The boys love to look at the snow. Indeed, Dougy likes to go out into it, though I supervise his little jaunts outside. Today, however, I lost control, and Dougy ran amok, intoxicated on that most dangerous of fuels, FREEDOM!!!!
It started like all snow adventures, with the boys crowding the door for a peek outside…!
Dougy hopped up to look out. Andy held back.
A slow but steady snow fall…not much on the ground yet.
I opened the door, and Dougy, of course, headed out!
Andy, of course, was curious but his usual timid self!
Dougy checked me for signs I would stop him….
Andy held his ground while Dougy…
…ran around behind the open door, where I couldn’t reach him! I felt a little panic set in.
But Dougy came back around the door to explore the other side of the sidewalk.
After snooping left and right and evading me three or four times, I finally caught Dougy and carried him into the house! He was not ready to come in!
Later, when I sat down at my computer to report this event, Andy hopped up on my computer and looked down at me, giving me blinky eyes. I reached over and patted him on the head. “Good boy! You are the good kitty, Andy!”
Yes, my little angel Andy waits in the dark, hoping for a nose rub or a “good boy!” Who knows what naughtiness Dougy’s up to?
Thank you for your like,that poem is very dear to my heart
As always Sheldon
oooh, what a stinker! Playing the “just out of reach” game! Woof! 🙂
…which I know you are a master of, you naughty girl! Woof indeed! Yes, and I think it was for the same reason you sometimes wander off: You aren’t naughty so much as just excited to be outside smelling and seeing new and exciting things after being cooped up inside all day.
They are both so cute! Ellie
Thanks! I kind of think so, too!
Neutrino likes to dash outside when I come home from work. I lure him back in with treats, so I think I’ve trained him to think he gets treats for running outside.
Probably so! Andsy hates taking his medicine, but I give him treats afterwards. Around medicine time, consequently, the poor little guy tries to get me to “come on and give me the treats”! Of course, he also knows the treats come at the price of icky medicine (tuna flavored or not), so he is soooo conflicted! Because he’s waging this internal wart between submit for medicine or stick around for treats, I sometimes can catch him much easier than before if I discern when he is right at the point he can’t decide if he should come or run. His indecision catches him every time! Of course, that presumes I pick the right moment. If not, I have a long, long day ahead of me before I catch me a cat!
Oh boy I bet Dougy did give you some fear being out further than he usually goes. Ali never goes out due to the strays around here and the sneezing and runny eyes that seem to run through the stray population.
We used to catch them and have them spayed or neutered and get them medical care but the group here now wants nothing to do with humans. They will no even eat†he cat food we all leave in the feeders that were made of them.
Dougy kept turning around and heading back away from the door, and actually made pretty good progress before I stopped him. I was barefoot, of course, and wearing walking shorts, so was perfectly attired to chase a dang cat in a snowstorm! LOL! 🙂
isn”t that the way it always is.
Ha! Ha! And how!
Your boys look like they might like a nice fenced in catio. Yes, I am familiar with feline evasive maneuvers! 🙂
I’d love to have a way to create a safe fenced in haven for the boys. Cost is an issue, plus I rent where I live, which puts limits on creating anything too permanent.
You might try looking at the Kittywalk portable enclosures since they don’t take much to set up and get going, and you can add to them if the cats like it.
I have looked at those (or something similar) besed on what I’ve seen in DrNworb videos. The Browns have an amazing set up for their cats. You have your enclosed garden area for your kitties (another great arrangement!) as do the MythicBells Persian kitties. That would be my ideal arrangement, I think, for the boys.Anyway, the cost is a factor for me since I am retired, and how much skill (read: patience!) it requires to assemble some of the solutions. I haven’t totally set the idea aside of a Kittywalk-type play zone for the cats. I think it probably is the most cost effective of those I’ve seen, though a place to set it up permanently is problematic since I rent. I could set it up on the patio (a concrete pad), though I doubt that would be best for the kitties.
I think the deal with Kittywalk is that you would have to go out and sit with them, since it isn’t that durable, but it is light enough that you could drag it out into the grass for a play session. You could either set it up each time or drag it near the house at the end and tie it down or something. It is on the order of a kiddie pool in effort, it seems to me. I think it pops up like those tunnels or the laundry baskets they sell nowdays.
A more permanent setup – wood, wire, and so on would be harder, and require permission I’d think.
Looking at the photos, that’s what they looked like to me, too. I have a carriage I used to walk them in that they turned into a roost. The top caved in from the kitty weight, and it isn’t suitable for outside any longer.
I know that sinking feeling myself. George has walked out a couple of times. Once he was out for a week, and a couple of weeks ago he slipped out for three days. It didn’t help my peace of mind knowing there was a pack of dogs running loose. I caught them dragging one of my outdoor cats in the back yard and I went out there pretty fast. It was too late, but I called Animal Control and they showed up and took caught the dogs and took them away. George had deigned to come home the day before.
I witnessed a dog pack attack on a kitten when I was five years old, and that sticks with me. They killed the kitten. That is one specific reason I don’t let them out unsupervised.. After today, I will hold back on the limited opportunities I gave them to check out the nearby scene.
In case you haven’t seen this.
I have seen that, but Cole and Marmalade are two of my favorite video cats! I’m glad to have it attached here!
Funny! My boys battle run for the heater and lay in front of it anytime it gets under 60 degrees. They’re Florida cats for sure. 🙂
Of course, my boys are fuzzy, so the cold weather works for them!
My coon cats have fur 2 inches long. I never understood why a creature with so much insulation wants more heat. 🙂
Good question! Andy has a lighter undercoat than his brother, which might be part of why he is less likely to step outside on cold days than Dougy, but the pattern repeats in hot weather, too.
Dougy is plotting his escape – once he sniffed a scent of freedom he cannot live without it. Use a leash next time.
I have one someplace, though it’s for a cat twice as big. I’ll have to look for something that fits smaller cats. (Louie took seconds to slip out of the one I bought for him. I wasn’t impressed with the design!)
There must be some that are made for small dogs like Yorkshire-Terriers or Chihuahuas – I am sure you can find one Dougy’s size.
I know they exist, and I know that it’s best to start using them on cats when they are kittens.
Right you are, but your two are rather sweet tempered boys – and if you reward them – or him, if you only mean to train Dougy, you might get him used to it, nevertheless. My tortoise-shell was not used to human company, it took her 7 months, then she jumped up on the sofa and asked to be caressed. She was more than two years by then.
If I try this, I’ll post a video (or several) of the experiment since I know walking with my late cat Louie was very interesting. I’d train them separately, however, because they have such different temperaments. Andy might be more problematic than Dougy. Dougy probably would charge ahead, and the big risk would be him getting loose and running onto the street without watching for traffic. (He buries his nose into the scene when he goes outside!) Andy probably would end up having to be carried since he is more timid outside the house.
Try clicker training.
Or call in Jackson Galaxy! (He’d probably give up on me as a cat trainer, though I bet he’d agree with you that treats and clicker training would work.)
You can only teach a cat by positive reinforcement. That is why clicker-training works a treat (sorry for that pun) with cats.
Can’t promise anything right away, but I’ll give it a try as soon as I can locate what works best for a cat. I have seen one style that a cat shouldn’t be able to slip out of. (Of course, a similar style took my cat Louie seconds to escape from.)
I cannot give you any advise here, as my two are indoor only … too loud and too busy is the street in front of the house.
There are two busy streets within a block of where I live, which is why I keep them inside. Dougy showed I can’t totally count on him any longer, so I can[‘t see me letting him wander outside for a meter or two any more. He got caught up in the moment, and got very excited with all the new scents and sights!
too cute, thank you for the smile 🙂
It’s more fun now that Dougy’s safely inside! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
oh I bet, I had Oliver get out once … scariest thing every, we are in an open complex … bah
Up till this last time, Dougy explored a little, but kept close to the door. I think he got caught up in the excitement of new territory and scents, and didn’t care that I was barefoot in walking shorts and a short sleeved shirt in a snowstorm trying to get him! (After all, he was barefoot and naked, eh!?)