Adventures in Living With Cat
Feb. 18th, 2013 12:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_lucy21This is probably old hat to people who have grown up with cats or have had them for a long time. We did not have mammalian pets when I was growing up. For one, when I was very small, we moved almost every year (I moved 6 times before I turned 8). For another, my dad is not a dog person and he's not much of a cat person either. And then there's the allergies and the asthma (it turns out that one cat does not much affect me now, as an adult. When I was a kid, though, the results may have been quite different, if for no other reason than I have actually effective medication now, whereas that was not the case when I was younger). So, we had fish. And then an iguana. My brother got a rabbit when he was in high school, but I was mostly not living here by that point. So, living with a cat is still a pretty new phenomenon to me. My parents got Aristotle in 2009. He's a semi-rescue, in that he was living with a family that really didn't want a cat, so they were kind of begrudging in how they took care of him. Not abusive, exactly, just not very caring. They probably would have been better owners of a much less social cat, but they'd inherited Ari from their daughter. And Ari is a social, social cat.
So, last night, Mom and I were sitting in the family room watching tv when the cat comes trotting into the family room with something in his mouth. Mom and I go, "oh, I hope that's a toy..." and we make Dad go look. Dad found one of his toys in the living room and we assumed that's what he had. Until he came *back* into the family room with the same something in his mouth and we go "oh. Um. No, *that* is a mouse!". And we promptly startled the cat into dropping said mouse. He chased the mouse around the family room while Mom and I pretend that it wasn't happening, and then the mouse escaped down the basement. So, then the cat stalked around the dinette and family room whining for a couple hours because he didn't quite grasp the concept that the mouse got away. See, we think that Ari doesn't really want to kill the mouse. He just wants to play with the mousie. This is somewhat less gruesome than it could be, because Ari doesn't have claws (he came to us that way), so when he swipes at the mouse, he doesn't really hurt it. So at least we don't have bleeding mice running around (we don't often have mice running around- the house is clean, I promise. It's just that our garage doors are kind of busted up, so there's a lot of space for the mice to get into the garage and then into the house if they're of a mind to).
Our mighty hunter has now probably been thwarted by the fact that Mom put peppermint oil everywhere to repel the mice. So, now the house smells like toothpaste, which isn't unpleasant, exactly, but it's a little...annoying. And I now have a cat sitting on my arms as I type who is kind of cranky because his friend is no longer in evidence. Sorry, buddy. I'll take toothpaste smell over mice any day.
So, last night, Mom and I were sitting in the family room watching tv when the cat comes trotting into the family room with something in his mouth. Mom and I go, "oh, I hope that's a toy..." and we make Dad go look. Dad found one of his toys in the living room and we assumed that's what he had. Until he came *back* into the family room with the same something in his mouth and we go "oh. Um. No, *that* is a mouse!". And we promptly startled the cat into dropping said mouse. He chased the mouse around the family room while Mom and I pretend that it wasn't happening, and then the mouse escaped down the basement. So, then the cat stalked around the dinette and family room whining for a couple hours because he didn't quite grasp the concept that the mouse got away. See, we think that Ari doesn't really want to kill the mouse. He just wants to play with the mousie. This is somewhat less gruesome than it could be, because Ari doesn't have claws (he came to us that way), so when he swipes at the mouse, he doesn't really hurt it. So at least we don't have bleeding mice running around (we don't often have mice running around- the house is clean, I promise. It's just that our garage doors are kind of busted up, so there's a lot of space for the mice to get into the garage and then into the house if they're of a mind to).
Our mighty hunter has now probably been thwarted by the fact that Mom put peppermint oil everywhere to repel the mice. So, now the house smells like toothpaste, which isn't unpleasant, exactly, but it's a little...annoying. And I now have a cat sitting on my arms as I type who is kind of cranky because his friend is no longer in evidence. Sorry, buddy. I'll take toothpaste smell over mice any day.
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Date: 2013-02-18 05:32 pm (UTC)Seriously, I'm the sort of person who'll sit in the living room while the cat is playing with the mouse and everyone are running around and laugh.
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Date: 2013-02-18 06:21 pm (UTC)me and spelling ):
Date: 2013-02-18 06:55 pm (UTC)Oh, cat's are the best. I never had one, alas, but got to know several cats that belonged to good friends of mine. and one of those made a habit of bringing "treats" to her family: Mice, birds, and so on. She would march with an immensely proud expression on her face right to the bed, drop the bloody thing in the middle of the pillow, and grin . And if she did not get pets and praise for her generosity, she would sulk for days. It really hurt her feelings.
Just love them. We will take two kits as soon as we can. First thing to do in the new apartment.
Re: me and spelling ):
Date: 2013-02-19 01:37 am (UTC)I'm still undecided if I want to get myself a cat when I move out (not that I need to make that decision anytime soon). I kind of think Ari may have spoiled me for more standard cat behavior- I'd really need to have one who's social and cuddly, because I think I would not like an aloof cat after living with Mr. Social here.