The most tolerant and annoying cat in the world

Tolerant



Annoying (but cute).



This is when, like all cats, he wants out, then immediately wants right back in. Note: this video is not from this season, for the plant buffs who are noticing the geraniums in the window boxes.

What charming and annoying qualities do your pets have?

All the news that's fit to post about

Fall has fallen
Well, if we can say spring has sprung, why not? This week has been just gorgeous in terms of fall color. I feel like I'm driving around in a fairy land with all those brilliant yellows and oranges around me. And I love how the leaves carpet the grass under the trees like confetti. I must teach Juliette how to shuffle her feet in the leaves, a very important life skill. Of course, I just want to snap pictures all the time to capture these amazing colors, but I know it would never do it justice. This time is brief, ephemeral. I'll try to capture it in my mind's eye instead.




Costume time
Juliette was some kind of panther/leopard for Halloween. I made her some cat ears which she wore, oh, about ten minutes. Just enough time for me to take pictures. I had a few colleagues over for tea and Karine brought her own little Halloweeners over to help us eat candy and cupcakes.



I'm lovin' it
Ah, a quick trip to McDonald's! We enjoyed a little family outing at the Golden Arches this week. Frankly, we don't go very often, so it's always an event. Juliette says "shopping" when she sees McDonald's because she associates them with shopping centers. This time she also uttered her first "McDonnells"-like word. Oh, it brought a shiver to my American heart. Or was that the coronary coming on? Just kidding! A little finger-licking sauce now and then is no big deal. And since being out at a restaurant at night is so rare for Remi and I, it almost felt like a date.



This just in...
My cat's insane. Ok, it's no news flash, 'cause I've known it for a while. He is always hungry and despite my new technique of spraying water at him when he scratches the cabinet for food, he still meows his head off when I approach the kitchen. At any time of the day! Watch for my new book: When Bad Cats Happen to Good People, in finer bookstores everywhere.



I'll be home for...
Yes, start crooning those sappy Christmas songs. I made my reservations to go back HOME for Christmas. So it'll be Juliette's first Christmas in the US, Remi's second. I'm so looking forward to seeing family and friends that honestly I don't need one present under the tree. Only downside: hearing all those Christmas songs everytime we step into any store. It's a small price to pay, I suppose.

Breaking the scales, breaking the budget

They say it’s normal to put on a bit of weight after a baby. Plus we’ve just had the holidays and those famous Christmas calories. But are those valid excuses for the family cat to have put on the pounds?

This week I finally admitted that my cat has an eating disorder. After trying to restrict him to two meals a day (bad idea ‘cause cats graze) and even switching to light kibble, we finally just gave in and left him a plate of normal kibble all day long. It was that or put up with high-pitched wailing every time we came home or looked as if we might head for the kitchen. Sometimes it was so bad I picked him up and “tossed” him into the other room. (Don't worry, no cats were harmed in the writing of this post.) Realizing this was a bad example to set for Juliette, and that Cat-ki definitely was pooching out where he should be lean, I made an appointment with the vet.

Of course, she saw right away that Chat-chat has put on a bit. In fact before Juliette was born and he made his famous leap off the balcony, he weighed about eleven pounds (five kilos). Eighteen months later it’s more like 17 and a half pounds (8 kilos). He’s not diabetic, thank goodness, just very hungry and overweight. As she had told me before, the only solution now, it seems, is the highly expensive diet cat food. Like 50 to 70 euros for an eleven-pound (or a five-kilo) bag. Remi doesn’t want to hear of it, but I think it’s the only way to get Cat-ki to start resembling his pre-baby self and be less pear-like.



Chat enjoying a sun-drenched nap in all his splendor.

So now we’re trying the new sample pack. He’s not too interested in the beige bits and follows me hungrily into the kitchen hoping for something better. He’s out on the balcony as I write this because his constant meowing for food was making me grind my teeth. I’m hoping he’ll come around to the new food because this brand is the cheapest of the three she told me about.

Speaking of eating a little too well, this Tuesday was the Chandeleur, a religious holiday that in France is now crêpe and Nutella day! Something about the crêpe representing the returning sun and some connection to the light of the church from what I could find on the Internet (or something like that). So I made the batter and let it sit in the fridge for an hour and when Remi got home he did the flipping. Finally a French tradition I can get behind! Juliette enjoyed sampling some too. Yes, that’s a belly poking out of those PJs. Let’s hope she won’t imitate Cat-ki in this area.

This cat’s life

Chat here again. Since I last wrote, I’m afraid things haven’t improved greatly. The new little human in the house still takes up most of my servant’s attention. Then there’s the yo-yo dieting that’s just not easy to take. For a while they only gave me food in the morning and before bed, over concerns about my “pear-shaped” figure. This being clearly unacceptable, I had to search for healthy snacks in between meals. I devised a method to open the kitchen door (sit on edge of couch, use paw to push door handle), then it was easy to knock over the trash can and hunt for goodies. Only the servant overreacted to my ingenuity and put a chair in front of the door (this idea came from grandpa servant who, by the way, made a nice pillow for me when he stayed here a while back). So now she seems to have finally seen the light and gives me a big bowl that I can graze on all day. I have heard that dirty word again, though, the one that starts with a “v”. I think they’ll be taking me to see that vet person soon regarding my curves.

I don’t even think they were that impressed with my supreme cat abilities (which I don’t charge them for, mind you). The other week when man servant had pulled a muscle in his leg, I put my nose right on the wounded part to use my healing purrs. Or when his throat was sore, I cleverly stretched out in their laps and put my paws where it hurt. But they only seem to have eyes for baby servant. Don’t come crying to me the next time you break a claw.

Can you blame me if I have to use other places than my royal box when nature calls? It’s a desperate cry for attention so they’ll remember I’m here and spend a bit more quality time with me. That's basic Psych 101, people. I suppose the only bright spot is that the baby servant has pretty good manners. She understands my need for tenderness and even if her paws are still small, she tries to pet (or grab) my silkiness. Never mind that she’s a bit too interested in my tail.

Chat out.

The New Face of Evil

I'm starting to seriously think about acupuncture for Chat-chat. Speak of the devil, he just leapt into my lap, barely giving me enough time to get my plate of toast out of the way. Anyway, I saw a report on TV about acupuncture for animals. There was this cat who apparently had "accidents" and his owner took him for treatment. Now he only has an accident once a month or so and he's more relaxed. Apparently it does work. It was kind of funny actually cause the vet put the needle in then attached some little piece of cork to the free end and lit it. So it slowly burned and this brought energy into the target area. I was just hoping the fur didn't catch fire.

If I'm considering this (and for the record, I'm not really...), it's cause Chat-chat is getting on our nerves lately. He's a sweet cat but a little too energetic, and his only outlet is sometimes going on the balcony. So I suppose it's not surprising that he acts up a bit. But I'm starting to resent losing so much sleep because of a cat who is supposed to bring me comfort. We don't let him sleep with us, but sometimes he really wants to see us in the middle of the night. Or is it that he thinks he can get food at 4 a.m.? He's wrong about that. It's not just that he meows, but he also scratches at the door and jumps up to the push knob. The latter makes a very annoying clanging noise that you just can't ignore. My husband came up with a system (he always has a system!) to reduce this awful noise. He puts a tall suitcase in the hallway so the cat can't jump with enough force to make a loud noise. But it still wakes us anyway. Or sometimes he falls off the suitcase or knocks it over entirely.

Sometimes he gives up and leaves us alone till 6:30. You've got to give it to him. The cat can tell time. He's almost always there to wake us up at this time (or earlier). So we don't have to worry about a power outage and our alarm not going off. I just hope that Chat-chat is aware that this weekend we change to daylight savings and will reset his internal clock.

If you have any ideas about how we can retrain kitty, they are most welcome!