Spring's Secret Garden

What doing laundry in the middle of the night led to

I just came in after a nice walk home in the light drizzle late last night, listening to sad love songs on my iPod. I also came across some men putting up strings of fairy lights on the trees along my street as part of the Christmas decor in the heartlands. This is so exciting! It's going to be beautiful, I'll post photos of my pretty streets once the light-up takes place.

So I was in a happy and relaxed mood as I stepped into the shower. Then.. I smelled something familiarly unsettling. Cat pee! In my bathroom? I checked around for the source of the offending smell. Toilet bowl? Nope. Shower area? Nope.. Oh NO! My clothes.... =( New shirt from Mango and all.. Drenched in cat pee.

I rinsed them out in my shower and proceeded to dump them in the washing machine. 2 washes didn't do the trick and I soaked the clothes again this morning. Will check again at night.

I was angry with Boy Boy the whole night, and didn't let him into the room to sleep with me. But as I was putting on my make-up this morning, he quietly and gently came along to lie on my lap. Looking at him resting his sweet face on his paws, my anger just melted away.

Boy boy's bad behavior has made me question myself - is it that I'm a bad owner? That I don't spend enough time on my cats to take care of them well. I always tell people that I prefer cats because they are much lower maintenance than dogs. But honestly, they don't have to be! I could take much better care of them than what is being done now. Perhaps it has been my mentality that by picking them off the street, the care that I am giving them, however meagre, is still better off than what they'd have if they were living out there on the streets.

Abandon my Boy boy to roam the neighbourhood? That will be the last resort but before that, I will do my best to house-train him.

Just did some research on the internet. Check out this website. Wow, taking care of cats is no simple matter. To think that I've been the proud owner of two beautiful cats so so many years without having learnt to take care of them properly. From correcting bad behaviour and handling territorial aggressiveness, to grooming, feeding and playing with them, there's really a wealth of knowledge that I have to learn. There are so many areas in which I ought to improve.

There are three areas I want to start on first: Better nutrition, better behavior and then better grooming (cos I need them to be tame enough for me to groom properly). And of course, I need to put more work into the daily basics like giving them canned food, instead of only dry food, and clearing their litter box.

Wish me all the best!!

I like these articles from the website I mentioned above:

How To Discourage Kitty's Bad Behavior
Here's How:

The noisy can trick: Remove the lid from an aluminum can and put in half a dozen pennies. Secure the lid and shake the can when he's naughty.
Use citrus scent; cats hate it. Spray around areas where cats misbehave, or scatter orange and lemon peels around.
The spray bottle trick: Fill a plant mister bottle with water. Spray it at the cat when you catch him being bad. Do not spray directly in the face, and do not drench the cat. A quick spray is all that's necessary.
Double-sided sticky tape applied in areas where your cat is being naughty will discourage him from that area.
Aluminum foil placed in strategic places such as counter tops may keep your cat from jumping up.
Red pepper sprinkled around a flower bed is said to keep neighborhood cats away. So does citrus peels.
Bitter apple, found in pet stores, is a nasty-tasting substance. Applied on plants or other areas where kitty chews and shouldn't, will break that habit quickly.
If kitty becomes too rough in a play session, yell, 'ouch' and walk away. He will soon connect his roughness with the curtailment of an enjoyable play session.
'Time out' works for kittens as well as kids. If he's playing too rough, gently but firmly put him in another room and close the door. Let him out in about 20 minutes.
"Scruffing," a method borrowed from mother cats works well for quickly squelching aggressive behavior. Firmly grasp the scruff of the neck and push the cat downwards to the floor while saying "no!" (Never pick a cat up by the scruff of the neck.)

Tips:

Consistency and repetition are keys to success. Be sure everyone in your family knows the 'rules' and follows them consistently. Kitty will soon learn them too.
Don't ever strike or shake a cat in anger. It will only teach him that you're a bigger bully and will lead to more aggression. For the same reason, don't 'drown' him with the water spray, either.

How to Gentle a Kitten
Handling an unruly cat can sometimes be difficult, but by training him from kittenhood to be handled, you'll be able to groom, clip toenails, and examine him routinely with his full cooperation.

Here's How:
Gently pick up your kitten at least once a day and speak soothingly to him in a soft, quiet voice. Hold the kitten for 5 minutes or so before setting him down in a favorite spot
After a few days, gradually sit down while holding the kitten. Talk to him quietly and pet him gently. Don't encourage rough play (scratching, biting). If he tries it, tell him firmly, "No." and gently put him down.
When kitty is comfortable with the first two steps, stroll around the room holding him and talking to him. Don't distract him with outside elements; he should be focused on you.
Put the kitten on a well-lighted table and stroke him. You can talk baby-talk to him if you want. It's okay.
Next day, on the table, pick up a paw and press gently to extend the nails, examine the nails and toes, then gently examine the foot and leg. Get to know the normal feel of his limbs.
Back to the table again. This time, examine the kitten's ears visually. You may have to move his head about so you can see inside his ears. Feel the outside of the ears to familiarize yourself with them.
On the table again, gently palpitate (press gently) the kitten's abdomen. Stroke his back and sides, feeling for any abnormalities. Again, you're familiarizing yourself with his normal characteristics.
Open the kitten's mouth and look at the teeth. Rub your finger along the length of the teeth starting at the gum. Insert your index finger in the corner of his mouth to view the back teeth.
By now, your kitten should be totally comfortable with your handling of him, so grooming, teeth cleaning and toenail clipping should be a breeze. Give him a treat for being such a cooperative kitten.

Tips:

These steps should take about five minutes per session. Start with one session per day, and add more as needed, depending on the kitten's tolerance for handling.
As with all other forms of training, don't make it an adversarial experience. When kitty gets tired, or if he's just having a bad day, give him a hug and gently put him down. You can always try again tomorrow.
As your kitten grows older, inspect him at least once a week. You can combine the inspection with his grooming session.

Dreamt on Wednesday, December 13, 2006; 10:27 PM 1 Comments