The Nanny

Austin is a special place....oh, for many reasons, of course, but the once I'm thinking of is the great number of people with advanced degrees who are working as house cleaners, waiters and waitresses, astrologers, and nannies. (It always amazes me when I meet people in well positions who would never, by any stretch of the imagination, be the brightest crayon in the box.)

Well, you'd think that it would not require a whole lot of intelligence to be a cat sitter, wouldn't you? Even with cats as smart as mine, it shouldn't be a problem....should it?

The problem was my logic. I thought that someone who had raised her children to responsible adulthood, who had herself had pets all her life, and who was, in fact, a professional pet sitter who also held a responsible day job would be smart enough to be left with responsibility for my cats and home. It works until there is an emergency. Because of the incompetency of my cat/house sitter, my week away last year was a week from hell.

And, so it came to pass that I had to find someone else. I can't say that I've done this any better....references are not truthful!....but, I've done it differently. Rather than thinking about this person as a "cat sitter", I am thinking of her, and calling her, A Cat Nanny. (And, by extension, she is also my home's Nanny!). I am hoping by doing so I have impressed on the person her responsibility for the emotional and physical welfare of my fur children when I go to Africa for two weeks.

I interviewed several people and, as much as I hated my indecision, I just didn't feel like I could say "yes" of them. They were all likable people, but something was "lacking".

And, then someone responded whose response sounded sane and friendly...not too short and not too long, no extraneous information. Consistent.

I had her come here to interview and my 3 boys approved. Issey curled up in her lap, Rudy kissed the back of her neck, and Santino wove in and out of her legs. I watched her melt . She does not have an advanced degree like some of the other applicants, but I'll think she'll work out. :-) After all, it's the boys who really hired her.

The Fashion Model

Well, you've got to admit Issey has potential!

This was his first gig as a fashion model and although I might have hoped for a more graceful pose, I thought that not mauling the merchandise was pretty great.

Both Rudy and Santino on whom I tried the scarf walked off the photo shoot in a huff.

Crazy Cat Lady Here!

I walked into the guest bathroom, and there, on the floor was my stainless steel shower curtain rod and also a wadded up heap of shower curtain, rings, and liner. My first thoughts went to having to iron the linen/cotton curtain (Damn, I hate wrinkles only a little more than I do ironing!..) ....My second thought was wondering WHO was responsible for this? Curtains don't just fall.

Then I saw the the responsible party serenely looking up at me from between the downed curtain and the clear plastic liner. There wasn't the slightest trace of guilt! Only, and I don't think I imagined it, satisfaction and delight. And, I thought he looked adorable!!! I am most definitely a full-fledged Crazy Cat Lady.

I hung up all of it without ironing. The wrinkles will have to either fall out or stay there. I did not examine it for claw marks because I don't want to know.

Change

I'm back to using the flash again, having had too few successful shots without...mostly due to the much darker house in the winter. I also have to admit that there's just so many ways one can photo lazy cats sleeping! :-) My kitty blog suffers. I need a new baby!

Change is good....or, rather, it is growth producing, offering, as it does, more opportunities for learning.
It's amazing to me how much we...and this includes the cats....fight adjusting to change.

I got an unexpected room mate on the second of this month, a friend who said she needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks. I like her very much. The cats like her very much.

But, I like my home all to myself a lot more....mostly, I think, because I can't be positive how long her stay will actually last. Silly....the anxieties we feel over the "what if". The cats are drawing their own boundaries, and this is what I find the most interesting.

The boys are all over her.....They greet her when she comes in, they follow her around, they sit in her lap....ah....sometimes, I actually feel a little bit jealous! But, they do NOT want her to shut the doors to the bathroom or bedroom that she is using. It's ok with them for her to be IN those rooms, but it's not ok to shut them out. Oh, the screaming and carrying on there was until I figured out the issue!

Worse yet for the guest is that they claim the guest bed as theirs. They crawl under the covers and protest if she moves her body. During the day, they mostly sleep on top of the bed, claiming both the guest bed AND mine. (Rudy was so upset the first two days that he vomited all over)
They also have begun getting on the kitchen counters and into the kitchen sink...new behavior.

Yes, it's kinda fun, but they want everything back to the way it was. I think I do too. I don't much like discovering how set in my ways I am.

Catnip Capers

I made sure to have good food on hand, but daughters got the kitties real presents! Their favorites are a little furry thing which makes mouse noises when batted around and a fur mouse which opens for stuffing with fresh catnip. Issey loved the latter.

Drunk with catnip, he fell into the washing machine full clothing in soapy water when I opened the lid to put something else in. So, for Christmas I got to see a flying soapy cat! :-) I think he blames the mouse as he hasn't gone near it since.

Wishing everyone laughter and joy!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/ZoNpVPbgPCOQJlfC3tqu

Issey In Charge

My cats let me know what they want in no uncertain terms. Yes, always. I may be slow in "getting it", and even after I do, I try to hold fast to what I want. After all, aren't I the Alpha Human?

It appears that I'm not. In this regard, my relationship with my cats is similar to what it was with all the men with whom I ever lived. They told me what they wanted, and I did it so they'd be happy and I then I could do what I wanted. Unless I make them happy first, it's one continuous pester! (I think I need a therapist, only they are such bad examples themselves that I can't put my faith in them. It's kind of like saying "I want my MOTHER!", knowing full well that she would be totally vexed and perplexed. )

Issey now lets me sleep. No more waking me early in the morning. No more not allowing me to take a nap of reasonable length. Thanks to advice from Virginia, I feed him more. He is getting fat, he farts more, but oh, is he happy. Peace. We have peace.
Who would ever believe this sweet baby (look at his paws) is in charge of one human and 3 cats? And, none of us mind? His purr could melt a heart made of ice.

Poop Trails

Chem trails above, poop trails below! Fortunately, the latter, though gross, do not happen frequently.

But, what is a clean, indoor cat to do? Would I really want them to lick their butts and then come kiss me? I think not. I don't like the entire business. If it's not the bedroom carpet, it's my bed, and I'd rather spot clean the carpeting than watch king sized quilts or sheets.

It's only been 7 years that I have begun keeping my cats strictly indoors, though back in the days that they (not my present feline family!) were allowed to venture out....they always came in to use the litter box! My point is that who knows why this is something new for me.....What does it mean? Who is the culprit? Can I do something to make it stop?