kitty companiona

kitty companiona

Monday, December 20, 2010

Learning Restraint

Our First Little Snow!

It's been a while since I posted.  My computer desk has been hidden under a pile of junk for a week and a half.  The whole downstairs is a mess.  Two years ago I made one of the upstairs bedrooms into a sewing room.  It was a nice quiet place to work most of the year, but in winter it's COLD up there!  I have been doing my sewing on the kitchen table, which is not the ideal situation. 

Recently I found out about an industrial machine that was for sale in Bedford County.  Sunday a week ago we went and got it.  It's BIG and HEAVY!  It's NOT going upstairs!  No Way!!!  So now I am in the process of setting up a sewing area in what was supposed to be a living room.  But since we don't usually lounge around watching TV and doing nothing else, it was more of a Work Room.  The TV, Zip's fly tying desk, and the comfy chair have now been moved into what had been the dining room near the woodstove.  We hardly ever used the dining room table for eating.  It was more of a depisitory for books and papers and anything else we didn't feel like putting away at the moment.

Needless to say there was a lot of furniture being moved around and lots of junk that needs to find a home elsewhere.  Elsewhere is becoming harder and harder to find.  My storage spaces are FILLED!  The industrial sewing machine was parked in front of my computer desk awaiting it's space.  I read everyone's blogs, just didn't have room to sit down and respond.  So I must apologise for not commenting lately.

Things are now getting back to where we can move around and not trip over the mess.

We have been spending a lot of time with the cats.  Reggie is fitting in nicely.  The initiation process was accomplished with a minimum of hissing and growling.  He's a sweet little guy!  He looks like there may be Maine Coon in his ancestry.

We have always allowed cats to pretty much wander where ever they want in the house.  We don't yell at them for being on the countertops or table.  Mostly they are pretty well-behaved while we eat.  Deiter and Isabell are not interested in 'people food'.  Tipper will wait politely and we will give her three small pieces of meat.  All she ever wants is three pieces.  Penny is our Hungry Cat.  She wants anything that we eat.  We had sternly talked to her about staying back a reasonable distance from our plates and waiting till we offered her something.  Her manners were improving.  But you can see that she is not happy.


Reggie, with his feral outdoor upbringing, is also a Hungry Cat.  It's a grab-n-growl world out there!  So with two who seriously want to raid our plates, things have gotten out of hand!

Here Penny is just a little too close and is giving me that 'aaaw, Mom!' look when I tell her to get back.

She will try to hide next to Tippy because Tippy doesn't get chastised because she quietly sits back out of the way.  She is making herself look like we beat her!  Because.....


Sometimes we have to show her the Long Arm of the Law.  A little smack of the paper on the table and Mommy is NO FUN!

Now she is really looking pathetic.  Check the squinty eyes, the pinched and starving look!  Oh, the poor sick little darling!!!  I don't think she gets enough to eat.  Even though just three feet away there is a full bowl of kitty kibble....


Meanwhile Reggie is NOT being a perfect little gentleman either.  He's trying to climb up Zip's pants leg and clawing into the flesh.  Zip is mumbling nasty things under his breath.

So everyone has now been banned from the table while we eat.  No more people food treats until manners are firmly in place!  The one who is having the hardest time sticking to the plan is Zip.  The Old Softie!  The kitties have only needed gentle verbal reminders that they need to stay down and not beg.

Other times they may be on the table and join in whatever is going on.  Like unpacking the groceries.

Or working on my sewing projects.

Oooops!  There goes the nose in the coffee cup!  Just when you think you're making progress.....

I do know that eventually these young ones will grow up to be well-mannered adults.  It just takes time and patience.  And when they finally get there, they are a true joy to live with.  Like my darling Deiter who loves to sit and hold hands.

Learning restraint isn't easy!

Could that be why I'm sitting here amid a pile of 'stuff' that I don't know what to do with???


The Machine

Hope all of you are ready for Christmas!
It will be over before we know it and we'll be left wondering why it had to be so crazy.
I just want to get back to some rug hooking.

12 comments:

  1. Dear Pat,

    What a wonderful early Christmas gift to yourself! Hope you took plenty of rests between moving the furniture around and adjusting the rooms for their new purpose.

    THe pictures of all the cats are lovely and to my dads delight he loves seeing that you allow them on your dinning table. Dad does the same but sometimes I forget to keep my distance until invited to share from the plate and he has to remind me.

    We just managed to finish our Christmas tree. I used to help, playing with the ornaments but now I just watch big brother helping dad.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Warmest regards this holiday season,
    Miss Kitty and Egmont

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  2. Pat,
    The kitty pictures and the commentary have me laughing. My Millie is a terrible beggar but luckily she can't jump on the table but she will hurl herself at my leg if she feels ignored. I swear, if she was larger she might knock me off my chair!

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  3. Hi Pat - Glad to see you back in blog land - I was getting worried about you. The kitties are tooooo cute. I love Reggie. Skip the sewing and enjoy the Christmas festivities - hope to see you soon.

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  4. Wow, that sewing machine is a beast...I'm sure you will create many lovely things on it :-) I'm so impressed as I can hardly sew on a button.

    Cats on the table has never been an issue around our house because none of them are interested in people food and they just like to hang out with us. Until Jimmy! He begs and tries to scavenge every time we are eating. I know it is becuase he had a very rough start in life and there was little food for him. I'm hoping that his constant full tummy will curb this bad behaviour!

    Merry Christmas!!

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  5. Oh Pat - loved this post and seeing and hearing about the kitties! I can so relate - I keep wondering who trained Riley - he won't touch "people" food even at our urging! Yet Jonesy - well he's not called the "baconator" for no reason! Give the boy any pork product! LOL

    Sounds like a great plan to open up your living room to your work room - lots of work but it will be worth it in the end when you can sit and sew and hook!

    Merry Christmas to you and Zip and the kids - relax and enjoy the day!

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  6. Thanks for making me laugh. It was definitely needed today. :)

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  7. Oh Pat!
    Just loved this post! The things we do on a daily basis to make life work with our fur kids is sometimes hard! But would we have it any other way?
    Our 'kids' don't beg at the table probably because we never eat there ourselves! LOL
    The photo of you and Deiter holding hands is precious! Tell Zip he better follow through with the teaching methods..... but I see whose hand is really on the end of the "long arm of the law"!
    Hope you are getting it all put back together and sewing on that great heavy duty! They absolutely don't make them like that any more!
    Merry Christmas to You and Zip! And give those kids some extra Nip this Holiday Season!
    Hugs!
    Cathy G
    p.s. me too on getting back to some hooking!

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  8. Pat ~
    I can see that your kitties are not spoiled!
    Yes, Christmas will be over before we know it and I will wonder what happened. It's the same way every year!
    Merry Christmas to you, Zip and all the furbabies.
    Pug hugs :)
    Lauren

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  9. Hey Pat, sounds like you've had years of experience in bringing up the kitties to behave!
    Can't wait to see what you make first with your new machine!! I'm sure all that moving stuff around will be worth it in the end.

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  10. Pat,,,,Bless your heart on the moving furniture,etc....Yikes! I sat a few minutes ago and laughed at your cats and what they were either wanting to do or trying! ha! They are so cute...I love the photo with Deiter...So sweet and as I say it makes your heart sing to know others love their pets as we all do...I can tell you are a dear soul plus you like to rughook which I love....Merry Christmas to all of you and hope the cats have a wonderful time also....

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  11. Pat, I don't feel as bad now knowing that you haven't been blogging either. I've been just too busy.

    It's cold in our house too as I don't turn the heat up high and I can really feel it colder when the fire dies down in the stove.

    Your furry friends are all so pretty. You really can't have a dull day with them around.
    I hope that your big sewing machine works well for you. Merry Christmas
    Pat, Zip and all the furry babies. JB

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  12. Blessings to you Pat.....Prissie said to thank you...That is a photo of her in her stocking shaped like a fish...I tried to make it more about her but the stocking is cute also....Merry Christmas to you and all of your furry friends!

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