Lucius is really excited tonight because it is Halloween. Every couple minutes children ring the bell to collect candy in all sorts of cute outfits. Every span of time in between he races from one end of the house to the other and back--full of the energy from seeing faces at the door and children ringing the bell.
When young people arrive, he comes to the door. Inevitably, they make a chorus, "Ah, what a cute kitty. I would like a kitty like that."
The next boy says, "I want a kitty like that!"
His girl companion says, "Aren't you allergic to cats?"
Then, they go away, murmuring about our little Halloween Hit. It is not like he does not turn on the charm. On cue, when they mention him (he must know the word kitty) he acts cute. Halloween is always a fun time. Seeing children in all manner of outfits is a pick-me-up for anyone.
It snowed. Something about Calgary as long as I have known it, it snows for Halloween. Today, a bit of it melted, but I think we are just lucky this year. As a child, I walked through miserable cold and snow drifts to collect candy.
Today, since it snowed, we let Lucius go out into the snow on the deck. He loved it. He went for 3-5 minutes at a time with indoor warm up breaks where we held his ears and paws to get them room temperature. He loves snow. I do wish I had little cat parkas so Lucius and Martius could go on the deck a bit more in this cold weather. Neither has thick fur. However, Lucius has just started having adult fur on the center line of his back.
Today has been an exciting day: snow and Halloween for Lightning Paws Lucius.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Snake Game - A White Nylon Cord
Lucius has a 5 foot white nylon cord with a knot on each end. It is soft, and I don't remember its origin. It has been a cat toy about our house for years. It is out, put away, found, reemployed, forgotten, found again, and so on. Lucius found it when we were in the process of organizing our house.
The day he found it, he carried it about the house as his prize. It made tracks about the lower floor. He would run around with one end of the cord in his mouth. He threw it up in the air. He would go up and down the stairs with it. If we caught an end, we would pull it. He would chase the end.
Now, in our home, I have a make-up chair. It has a white easy clean seat. We bought it from Home Outfitters. It was a not so cheap appliance add, which I share. These days, the chair sits on a carpet in the bathroom just in front of a warm vent. Lucius, all on his own, invented a game.
At night, while we are sleeping, and other times, if you hear unusual scraping (our tile will never mark), Lucius has begun his play. He pulls the cord around and through the risers of the chair till it looks like that cord art. He has pulled it through the chair multiple times. The situation is then, he pulls one end of the cord with his mouth, and the other end of the cord is somewhere in the middle or on the edge of the chair cord weave. As he pulls, the other cord end moves and he attacks it much like he would attack another cat's tail. He pulls and paws, sometimes gently and other times forcefully to kill the serpent.
On occasion, Lucius needs an intervention. You can tell when he pulls and the whole chair pulls across the tile. This is because Lucius made a knot with his weaving about in there. One of us pet parents needs to undo his knot so he can continue his play. Then, he launches back into the game. He entertains himself for hours a day.
This morning, Lucius pulled his string to a new chair to try it out. The rules are: the chair needs 4 legs and risers to weave through. This other chair is a bit more heavy, and in my opinion does not suit the game quite so much. Ideally, his reach should cover the breadth of the space below the chair seat. This way, he has the most fun.
I am happy he has found ways to entertain himself which are, for the most part, close to us and easy to monitor. His creativity astounds me. Yes, he entertains me.
The day he found it, he carried it about the house as his prize. It made tracks about the lower floor. He would run around with one end of the cord in his mouth. He threw it up in the air. He would go up and down the stairs with it. If we caught an end, we would pull it. He would chase the end.
Now, in our home, I have a make-up chair. It has a white easy clean seat. We bought it from Home Outfitters. It was a not so cheap appliance add, which I share. These days, the chair sits on a carpet in the bathroom just in front of a warm vent. Lucius, all on his own, invented a game.
At night, while we are sleeping, and other times, if you hear unusual scraping (our tile will never mark), Lucius has begun his play. He pulls the cord around and through the risers of the chair till it looks like that cord art. He has pulled it through the chair multiple times. The situation is then, he pulls one end of the cord with his mouth, and the other end of the cord is somewhere in the middle or on the edge of the chair cord weave. As he pulls, the other cord end moves and he attacks it much like he would attack another cat's tail. He pulls and paws, sometimes gently and other times forcefully to kill the serpent.
On occasion, Lucius needs an intervention. You can tell when he pulls and the whole chair pulls across the tile. This is because Lucius made a knot with his weaving about in there. One of us pet parents needs to undo his knot so he can continue his play. Then, he launches back into the game. He entertains himself for hours a day.
This morning, Lucius pulled his string to a new chair to try it out. The rules are: the chair needs 4 legs and risers to weave through. This other chair is a bit more heavy, and in my opinion does not suit the game quite so much. Ideally, his reach should cover the breadth of the space below the chair seat. This way, he has the most fun.
I am happy he has found ways to entertain himself which are, for the most part, close to us and easy to monitor. His creativity astounds me. Yes, he entertains me.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
African Cats DVD Great Feline Entertainment
We bought African Cats DVD set to watch as a family. Lucius has figured out movie time. In fact, he asks for it. Sometimes he and CatDad go up there a little earlier, and he looks at CatDad, then the TV, then at CatDad, and back to the TV. He is saying, "Well, CatDad, are you going to start a movie?" There's been a time or two he has taken an interest in animals on screen. We picked up the African Cats for a movie time with the cats.
The movie did not go exactly as planned. We watched the movie in our room. I was getting the bed set up to hold multiple cats, but only one stayed. Lulu decided to stay for the movie. This used to be Martius' favorite thing. I decided to remove any blockages to Lulu's line of vision to the TV. I took off 1 layer of blanket from the bed. We were just starting the documentary about a lion family and a cheetah.
Lucius was initially interested in watching the Lion King cartoon starter. Then, I was fluffing pillows. I removed the blanket. What was under there? His mouse. I had no idea he had started taking his mouse toy under the blanket. It must be his new favorite thing to do. Lucius spends a lot of time self-entertaining, making up games, and so on. So, as we started the movie, Lucius played like crazy on the bed flinging his mouse about. One time it hit me in the chest. I just stopped him from launching into me to get it. I threw it back into play.
Now, Martius came by, and then Lucius went for a tumble with him. He was absent for a bit. He came back 10-15 minutes later and laid down in the centre. It was now and then for moments after he became very interested in the screen. In the show, there is a scene where the mother cheetah interacts with her babies. Lucius liked this. Then, the cheetah kittens play. Lucius decided he wanted to join them in play. He jumped across the furniture to the TV and tried to enter the TV screen. He seemed very disappointed. He really liked those kittens and that cheetah catmom.
I was happy he could not cross the screen. Just as he was interested in this, three cheetah males came along and harassed the mother cheetah. She had to protect her babies. Now, we brought Lucius back to his viewing spot. Lucius knows I cheer one or the other on in their cat sparring. Lucius was watching me cheer the mother cat on in the fight. He watched, looking at her, then me, and thinking, "Mom cares what is happening in this fight."
The Cheetah mom was successful in saving her kittens. Lucius, very interested, moved to the front of the bed where he has the best viewing and stretched out to watch the film. Right as it was time to go to bed, Lucius was really into the movie watching. There's lots left to watch on the DVD, so we have another evening to go.
In the documentary, near the beginning, just after introducing a lionness Layla and her girl child Mara, as the pride were hunting, Layla was kicked by the hind feet of a wildebeast. She was severely hurt. She was extremely slow getting home.
If I was the photographer in the movie, I would not have been able to help myself to not try and treat Layla. I would have had to set her paw. She was left behind with a broken paw. She had just barely caught up for the sake of her daughter Mara, and she had to defend her mate Fang and the rest from two invading lions who tried to effect a coup d'état on Fang. At least on this round, she was able to send them packing. Acquiring a second injury, she then could no longer withstand the complications.
I was extremely sad when she left the pride to let her spirit go. She was a hero in the movie so far.
I loved how affectionate these cats were. They are not unlike my own. Three of my cats give me kisses on my forehead, with and without encouragement. If I need love or lifting up, I can ask, "Give Mom a kiss." My three without hesitation will kiss me lovingly and with tenderness.
My goal next time is to get Martius to stay for the movie. I am going to bring up his movie chair. He always used to watch movies in his special chair. We'll see.
The movie did not go exactly as planned. We watched the movie in our room. I was getting the bed set up to hold multiple cats, but only one stayed. Lulu decided to stay for the movie. This used to be Martius' favorite thing. I decided to remove any blockages to Lulu's line of vision to the TV. I took off 1 layer of blanket from the bed. We were just starting the documentary about a lion family and a cheetah.
Lucius was initially interested in watching the Lion King cartoon starter. Then, I was fluffing pillows. I removed the blanket. What was under there? His mouse. I had no idea he had started taking his mouse toy under the blanket. It must be his new favorite thing to do. Lucius spends a lot of time self-entertaining, making up games, and so on. So, as we started the movie, Lucius played like crazy on the bed flinging his mouse about. One time it hit me in the chest. I just stopped him from launching into me to get it. I threw it back into play.
Now, Martius came by, and then Lucius went for a tumble with him. He was absent for a bit. He came back 10-15 minutes later and laid down in the centre. It was now and then for moments after he became very interested in the screen. In the show, there is a scene where the mother cheetah interacts with her babies. Lucius liked this. Then, the cheetah kittens play. Lucius decided he wanted to join them in play. He jumped across the furniture to the TV and tried to enter the TV screen. He seemed very disappointed. He really liked those kittens and that cheetah catmom.
I was happy he could not cross the screen. Just as he was interested in this, three cheetah males came along and harassed the mother cheetah. She had to protect her babies. Now, we brought Lucius back to his viewing spot. Lucius knows I cheer one or the other on in their cat sparring. Lucius was watching me cheer the mother cat on in the fight. He watched, looking at her, then me, and thinking, "Mom cares what is happening in this fight."
The Cheetah mom was successful in saving her kittens. Lucius, very interested, moved to the front of the bed where he has the best viewing and stretched out to watch the film. Right as it was time to go to bed, Lucius was really into the movie watching. There's lots left to watch on the DVD, so we have another evening to go.
In the documentary, near the beginning, just after introducing a lionness Layla and her girl child Mara, as the pride were hunting, Layla was kicked by the hind feet of a wildebeast. She was severely hurt. She was extremely slow getting home.
If I was the photographer in the movie, I would not have been able to help myself to not try and treat Layla. I would have had to set her paw. She was left behind with a broken paw. She had just barely caught up for the sake of her daughter Mara, and she had to defend her mate Fang and the rest from two invading lions who tried to effect a coup d'état on Fang. At least on this round, she was able to send them packing. Acquiring a second injury, she then could no longer withstand the complications.
I was extremely sad when she left the pride to let her spirit go. She was a hero in the movie so far.
I loved how affectionate these cats were. They are not unlike my own. Three of my cats give me kisses on my forehead, with and without encouragement. If I need love or lifting up, I can ask, "Give Mom a kiss." My three without hesitation will kiss me lovingly and with tenderness.
My goal next time is to get Martius to stay for the movie. I am going to bring up his movie chair. He always used to watch movies in his special chair. We'll see.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Home Remedy for Pocket Gophers and Other Small Mammals
Mothballs will deter pocket gophers, skunks, and racoons from hanging around the garden and even yards. Just spread them about. Their smell will even deter cats. I met a lovely lady today at Cartright Lighting who shared this solution with me. She knows these things. She grew up on a farm. She said for every thing we go to the store to by a remedy for, there was a different solution before. She said this remedy works for all these other animals too. Her family never had a problems with animal invasions of flower or vegetable based gardens.
I am rather relieved. My good friends were over a few nights ago. They shared with us their decision to trap their gopher. I cannot counter anyone who needs to manage their problem. If given a chance, I might make a suggestion, but in the end each person is responsible for making the best choice they can for a given moment. She trapped her gopher. He was a stout little guy they said that looked much like a beaver.
I do not want my pocket gopher to go away. I am happy with him staying. Somehow, he does not destroy grassy areas. He only goes for open dirt. Something else I learned today is that there are plants that give off scents (the opposite of my cat mint) which deter cats from coming to your yard. I shall always want the cats, but this is a solution for those who don't want cats digging in their gardens or coming to their yard. I would prefer this to someone using a pellet gun or cruel procedure to be rid of any outdoor critter.
I am rather relieved. My good friends were over a few nights ago. They shared with us their decision to trap their gopher. I cannot counter anyone who needs to manage their problem. If given a chance, I might make a suggestion, but in the end each person is responsible for making the best choice they can for a given moment. She trapped her gopher. He was a stout little guy they said that looked much like a beaver.
I do not want my pocket gopher to go away. I am happy with him staying. Somehow, he does not destroy grassy areas. He only goes for open dirt. Something else I learned today is that there are plants that give off scents (the opposite of my cat mint) which deter cats from coming to your yard. I shall always want the cats, but this is a solution for those who don't want cats digging in their gardens or coming to their yard. I would prefer this to someone using a pellet gun or cruel procedure to be rid of any outdoor critter.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Lulu Leaps on Back for Rides Outside
Yes, Lulu has figured out if he jumps on our backs, he will get a ride outside and be able to run around the back yard while we weed. We started out our morning with him on the deck. Then, CatDad went to weed. Lulu watched from the deck and thought it was pretty horrid he could not be down there with CatDad. Dad's next trip in he let the cat in from the deck. Next time at the front door, he had a cat on his back. We discussed this. He really wanted to go. I found the harness and leash and a dog cable and set CatDad up with the supplies.
CatDad pounded in the stake. Lulu began running around. CatDad left just enough cable for Lulu to get to the Cat Mint. Lulu went down there alright, but he did not stay there. He jumped. Yes, he jumped.
CatDad came to check on Lulu, just as he was making himself as thin as possible and slipping out of the harness. He had been hanging there and we don't know how long. Thankfully, he slipped out. Then, he was brought inside for our next analysis. He had had 20 minutes of fresh air by then.
I decided to go leashless and just accompany Lulu as his guard. Lulu did not know I had decided to take him out. He jumped on my back when I put my shoes on. I decided not to take him off my back. He surely expected me too. I opened the door partly bent over, down the stairs, with the cat adjusting here and there on my back (T-shirt only), and I told him, "Hang on!" Lulu began to get the hang of riding CatMom down the hill, and we just got near CatDad and the garden. Just six feet from the garden, Lulu jumped down. This was not exactly Avatar style, but we had fun. Lulu could hang on pretty good with his sharp claws. I did not really notice any scratches afterward.
I went out and we were out there for 2 hours. I ran Lulu up and down the hill 25-30 times. I put in a 1/4 to 1/2 kilometre following Lulu around. I used my voice plenty to voice command the little guy. He has "Stop" down pat. I can be halfway around the house, call stop and he stops. We covered the distance of three yards.
Word has it that CatDad coming for you is way scarier than CatMom. Lulu, as before, jumped the wall down to the swail, this time safely with no harness. He began to high-tail it down the swail, with CatMom following. High-tail here means that Lulu joyfully knew he could outdistance CatMom. His tail was in the air in happy cat question mark style. I told him to come back or CatDad was coming. He kept going. CatDad came and began down the swail. He called to Lulu and told him he was coming. CatDad walked about thirty feet. Well beyond CatDad 3 full yards, Lulu stopped, turned, and ran full speed back, past CatDad, and he jumped 7 feet from the wall. He flew through the air and landed on the top of the wall. He did not want to be retrieved by CatDad. Afterall, Thomas even listens to him. He's the most experienced boy cat around.
Once Lulu came back, we stopped chasing him so much and turned our attention to weeding. He had played himself out from all the running. So, thereafter, we weeded and looked up occasionally to find and call him. Mostly, I kept listening for cat paws rustling the ground. That next hour was pretty good. We made great gains in restoring the yard. Lulu jumped on my back one time I called him. He was ready for another CatMom ride. I was still weeding and he shocked me. No problem though. That lasted a minute or two and he was on the go again. When he came in, there was no struggling. He slipped into the Kurgo and fell into deep slumber where he continued chasing butterflies in his dreams.
Afternote: If I give my cat rides as a habit, I will have to try wearing a wetsuit. It would give him a nice and sticky surface to hang on to.
CatDad pounded in the stake. Lulu began running around. CatDad left just enough cable for Lulu to get to the Cat Mint. Lulu went down there alright, but he did not stay there. He jumped. Yes, he jumped.
CatDad came to check on Lulu, just as he was making himself as thin as possible and slipping out of the harness. He had been hanging there and we don't know how long. Thankfully, he slipped out. Then, he was brought inside for our next analysis. He had had 20 minutes of fresh air by then.
I decided to go leashless and just accompany Lulu as his guard. Lulu did not know I had decided to take him out. He jumped on my back when I put my shoes on. I decided not to take him off my back. He surely expected me too. I opened the door partly bent over, down the stairs, with the cat adjusting here and there on my back (T-shirt only), and I told him, "Hang on!" Lulu began to get the hang of riding CatMom down the hill, and we just got near CatDad and the garden. Just six feet from the garden, Lulu jumped down. This was not exactly Avatar style, but we had fun. Lulu could hang on pretty good with his sharp claws. I did not really notice any scratches afterward.
I went out and we were out there for 2 hours. I ran Lulu up and down the hill 25-30 times. I put in a 1/4 to 1/2 kilometre following Lulu around. I used my voice plenty to voice command the little guy. He has "Stop" down pat. I can be halfway around the house, call stop and he stops. We covered the distance of three yards.
Word has it that CatDad coming for you is way scarier than CatMom. Lulu, as before, jumped the wall down to the swail, this time safely with no harness. He began to high-tail it down the swail, with CatMom following. High-tail here means that Lulu joyfully knew he could outdistance CatMom. His tail was in the air in happy cat question mark style. I told him to come back or CatDad was coming. He kept going. CatDad came and began down the swail. He called to Lulu and told him he was coming. CatDad walked about thirty feet. Well beyond CatDad 3 full yards, Lulu stopped, turned, and ran full speed back, past CatDad, and he jumped 7 feet from the wall. He flew through the air and landed on the top of the wall. He did not want to be retrieved by CatDad. Afterall, Thomas even listens to him. He's the most experienced boy cat around.
Once Lulu came back, we stopped chasing him so much and turned our attention to weeding. He had played himself out from all the running. So, thereafter, we weeded and looked up occasionally to find and call him. Mostly, I kept listening for cat paws rustling the ground. That next hour was pretty good. We made great gains in restoring the yard. Lulu jumped on my back one time I called him. He was ready for another CatMom ride. I was still weeding and he shocked me. No problem though. That lasted a minute or two and he was on the go again. When he came in, there was no struggling. He slipped into the Kurgo and fell into deep slumber where he continued chasing butterflies in his dreams.
Afternote: If I give my cat rides as a habit, I will have to try wearing a wetsuit. It would give him a nice and sticky surface to hang on to.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Mischievious Cat
The cat I had was full of mischief
She ate the next door neighbour's chicken
Then, she dragged in a kitten for her child
Then wouldn't you know
She had a batch of eight of her own
She kept us noticing her still
She chewed my brother's mittens
She pulled the hair out of mother's wig
She got into the fish left on the counter
She ate it all up--every lick
Finally, we got her to behave.
1976
She ate the next door neighbour's chicken
Then, she dragged in a kitten for her child
Then wouldn't you know
She had a batch of eight of her own
She kept us noticing her still
She chewed my brother's mittens
She pulled the hair out of mother's wig
She got into the fish left on the counter
She ate it all up--every lick
Finally, we got her to behave.
1976
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
I Taught Lucius How to Open Doors
Not miracles of course. I set up our door opener experience. Martius was on 1 side with me. I shut the door almost. Lucius wanted in to be with us. He pushed and fit his little head sideways, but this looked like a lot of work and potential damage to his little frame.
I went outside, left Martius in, and shut the door again. This time, I let Lucius try. He began the same technique. I stopped him. I showed him to push just on the door, not to push through the door. He watched with intensity.
I figured he needs to know. This could be a useful skill if he needed to get a door open. We are doing another practice session soon. A young girl I met thought this would be good for if there was a fire. I agree.'
Update: Lucius is opening doors very efficiently these days. He has it all figured out. He goes into meerkat position. Then, he pushes with 2 paws. He make his CatMom proud. He has full control. He even opened the door to the deck. The latch was not fully shut today. He exhibits both technique and power. It is not a light door.
I went outside, left Martius in, and shut the door again. This time, I let Lucius try. He began the same technique. I stopped him. I showed him to push just on the door, not to push through the door. He watched with intensity.
I figured he needs to know. This could be a useful skill if he needed to get a door open. We are doing another practice session soon. A young girl I met thought this would be good for if there was a fire. I agree.'
Update: Lucius is opening doors very efficiently these days. He has it all figured out. He goes into meerkat position. Then, he pushes with 2 paws. He make his CatMom proud. He has full control. He even opened the door to the deck. The latch was not fully shut today. He exhibits both technique and power. It is not a light door.
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