Monday, April 30, 2012

Kittens...Yay?


We got new kittens this weekend.  Let me start by saying this.  In a world where there seem to be either dog people or cat people, I'm a dog person.  I don't mind cats, but I definitely prefer dogs.  I had resisted the pleas of my family to get a cat for years now.  Last Friday night my younger son (who is a freshman in high school) brought me his laptop to excitedly show me the kittens on our local animal shelter's website. "Aren't they cuuuuute dad?!?!?  Can we please get one?  You can count it as an early birthday present and you don't have to get me anything else."

For who knows what reason I agreed to go in the morning to look at them.  I guess I knew on some level that there was no way I was leaving there without a kitten unless by some chance they were already all adopted before we got there.  The twist to the story is that my wife decided she wanted one of her own too and told me it could be her Mother's Day gift.  Since I never know what to get her for Mother's Day and my defenses were already weakened I gave in.  Here is a shot of the little furry ones on their way home from the shelter:



They are pretty frigging cute, but they're already pissing me off with their insatiable curiosity and relentless desire to chew on my laptop cord.  It's their one desire that cannot be quenched and I'm running out of items to throw at them to make them stop (remote controls, pens, magazines, empty plastic soda bottles, cat toys, balled up napkins, throw pillows, etc.).  I think I'm going to go the way of the spray bottle and see how that works.  I'll just have to have good aim since it would probably be a bad idea to spray the electrical outlet where the laptop is plugged in.

My dog is pretty much indifferent to the cats.  She seems annoyed, but otherwise disinterested.  The tabby cat is oblivious to the dog's presence.  It's honestly like she's invisible to that cat.  The black one, on the other hand, hates the dog with the passion of a thousand burning suns.  She growls, moans, hisses, and spits at the dog if it comes within about 10 feet of her.  This seems to startle and amuse the dog, but so far no damage has been done.  We keep them separate, but are allowing them to peacefully coexist at this point.  I'm hopeful the cat will eventually realize the dog is no threat and chill the hell out.

Wish me luck.  I'll need it until the little buggers grow up and stop being so annoying.

Note: I think I'll post some poker stories tonight.  I haven't played any interesting sessions lately, but I have some fun stories to recount from past trips to Vegas and play at my local casino that might be worth sharing. 

11 comments:

  1. rub some hot sauce on the cord so that when they go to chew on it, they will be punished and stop

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    1. I probably should clarify. I'm not throwing the items AT the kittens as much as I'm throwing them NEAR the kittens to frighten them away. I'll try the more passive negative reinforcement of the hot sauce though. I wonder which brand would be best? Tabasco? Sriracha's rooster sauce?

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    2. whatever will burn their damned little tongues off.....

      er, wrong blog - any should work - Sriracha would probably be better because it's hot - but Tabasco has that brutal vinegar scent to go with it.

      I tried Bitter Apple with my first dog - but he actually loved the flavor. I once soaked a treat in that crap for like 5 minutes and when I showed it to him he gobbled it down and asked for more.

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  2. I think you will find that a spray of water will be effective.

    Among the many pets we have are a dog and three cats. The dog has been with us for many years. My wife arrangened for a friend to "give" her a cat for a birthday present one year. Dang sneaky women! Cat number two belongs to my daughter. She bought it when she moved to Texas 16 months ago and brought it home with her. Cat number three started showing up around our house. We fed him and adopted him. We suspect he was abused and dumped. We figure he thinks he is now the luckiest cat alive.

    The pets all pretty much get along with a few minor skirmishes. A family "game" is to alert the others when two or more cats hang out in your room -- obviously showing who they love more!

    You may be surprised at how much you like them after you are used to them. Have fun!

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  3. Great idea to get two cats. They don't always act like it, but they are social animals and love to play with each other.

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  4. I'm getting pissed at the cats. Day 3 and I'm regretting that I ever agreed to make the trip to the shelter. They've discovered that they can get under the recliners at either end of the leather sectional in my man cave. If they get under the far end I have to unhook all seven pieces to get them out since I can't risk operating the footrest with them under there unless I want a dismembered kitten. I wonder if it's too late to return them and get adult cats instead?

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  5. agree with lightning - use the water bottle. and don't take the kittens back. it's a little work but the trick is to shower them with unconditional love for weeks, and they'll grow up to be little cuddly bundles of love. but for the moment - patience, water bottle, and catnip.

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  6. Ohhhhh so cute! And the kittens are too! ;)

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  7. I think the wife sensed I was at the breaking point. She took the cats and all of their stuff up to the living room. The dog and I are enjoying some peace and quiet while we watch last night's Mad Men. My blood pressure is decidedly lower now.

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