situation above.
2) Goes in the same exact spot in the litter box all week.
3) Does not cover her litter, but scratches the wall instead.
4) Puts her paw in her water dish and splashes a lot of the water out.
5) Likes to wind between my legs when I am walking.
6) Insists on having tuna anytime I go to the kitchen sink (no, she doesn’t get it all the time).
7) Walks in front of me and suddenly drops to a lying position without warning.
8) Likes to eat and drink when I go to sit down in the bathroom.
9) Can’t be in my bedroom because she likes to climb on my head when I am trying to sleep.
10) Likes to hide behind my computer and in my bookshelves.
Do you have a pet? How does he/she/it drive you crazy?
PS – As of the finishing of this article, she has come back in to start again!
Namaste,
Scott
Comments
Exactly why I don’t own a cat.
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They are still, to me, better than dogs.
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Them’s fightin’ words.
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Well, my cat can’t beat up your dog, so…
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I’m not so sure about that. My dog is a wimp.
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Then it may be a heck of a fight.
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Yes, all that sounds typical, annoying cat behaviour. Why do I miss my Shrek so much? I guess we are either basically dog or cat people and I happen to be a cat person….just wondering what that says about the personalities of those who chose one or other of the camps? I know a lot of people love both critters equally, but it has set me thinking… enjoy her while you can, I know you’ll miss her when she isn’t around, despite her annoying ways. I do!
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I would miss her too, but my aim is getting better!
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So funny. My cats definitely start trouble when I’m not paying them enough attention. One of them steals. Keys, contact lens cases, rubber bands. The other one scratches at closed doors for no reason other than to scratch at closed doors. And when that isn’t enough, they stare at me. They sit and stare as if I have completely broken some promise.
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Oh, I remember it well. Yes….
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Oops a typo “yous” is meant to be “your” 🙂
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🙂
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Yous Tamika sounds like quite a character, Scott. My daughters cat drives me nuts sometimes. What she does is go “meh, meh” non stop when I’m in the kitchen because she wants milk and then when I do give it to her she goes and smells it, pulls up her nose and waltzes away. 🙂
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Mine does that for a lot of things, too.
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I liken it to a teenager… Just needing to know you’re there and yet keeping his distance. Give me a little pet, yes, but for Heaven’s sake don’t hold me… Yuck! My kitties were the same way, but I adored them! Their mannerisms are their way of telling you something as well. Perhaps she was trying to convey something to you… Cute story 🙂
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oh, deep down, I know as much, but it is fun to share the stories about her “weirdness”. Truth be told, she fits me well because she is weird.
Most of the time, she leaves me alone and does her thing, which is to sit on that box at the window and just look out or sleep.
That’s most of the day. She is active during the night, but is alone, so she is pretty quiet. The only bad time is when she decides to use the bathroom at night. The wall she scratches is my bedroom wall and my bed is up against it. This makes the noise horribly loud. It’s only for about a minute and only 1-2 times a night, if that.
Scott
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maybe she’s trying to tell you she doesn’t feel good. that’s what my cat used to do to communicate with me.
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Could be. She seems healthy, but maybe just tired or grouchy from something. She has since quieted down and gone off to lay by the window for the last several hours.
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My dog:
licks obsessively
won’t do his thing if it’s too cold or windy
leaks (glands) as a result-worst smell ever
very needy
stubborn
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My cat never outside and is not leaky.
Otherwise, I understand completely.
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yes!
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