Tag Archives: toddlers

30

Snoops: My Work is Never Done

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Greetings Everyone. It’s me, Snoops, and I am very tired. I have been working around the clock to get Blondie back on her feet. Apparently she’s going back to work on Monday even though she still can’t put weight on her foot for another week. I have been with her for the past week making sure she got enough rest.

Onyx: You do realize she is MY humans, right?

Snoops: You deserted her for Mom’s bed with the wool blanket and bed warmer.

Onyx: I did not desert her. I’m the upstairs cat, remember? She’s the one who left me. Besides, I tried to see her, and you drove me off.

Snoops: You ignored her when she got home from the hospital.

Onyx: I waited for days upstairs, and she never came back. I finally decided to forgive her and went downstairs.But you were hogging my spot.

Snoops: It wasn’t your spot. Your spot is upstairs.

Sgt Stripes: Will you two please quit arguing. Everyone knows that Snoops rules the main floor.

Snoops: Thank you, Sarge.

Sgt Stripes: Of course you do get a little territorial sometimes.

Snoops: I’m a cat. We’re kinda known for that. You didn’t have any trouble forcing your way in.

Sgt Stripes: Blondie likes me a lot. I had to make sure she was safe when she was sleeping.

Snoops: You were sleeping too.

Sgt Stripes: It was really comfy with all the blankets. You slept a lot too.

Angel: You were both in the way. I couldn’t even get in to cuddle most of the time.

Snoops: What are you talking about? You never sleep with the humans.

Angel: I was just starting to.

Sgt Stripes: She’s right. She has been getting a little  cuddly with Blondie.

Angel: I was just getting used to laying in her lap when this happened. All of a sudden you guys took my spot, and I’ve been stuck laying on the ottoman.

Snoops: You know there are two other humans, right?

Angel: The male human is pretty attached to Sgt Stripes. And I just can’t get comfortable sitting with Human Mom, for some reason.

Gypsy: That’s because she likes me better.

Angel: No she doesn’t.

Gypsy: Yes, she does!

Snoops: Quit fighting! We’re supposed to be helping Blondie get better.

Angel: Then you need to do something with the little humans. They keep stepping on her foot or rolling over it.

Gypsy: I hate to agree with Angel, but she’s right. They should have gone to a kennel until Blondie was better.

Snoops: That’s an excellent idea. I wonder why the humans didn’t do it.

Sgt Stripes: Maybe it’s not too late. We still have another week before she’s healed enough to drive. Let me check with Mr. Google.

Snoops: Make sure the place takes Mom’s credit card.

Sgt Stripes: I kinda like the little blonde one. He always gives me treats.

Angel: That’s true. Besides, Blondie would miss them.

Onyx: Hey, Snoops. Are you going to keep sleeping with Blondie once she can go back upstairs?

Snoops: Nah. That’s too much work. You can have her back.

Onyx: Excellent. Hopefully it will be warm enough that I won’t need the bed warmer.

Sgt Stripes: I can help if you need me.

Snoops: Pawsome! One more week, and we should be back to normal.

20

Favoritism Alert: Gotcha Days and Birthdays

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Greeting fellow felines and their humans. It’s Snoops and I am speaking for the ladies of the house: Angel, Gypsy, Onyx, and myself.  We think there is some sexism brewing among the humans. Technically, we should be the stronger team: 6 girls (4 cats and 2 human) against 4 boys (1 cat and 3 humans – two of them very small.) However, that has not been the case.

Last week was Sgt Stripes’ second Gotcha Day, and the two small humans each had a birthday. Toddler A turned four and Toddler B turned three. (Which actually means that Toddler A is no longer technically a toddler.) You should have seen all the fuss!

Toddler A and Toddler B (we will be thinking up new names shortly) had a combined birthday dinner last week. It was homemade macaroni and cheese, which Angel and I enjoyed sharing. Gypsy and Onyx really don’t care for human food. And nothing was provided for them at all. The dessert was an ice cream cake. Angel had a little bit of that, but the rest of us were not interested. It was almost like we weren’t really part of the family.

They got a bunch of presents too. There was only one that we could enjoy. They got a little tent for the living room, and it really is a good place to get away from them. We’re going to have to figure out some way to make it toddler-proof. After all, they got a lot of other stuff that we can’t use. They need to learn that sharing is caring.

Then on Monday, it was Sarge’s Gotcha Day. What a waste! He got a fancy cat-dancer kind of toy. And a treat ball toy that looks like a hamster cage. And some of the new flavor Temptations treats.

Guess what I got for my most recent Gotcha Day? Absolutely nothing. Nobody remembers my Gotcha Day. (Because nobody remembers what day it was.) Same thing for Angel and Gypsy and Onyx. Just because Sgt Stripes was on 9/9, everybody remembers it. Do you think that’s fair? We don’t.

Toddler A and Toddler B never give us stuff. We try to avoid them. Angel used to be buddies with Toddler B. But since he’s moved here, all he does is push her away if she tries to share his food. What good are little humans if they don’t share their food with us? They’re loud and sticky. Wonder when they’re going to turn into real humans?

Sgt Stripes here. I’ve been listening to the ladies’ complaints, and they are not giving the full picture at all. I did get good stuff on my Gotcha Day, but I’ve been sharing with them. Even my special Tasty Human treats. It’s not my fault that the humans remember my Gotcha Day. Maybe we should pick some random day to celebrate the ladies?

Of course, they’re kinda mean to me. Onyx and Gypsy aren’t too bad, but every time I get near Snoops or Angel, they start to hiss at me. Snoops growls and looks mean too. I’m not doing anything to them. Mom says that Angel is just afraid, and Snoops is still mad at me for running after Kommando Kitty when I first got here. I wish they’d get over it; it really hurts my feelings.

And Gypsy’s getting special treatment. We’re not supposed to get near my human brother’s plants, but Gypsy’s started hiding in the big aloe vera he’s growing. They say it’s because she’s sitting near it, not on it. I still think it’s unfair. She spends a lot of time in there. (Probably trying to stay away from Angel. They have some kind of girl thing going on between them.)

Since the house has been opened up, I’m downstairs at breakfast time. I didn’t want to be left out, so I’m starting to eat wet food. Not as much as the ladies, but a little bit. We all eat in the kitchen at the same time. Nobody’s trying to eat anybody’s else’s food. Onyx doesn’t like wet food, but the rest of us get along for that 20 minutes.

I guess it’s a start.

22

A Tale of Two Tabbies

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Hi everyone! It’s Sgt Stripes. I’m here with one of my favorite tabby cats, Thunder! As you may know, Thunder was a frequent contributor to our blog until recently. I’m here to interview her and find out what’s been going on with her. 

Sgt Stripes: Hi Thunder! Long time, no talk. It’s been pretty quiet with just one tabby around here. 

Thunder: Hey Sarge! It has been a while since I last wrote… a lot has happened in my human’s life, which has affected me greatly. 

Sgt Stripes: So I understand. At least you’re still beautiful… almost as beautiful as me! 

Thunder: Thanks… I think. 

Sgt Stripes: So, what’s been going on? Can you give us an update? 

Thunder: Well, you should know most of it. After all, 3 of my 4 humans ended up with you. 

Sgt Stripes: Yeah, I noticed. I’m willing to keep Blondie, and probably the mini blonde human that gives me pets and tries to feed me. But you can have the other mini human back. He’s loud. And they’re both smelly. I don’t know why you let them touch you. 

Thunder: You get used to it. And you learn where all of the really good hiding spots are. But they also have a lot of stuff that comes in boxes or is good to nap on, so it balances out. 

Sgt Stripes: If you say so. So, what’s been going on? 

Thunder: Well, in September, both of the mini humans had a birthday. They’re kind of like Got You Days, except for the inferior species. And the older one, his birthday went pretty well. But the younger one… 

Sgt Stripes: Went not as well?

Thunder: Exactly. See, they both got cakes baked for them. The cake lasted more than one day, though, so the humans were eating it even after their birthdays. And on one of these days, the oldest mini human was tired, and not in the mood for cake. So he threw it on the ground. 

Sgt Stripes: He does that here sometimes, too. According to Snoops, he never gives anything good though. It’s usually pasta or fruit. 

Thunder: That sounds gross. After he threw the cake on the ground, the big humans started yelling. They yelled mostly at each other. They called it fighting. They’d been fighting a lot, especially over the past year. But I don’t know why they called it fighting when there was no hissing. 

Sgt Stripes: Yeah, humans are weird. 

Thunder: So they fought, and I just thought it was going to be another loud night. But then the next morning, they were still fighting. I tried to sleep through it. Human fights are boring. 

Sgt Stripes: Agreed. Most human activities are. 

Thunder: They went off to work like normal. Usually, when they went to work, they were gone for hours and hours. Sometimes I thought they’d gotten lost at the hospital they worked at. 

Sgt Stripes: It wouldn’t surprise me. Blondie has a horrible sense of direction. 

Thunder: Well, Blondie came home a few hours later. She told the babysitter that she had to take the mini humans and move in with her mom. That she and my human were getting a divorce. 

Sgt Stripes: That must have been the day my world got turned upside down. But I don’t get it. I’d rather have you than the mini humans. So how did I end up with two monsters and no tabbies? 

Thunder: Well, Onyx, Angel, Gypsy, and I were alone that night. And the night after. Apparently you live pretty far from me. Like, it would take hours to walk. It almost takes a full hour to drive. 

Sgt Stripes: That’s a long time to be stuck in a car. 

Thunder: Yeah. Well, a few days later, she came back with her brother (I think he’s your human). And she got Onyx, Angel, and even Gypsy. But she left me all alone. I was very sad. And lonely. And I wasn’t sure what was going on. 

Sgt Stripes: Yeah, she made the wrong choice. I think I’d like you better than at least Angel. And we could play Pounce! 

Thunder: Ooh, yeah. I love playing! But, as I’m sure you know, she didn’t take me. It turns out that I had to go with my human, and the other 3 had to go with their human (Gypsy didn’t really have a human, but the mini blonde human is really attached to Angel, and Blonde is really, really attached to Onyx). 

. 

Sgt Stripes: Well, if Gypsy didn’t have a human, couldn’t you two have stayed together? 

Thunder: No, there are… outside factors… that prohibited her from staying with me. 

Sgt Stripes: Is it her dilute coat? Snoops says that should disqualify her from being a calico. 

Thunder: No. It’s worse than that. I had to move in with two dogs.

Sgt Stripes: Dogs? Really? You poor thing!

Thunder: Yes, it’s been traumatic. Apparently, my human had to move in with his stepmother. And she has two dogs that have been here forever. The only good thing is, I get total run of the basement. 

Sgt Stripes: Well, that’s a bonus. But why did you stop writing? While I certainly don’t mind being the star tabby, I’m sure that people miss you. 

Thunder: And I miss them. But my publisher was Blondie, and she’s gone. She doesn’t even stop by to get new photos of me. 

Sgt Stripes: Speaking of that, Mr Google thinks you and I are the same cat. We should really talk to him. 

Thunder: Yeah, my tail is far superior. But without contact with Blondie, there’s no real opportunities for me to write for the blog anymore. 

Sgt Stripes: Oh. That’s sad, but that makes sense. Do you miss it? 

Thunder: Sometimes. I liked the people. And it was fun. 

Sgt Stripes: Well, maybe every so often, we can Zoom and do an interview. I like Zoom! 

Thunder: That would be pawsome! 

Sgt Stripes: Well, thank you for your time. Keep being beautiful, and I sure we’ll talk again in the future. 

Thunder: Thank you, Sarge. Keep the pawsome purrsonality.

Can you tell who is who?

20

Snoops: Update from the Home Front

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Greetings fellow felines (and your humans). Snoops here. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over eight months since the intruders arrived. They seem to have made themselves comfortable in my house. My human sister is okay, but those little humans need a volume control. Last night, the littlest one had a bad dream or something. At first he was upstairs, but then he came downstairs with his mom. Totally ruined my sleep.

He can be cute when he tries to feed me. I just wish he understood what cats like to eat. We really don’t like Mandarin oranges or fruit snacks. I think he might be trainable. His brother isn’t as loud, but he doesn’t really share. I think they could use some training to make them really useful.

The original arrangement for us cats was to have two of the visitors in our sun room with me and Kommando getting full run of the first floor. Then they would be gradually introduced to us.  Unfortunately, Kommando went over the Rainbow Bridge. Angel and Gypsy were not a good combination in the sun room. As near as we can tell, Angel was eating almost all of the food. Gypsy got really skinny before Mom said she should go upstairs. You’d never know she was so thin to look at her now.

That left me and Angel on the first floor. They decided to wait a little bit for the introductions because I was a little stressed out over Kommando, and the stupid fleas came back. Angel gets to come out once in a while now. I don’t really mind her. She doesn’t try to get in my face or sit with my humans the way some cats do. We pretty much ignore each other. And she is very attached to the littlest human so that’s a bonus.

I wish I could say the same thing about the cats upstairs. Onyx is my human sister’s therapy cat. So she’s been upstairs since the beginning. Of course, Sgt Stripes lives up there. And Gypsy has settled in up there too. No one is eating her food up there, so she’s filled out nicely. (Mom had been afraid that she might not make it because she had lost so much weight. But she looks good – for a dilute calico.)

Here’s the problem. Mom wants to open up the house so that we can go wherever we want. That’s supposed to be the step after Angel and I get used to each other. There are doors at the top of the stairs. They’ve been closed since Sgt Stripes arrived. It was a pretty good arrangement. Except the little humans know how to open the doors. (And apparently have not been taught how to close them.)

Gypsy’s been really good about staying up there. It’s the first time she’s actually had a specific human to care for, and she seems to be happy with the situation. On the other hand, Sgt Stripes and Onyx have been coming down pretty regularly. And they are not good at keeping to themselves. Onyx is the smallest cat on the household, but hisses at all the rest of us cats every time she sees us. It’s rather annoying.

Sgt Stripes is the biggest of all of us. He doesn’t hiss, but he wants to be friends with everyone. He’s always ready for a game of pounce. I do not want to be pounced on. He seems to be a little intimidated by me. I don’t think he has forgotten about how I jumped on him after he first got here. He had gotten loose and ran after Kommando. I had raised her from a kitten and wasn’t about to let him hurt her. He was probably trying to play, but he frightened her. That’s why we were segregated by floor.

I’m over the fleas and have gotten used to the boys. (I even let them pet me if I’m in a good mood.) Mom says all of us cats have to start getting along. I’m fine with that as long as they don’t try to interrupt my cuddle time or eat all my food. Or get in my space. They should probably have their own toys. And their own human. And I get first dibs on the best sun puddles. I’ll keep you posted.

     

Sgt Stripes here. I want to thank everyone for the nice things you said about me being a calendar cat. I’m going to choose the winners this weekend.

20

Cats v Toddler Noise Pollution

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Greetings fellow felines. Snoops and Kommando Kitty here. We’re here with an update to our living situation. As you may know, our human sister moved back home a couple of months ago with her miniature humans. They are two and three years old. We are slowly adjusting to the new situation. We have both returned to the main floor, although we are doing our best to avoid the small creatures.

Kommando: It’s gotten a lot better since they started going to the human shelter during the day some days.

Snoops: I think the humans call it a daycare.

Kommando: I guess that explains why they come home every night.

Snoops: Yeah. That was pretty disappointing the first couple of times it happened.

Kommando: At least we get to eat in peace now.

Snoops: At long as we’re done before they get home. That blonde one still eats our food if we leave it down.

Kommando: Yeah. I don’t get it. We won’t eat the wet stuff after a few hours, but he doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.

Snoops: Even the salmon which isn’t that great when it’s fresh.

Sgt Stripes: Hi ladies. That sounds pretty rough. By the time they come upstairs, it’s bedtime. So I only see them for a few minutes. Of course, every morning they wake me up. Apparently they don’t like getting ready for that daycare thing.

Snoops: Do they scream and yell?

Sgt Stripes: Pretty much every morning.

Snoops: That’s the worst.

Kommando: I dunno. They’re really loud sometimes when they’re not screaming too.

Snoops: You know, cats have really sensitive hearing.

Kommando: That’s what makes us such excellent hunters.

Snoops: Our ears are really cool. The outer ear consists of the ear flap and canal. We can rotate our ears independently to hear sounds coming from different directions. Then we have the middle ear that’s full of small auditory bones and the eardrum. The inner ear has the cochlea and semicircular canals of fluid that help us maintain our amazing balance.

Kommando: And our ears are ultra cute too.

Sgt Stripes: I found a list of seven kinds of sounds cats hate on Mr. Google. Let’s see how our new housemates compare to the list. The first one is hissing.

Kommando: Ooh, yeah. I hate it when Snoops hisses at me.

Snoops: I only do that when you’re annoying.

Kommando: Well, the kids are super annoying, but they don’t hiss.

Snoops: I guess we don’t annoy or scare them.

Sgt Stripes: The second sound we don’t like is banging. It says that we don’t like pots and pans banging or doors slamming.

Snoops: That one is a major issue. Those kids are always banging things around in the kitchen.

Kommando: And our food dishes! Mom got us those nice stainless steel dishes, and they’re all over the house.

Sgt Stripes: How traumatic!

Snoops: It is. We have to talk to Mom about it.

Sgt Stripes: The next thing on the list is high-frequency sounds, like the ones that come from computer screens and television remotes.

Snoops: They have tablets that are pretty annoying. Although they don’t use them all that much.

Kommando: No, but I really dislike Peppa Pig. She is super annoying.

Sgt Stripes: Apparently we also dislike balloons popping. Do they do that?

Kommando: No. I don’t think that’s a problem.

Sgt Stripes: I don’t think the next two are really an issue either. Some of us don’t like thunderstorms or fireworks either.

Snoops: I don’t think those are a problem.

Kommando: You sleep through almost anything.

Snoops: You’re just a scairdy-cat.

Kommando: I wish I knew how to hiss at you.

Sgt Stripes: I think the last one is a problem. It says that cats don’t like loud yelling or arguments. It says that the sounds coming from young children can be very stressful to kitties. We don’t like it when our humans are stressed out.

Kommando: The little humans are stressing us out!

Snoops: So what are we supposed to do?

Sgt Stripes: It says we’re supposed to find a  quiet place where we can calm down.

Kommando: I have a better idea. Let’s find a quiet place to put them.

Snoops: Let’s think about this.

19

Cat Council: Dealing with Toddler Trauma

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Snoops: I call this meeting of the Cat Council to order. We need to discuss what’s happening in our home.

Kommando: Should we invite the new cats? They’ve been living with the invaders.

Snoops: Nah. They’re still in quarantine. Let’s deal with one problem at a time.

Sgt Stripes: I’m excited. You ladies usually ignore me.

Snoops:  We need all the brain power we can muster. This is huge.

Sgt Stripes: I did some research on the invaders. I love Mr. Google.

Kommando: Did it say anything about why they sound like howler monkeys?

Sgt Stripes: Not that I remember.

Snoops: It’s kinda true. They get started crying and it just gets really loud.

Sgt Stripes: I have noticed that. I can hear them through the floor. And the doors.

Kommando: We can even hear them in the basement.

Snoops: I wonder if they have “off” buttons?

Kommando: We should ask their Mom. Maybe she just needs to find it.

Snoops: Maybe she can find the self-cleaning button too.

Kommando: Yeah. They’re even messier than you when they eat.

Snoops: I’m not messy.

Kommando: You’re the reason we have mats under our bowls.

Snoops: I can’t help it that I have a more delicate face and don’t want it to get full of food.

Kommando: Whatever. At least you don’t leave a trail. I keep crunching crumbs under my paws.

Snoops: They don’t ever leave good stuff either. There’s never any chicken or fish laying around.

Sgt Stripes: They have kinda smelly milk too.

Snoops: I heard it’s called “oat” milk.

Kommando: What kind of cow is an “oat”?

Snoops: I don’t think it’s a cow. It smells weird.

Sgt Stripes: Nothing at all like cat milk.

Kommando: They have stuff in most of our lounging spots too. It’s really hard to get a good spot on the table anymore.

Snoops: Yeah. And there’s stuff on the sofa and chairs too.

Sgt Stripes: Too bad you guys don’t come upstairs. I lost my own bedroom, but they have a couple of beds I use regularly. Besides, when Mom cleaned the spare room, she found a huge comfy cat bed.

Snoops: I think that was mine!

Sgt Stripes: Hmm. Key word is “was”.

Snoops: Don’t give me another reason to dislike you.

Kommando: On the bright side, they’re not as grabby as I thought they might be.

Snoops: That’s true. The bigger one has petted me a couple of times, but that’s it

Sgt Stripes: I try to avoid them. But they don’t chase me, and their Mom pets me. So it’s OK.

Snoops: Yeah. I agree. Not great. But OK.

Kommando: Did Mr. Google tell you anything interesting about them?

Sgt Stripes: I learned a few interesting things:

  • Toddlers don’t really understand that they can hurt us. They don’t know that pulling our tails, or picking us up wrong, or throwing things at us can hurt us.
  • Adult humans shouldn’t leave their toddlers alone with us. They need to teach them the right way to treat us.
  • The big humans should make sure that we don’t get too stressed. If they pay attention, they can remove us before we get into a fight with the toddler.
  • There should always be a safe space for us to go and hide.

Snoops: That stuff all sounds good. Because if someone pulls my tail, I am not going to be a happy cat. and someone is going to know it.

Kommando: I think we should Mom for a new kitty condo to hide in. It seems like the least she could do for us.

Snoops: That’s an excellent idea.

Sgt Stripes: And some shelves to hide on.

Snoops: So we’re all agreed. Mom need to make this up to us.

Agreement all around.

23

We’ve Been Invaded Again!

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Sgt Stripes here. My sisters and I are not happy cats. The two small humans are visiting, and we are not impressed.

Kommando: They arrived Thursday. And they have got so much stuff. It’s everywhere.

Snoops: Yeah. And there isn’t anything good this time. Apparently they’re too big for carriers and special chairs.

Kommando: But they are really loud.

Snoops: They smell kinda weird. And the stuff they drink smells kinda weird too.

Sgt Stripes: They sleep upstairs with me. It takes a long time for them to go to sleep. And they make a LOT of noise.

Kommando: They tried to eat our food. Mom forgot to take our kibble off the floor, and they ate it when she wasn’t looking.

Sgt Stripes: At least you got food. Mom was so tired last night that she forgot to feed me. It was horrible.

Snoops: You should have told her.

Sgt Stripes: I tried. I couldn’t get her or my human brother to wake up. I even tried nibbling on her arm. I thought I was going to starve.

Kommando: Did she finally remember?

Sgt Stripes: Not really. After she fed you guys Friday morning and came back upstairs, I cried and led her to my room. She finally got the message. I think it’s my worst night since I’ve been here.

Snoops: That is awful. She came down early to feed us so the little humans couldn’t get into our food.

Sgt Stripes: It’s a good thing she did. By the time she got back upstairs, the little one was crying. She put him on her bed. In my place!!

Snoops: You lost your spot?

Sgt Stripes: I jumped up on the bed after I ate like I always do when Mom’s home, and he was there! I had to get back down. I think he wanted to touch me.

Kommando: Yep. That’s exactly the same thing that happened to me later. I went to jump up in Mom’s lap, and the other one was there. It’s terrible!

Snoops: They have cats at their house, so they think they can touch us. We need to stay out of the way. No sticky fingers in my beautiful fur.

Kommando: I hope they’re not moving in.

Sgt Stripes: I heard Mom say it’s for three nights.

Kommando: Hmm. Nobody asked us.

Snoops: We better be getting lots of treats at the end of this.