If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
As any cat lover knows, our feline friends must always have access to fresh water. Some of us, however, have cats whose opinion of just what qualifies as "fresh" and what doesn't differs from that of others. When I first got Minnie, she'd often try to jump up onto the kitchen counter next to the sink...especially when I was standing there doing dishes or whatever and had the water running. She couldn't quite make it then, but that didn't stop her from trying, and sometimes I stopped and dried my hands so I could pick her up and boost her up to her indicated goal without getting her wet. She'd then stand there watching me or and looking out the window into the back yard and so forth until I was finished and put her back down. Always, I'd wash and dry her water dish and fill it with fresh, cold water, and often she'd go over and drink some as soon as I put it down. Then came the day I put the just-filled bowl of water on the floor, and she immediately ran over and snarled as she smacked the top edge of the bowl with her paw, causing the bowl to tip over and dump most of the water all over the floor. While this sight was still making its way from my eyes to my brain, she turned and ran across the kitchen and tried to jump up on the counter next to the sink. She didn't make it...but Charlie (RB) used to insist on drinking right out of the faucet and so had at least one of my friends' cats, so I realized it was possible that Minnie was "one of those" - and there being only one way to find out, I picked her up and put her on the counter, turned the cold water on. and said to her, "Go ahead, baby." Can you guess what happened next? I call that The Water Incident. I still keep fresh water in her bowl for when I'm not around to turn the faucet on for her, and sometimes I'll come out there and see her actually drinking it, but for the most part, she'd much rather drink water right from the faucet. One day a few weeks later, she eventually succeeded in jumping up onto the counter on her own. Even now she still falls short once in a while, but after that first time when she made it, I don't think I've ever seen her miss twice in a row. Whenever she wants to, she'll jump up there when I'm at the sink. She knows fresh, cold water comes out of that faucet. She also knows HOT water comes out of that faucet. So before she drinks she MUST hear me say, "Go ahead, baby." In the event that I leave the water running and walk away without saying it, she literally whines like you'd expect to hear from a dog. Now, about that "And More" part that's in the subject line...while I was typing this post, I had some rice cooking on the stove that I'd put on earlier, with a timer set to let me know when 35 minutes had elapsed and I could expect all the water to be absorbed. Just as I was typing the line that reads, "I call that The Water Incident" my Minnie came rushing in here from the kitchen and went into her familiar "follow me" behavior pattern - and was whining to add some extra urgency to her . She got me to follow her into the kitchen, and when I arrived, I found 13.5 minutes still left on the timer and all the water gone from the kettle! Had I waited for the timer to go off, I may very well have had half a pound of burnt rice, and possibly a ruined kettle as well. I'm not sure how she knew, She never jumps up there and she can't even see up there. The only thing I can think of is that she stopped seeing steam rising from the kettle and somehow concluded that this sudden change of circumstances was something I might wish to know about. She just got TWO of those pounce kitty treats for that one! If she hadn't come and gotten me, I can't say for sure what might have happened. I'll you what I can say for sure. When I go back out there in a minute and add cream of chicken soup, chicken, and veggies to the kettle, not all of that chicken is guaranteed to make it into the kettle...because if Minnie shows any interest in having any of it, she's definitely getting some! John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On 1/19/2017 12:46 AM, John Kasupski wrote:
As any cat lover knows, our feline friends must always have access to fresh water. Some of us, however, have cats whose opinion of just what qualifies as "fresh" and what doesn't differs from that of others. When I first got Minnie, she'd often try to jump up onto the kitchen counter next to the sink...especially when I was standing there doing dishes or whatever and had the water running. She couldn't quite make it then, but that didn't stop her from trying, and sometimes I stopped and dried my hands so I could pick her up and boost her up to her indicated goal without getting her wet. She'd then stand there watching me or and looking out the window into the back yard and so forth until I was finished and put her back down. Always, I'd wash and dry her water dish and fill it with fresh, cold water, and often she'd go over and drink some as soon as I put it down. Then came the day I put the just-filled bowl of water on the floor, and she immediately ran over and snarled as she smacked the top edge of the bowl with her paw, causing the bowl to tip over and dump most of the water all over the floor. While this sight was still making its way from my eyes to my brain, she turned and ran across the kitchen and tried to jump up on the counter next to the sink. She didn't make it...but Charlie (RB) used to insist on drinking right out of the faucet and so had at least one of my friends' cats, so I realized it was possible that Minnie was "one of those" - and there being only one way to find out, I picked her up and put her on the counter, turned the cold water on. and said to her, "Go ahead, baby." Can you guess what happened next? I call that The Water Incident. (snippage) Minnie wounds extremely bright! Persia (RB) used to jump from the toilet to the vanity/sink in the tiny "en suite" bathroom in my former apartment. She did this when I was brushing my teeth. She obviously wanted to drink running water from the faucet. This prompted me to buy her a Drinkwell fountain so I wouldn't accidentally spit toothpaste on her head. Those fountains are (or at least used to be) a PITA to clean. After many years of constantly cleaning it and replacing filters I finally said enough is enough! Persia adapted easily enough to drinking from a nice deep bowl whew!. Of course the water had to be very cold and very fresh. Jill |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 09:34:21 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
Minnie wounds extremely bright! Yup, a splash of blood red does tend to brighten up gray surroundings. LOL! Seriously, though, some of the things she's done over the last month or so have really amazed me. When I first got her there was even some reason to suspect she was dumber than a stump, but after living here for 12 weeks or so she's gotten over most of the skittishness caused by not having been socialized properly during her early kittenhood. She now has a human she trusts, her confidence has gone way up, and it's resulted in quite the change in her. If that sounds like I'm proud of her, it's because I am. Persia (RB) used to jump from the toilet to the vanity/sink in the tiny "en suite" bathroom in my former apartment. She did this when I was brushing my teeth. She obviously wanted to drink running water from the faucet. This prompted me to buy her a Drinkwell fountain so I wouldn't accidentally spit toothpaste on her head. I'm sitting here LOL while thinking back to the time I made my quick and dirty tuna casserole and she got some right on top of her head because she tried to show me she wanted some by rubbing her head on the bottom of the big kitchen spoon I'd just used to stir ingredients into it. I don't see toothpaste looking any less out of place and somewhat comical on top of a cat's head, perfectly centered between her ears, than the tuna casserole did, Those fountains are (or at least used to be) a PITA to clean. After many years of constantly cleaning it and replacing filters I finally said enough is enough! Persia adapted easily enough to drinking from a nice deep bowl whew!. Of course the water had to be very cold and very fresh. Well, thank you - I won't bother looking at those fountains now. If I'm going to spend that much time on seeing to it that Minnie has access to fresh water, I'd rather spend it going out there go turn the faucet on and keep having those somewhat frequent moments of interaction with her. Of course, it's easy to say that now when it's wintertime here. In the summer when it's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk and she wants a drink ten times as often, I may reconsider. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On 1/19/2017 3:09 PM, John Kasupski wrote:
Well, thank you - I won't bother looking at those fountains now. If I'm going to spend that much time on seeing to it that Minnie has access to fresh water, I'd rather spend it going out there go turn the faucet on and keep having those somewhat frequent moments of interaction with her. Of course, it's easy to say that now when it's wintertime here. In the summer when it's hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk and she wants a drink ten times as often, I may reconsider. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY They may have changed the design of the fountains in the years since I used one. Perhaps they are easier to clean now. shrug Jill |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 18:45:48 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
They may have changed the design of the fountains in the years since I used one. Perhaps they are easier to clean now. shrug Could be. They've been doing a lot more for cats since the 1980's when somebody with way too much spare time apparently did a head count and found out people had more cats as pets than dogs. When people have millions of cats, there's big money to be made by coming out with stuff for their owners to buy them. Still, I kind of like those interactive moments with Minnie, and it's been a bonding opportunity, so I'll save any ideas about a gadget that's going to detract from that until one becomes necessary. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On 1/19/2017 8:10 PM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 18:45:48 -0500, jmcquown wrote: They may have changed the design of the fountains in the years since I used one. Perhaps they are easier to clean now. shrug Could be. They've been doing a lot more for cats since the 1980's when somebody with way too much spare time apparently did a head count and found out people had more cats as pets than dogs. When people have millions of cats, there's big money to be made by coming out with stuff for their owners to buy them. Still, I kind of like those interactive moments with Minnie, and it's been a bonding opportunity, so I'll save any ideas about a gadget that's going to detract from that until one becomes necessary. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY Buffy knows nothing about a fountain so please don't tell her! LOL I was digging through a bag of cat toys in the closet and found a rattle toy that looked like a squirrel. Oh, it's soft and it rattles! I do knot remember where I got it. I gave it to Buffy. I promise I didn't know it was covered in real rabbit fur when I bought it. I don't even recall buying it. OOOPS. Buffy ripped the fur to shreds and left me with a plastic rattle with a faux squirrel face on it. https://s27.postimg.org/rujakqydv/toy.jpg The funny thing is, she still plays with it because what she really likes is the rattle. She bunny-kicks it and rolls around. It's fun to watch. Jill |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Oh Dear (WAS The Water Incident - And More)
On 1/19/2017 9:12 PM, jmcquown wrote:
On 1/19/2017 8:10 PM, John Kasupski wrote: On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 18:45:48 -0500, jmcquown wrote: Still, I kind of like those interactive moments with Minnie, and it's been a bonding opportunity, so I'll save any ideas about a gadget that's going to detract from that until one becomes necessary. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY Buffy knows nothing about a fountain so please don't tell her! LOL I was digging through a bag of cat toys in the closet and found a rattle toy that looked like a squirrel. Oh, it's soft and it rattles! I do knot remember where I got it. I did *not* mean to type "knot". LOLOL Jill |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Oh Dear (WAS The Water Incident - And More)
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 21:16:48 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
I did *not* mean to type "knot". LOLOL No problem. I thought you did mean it, as a pun, because Buffy practically tied that poor little squirrel in a knot from the look of that picture. You apparently missed my reply the other one you had upthread: On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 09:34:21 -0500, jmcquown wrote: Minnie wounds extremely bright! Yup, a splash of blood red does tend to brighten up gray surroundings. LOL! Clearly you meant "sounds" instead of wounds, but I couldn't resist. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
The Water Incident - And More
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 21:12:09 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
The funny thing is, she still plays with it because what she really likes is the rattle. She bunny-kicks it and rolls around. It's fun to watch. Yes, I also think its cute when they're bunny-kicking something. Except when it's some part of my body they're doing it to! The catnip mouse on a kitty fishing pole I got for Minnie and I to play with didn't last long either. In less than a week the braided string began to unravel and eventually broke off the stick. I tied it back on and we got one more play session out of it that way before it came off again and she took off with the mouse in her mouth, and the other end of the string got caught on the leg of the kitchen table and ripped right out of the mouse. So after six days, she had a loose catnip mouse she played with it by itself for two or three more days, and she kept bringing it to me to play with her, but you can only get her to chase things you toss across the room so many times and then she gets bored with that. So now she doesn't play with it much anymore...instead she's all about getting me to play with her using one of those rawhide shoelaces she found, and she seems to have a one-track mind about it for the past two days. Maybe it's the bonding experience with her human that she's interested in. The catnip never really seemed to have any effect on her anyway. The "together time" sure did. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Oh Dear (WAS The Water Incident - And More)
On 1/19/2017 10:10 PM, John Kasupski wrote:
On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 21:16:48 -0500, jmcquown wrote: I did *not* mean to type "knot". LOLOL No problem. I thought you did mean it, as a pun, because Buffy practically tied that poor little squirrel in a knot from the look of that picture. You apparently missed my reply the other one you had upthread: On Thu, 19 Jan 2017 09:34:21 -0500, jmcquown wrote: Minnie wounds extremely bright! Yup, a splash of blood red does tend to brighten up gray surroundings. LOL! Clearly you meant "sounds" instead of wounds, but I couldn't resist. John D. Kasupski Niagara Falls, NY Touche! Jill |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
OT - OMG - what a freaky incident! | Magic Mood Jeep © | Cat anecdotes | 0 | November 12th 08 12:44 PM |
I have a kitten who is facinated with water and purposely tips the dogs water bowl over | lovemm | Cat health & behaviour | 11 | November 29th 06 01:29 AM |
The Wardrobe Incident | Kreisleriana | Cat anecdotes | 111 | April 21st 05 11:34 AM |
Very scary incident | KellyH | Cat health & behaviour | 16 | November 7th 04 02:18 AM |
Disturbing Incident | MacCandace | Cat health & behaviour | 5 | September 20th 04 01:39 AM |