King of the Hill – Toosday Wake up!...
Posted by Romeo in Wake up Tactics on June 29, 2010 | 3 Comments
From the archives, but oh, so appropriate!
From the archives, but oh, so appropriate!
Dr. Katrina and furiend
Still, a lot of people aren’t prepared for the, um, eccentricities of the feline species. As a result, the human staff doesn’t know how to deal with issues that arise and lots of times, my misunderstood compadres end up looking for a new home. Sigh.
So helping humans understand cats is high on my priority list. Anything that can keep kittehs from being abandoned due to (often times) resolvable issues is a win in my book.
That’s why I totally heart Animal Planet’s Housecat Housecall. The series (sponsored by Purina Cat Chow) is a reality-based cat TV show that helps cat staff learn how to better understand their genius feline companions.
The show, which airs on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. E/P, with encores on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. E/P on Animal Planet, is hosted by popular TV personality and Australian veterinarian Dr. Katrina Warren. Each week, Dr. Katrina visits cat-managed homes, observes the cats in their natural environments and recommends actionable solutions to the staff to help them ultimately live more connected lives with their cats. This season features a diverse group of cat lovers including Carrie Ann Inaba, one of the judges from Dancing with the Stars.
I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Katrina about some of the common issues (ahem, misunderstandings!) between cats and their staff. Some of the biggest things she told me that humans struggle with are:
Scratching furniture – I don’t do this (someone declawed me before I came to my forever home. Can you believe that?) but the PUGMAN sure does. Dr. Katrina says to “redirect” the scratching by offering an alternative to the things you don’t want scratched.
Cat relations in multi-cat households – Oh, hullo! Is it any surprise this is an issue? Believe me, I was not happy when Pug came to live with us but over time we became BFFs. Dr. Katrina says it’s important to give each cat his own resources – food, litterbox, bed, etc. I totally agree with this.
Meowing – So, I guess meowing too much bothers some humans. Heh, heh, why do you think meowmeowmeowmeow works so well as a wake up tactic? But Dr. Katrina told me that excessive meowing may indicate the cat wants attention and that the staff needs to set aside time to play with and entertain the resident cats. YES! I like this chick!
Good stuff. And there is plenty more on the show. So be sure to tune in! And kittehs, please tell me if you staff starts to get a clue!
Get him, get him!
Some sort of flying thing was zipping around the bedroom this morning around 6 a.m. I learned later its name was “Moth.”
Anyway, Pugsley and I went after Moth with full cat force. Since he was
Where did he go?
Female staff woke up and said, “What are you guys doing?!!” Then she realized right away that something had us all up in arms. And when the light came on, Moth went way up into the lampshade where we could not get him. Staff shooed us off the table and got herself out of bed.
Not sure what happened to the little guy. Didn’t really care as soon as BREAKFAST was delivered! Thanks, Moth.
The Grumpy Old Lady's Wake up Strategy
Romeo,
It’s the Grumpy Old Lady here. Well, your staff is here in Denver and I thought I’d treat her to a very special wake up while she was here.
First of all, you should know that I rarely climb the stairs because I know that Mom and Tom will come to moi. However, today I actually climbed halfway up the stairs to do my wake tactic since I figured your staff might need a little extra nudge. You’ll also be glad to know that I adjusted my wake up timing to meet your staff’s needs. Since there’s a two hour time difference between your house and my house, I thought I’d keep your staff on schedule and began yowling, meowing, wailing and generally making a big ole commotion at 4:30 a.m.! You’re welcome.
But Romeo, your staff did not get up! Grrr. Okay, fine, so neither did mine. At least for a couple more hours. Then I got BREAKFAST (finally!) Next time your staff is here, I suppose I’ll have to go all the way up the stairs. Sigh.
Your friend,
Pandora
Pandora/Wabby/G.O.L., Thank you so much for keeping my staff on track! Sorry that she was such a slacker. Welcome to my world. You really have to get all up in her business to get your BREAKFAST. Thanks for sharing!
Sat next to male staff member and stalked his head. Crawled stealthly up his body and got thisclose to his face and…..MEEEEEEOYYYYYYW! Then, batted his cheek.
That boy was up and at ‘em quickly and BREAKFAST was on time today. Hooray!
None. Staff up way too early….even for ME. Annoying. Still sleepy.
GO BACK TO BED!
What?
And, OH HULLO, BREAKFAST!
Tags: meow monday, wake up
The best way to learn Spanish - sit on the dictionary!
Hiya, Romeo!
I’m Angelus’ kid brother, Wilf (named after the Doctor Who character of the same name, Wilfred Mott). My brother thought I should tell you about my wake up technique which I only use if the dry food bowl is empty in the AM, and only to help Angelus get us some breakfast!
While I’m only 2 years old, I am… well… BIG. As in a really
big cat (2 1/2 feet long, more if I stretch) and 19 lbs of solid cat muscle. The vet was quite taken with my size last time I went because I am not fat, just… massive. Mama says I’m the Jared Padalecki of cats (he’s on Supernatural and plays my favorite character. He’s a REALLY tall guy!)
SO… what I do is, I jump onto the bed, find Mama’s chest and…FLOP against it with all my being! True, it’s a bit of a rough technique in that I knock the wind out of her, but she immediately wakes up (something about the lack of oxygen, she explained) and breakfast is served shortly after.
Here is my latest pic, during my Spanish-by-osmosis lesson
(=I’m lying on the open bilingual dictionary, he he)
Turkey out!
Wilf
Wilf, that is a GREAT tactic. How can the staff ignore that type of hint? Heh heh. I may try that myself, although I’m only 10 pounds. Maybe Pugsley and I can team up. Thanks for writing!
Post-breakfast meditation session.
Staff laying on side. I tightrope-walked up her side and stood on her upper arm, wobbling and meowing until my demands were met. BREAKFAST, I live for you.
Tags: breakfast, fursday wake up, meditation
Ready for BREAKFAST.
Meowedmeowedmeowed a few more times and hotdiggity, BREAKFAST, glorious BREAKFAST, was on the way!
Tags: breakfast, wake up, wednesday
