One problem Andy has is trust. When he was little, he hated the frequent baths he had to have because of diarrhea. (See the “Andy and Dougy Come Home”, above for the gruesome story.) Now, he has to have medicine to control high blood pressure. He isn’t a fan of that, either, though high blood pressure can damage kidneys, already a potential problem since Persians seem to have a higher incidence of kidney issues than other cats. It’s something that has to be done!
Though Andy likes to be around me, he is shy about coming close enough for me to touch him since he associates me with “The Man”, the medicine-giving guy.
Oddly enough, though, there are a few places he feels so safe I can approach him and snatch him up (if I need to) or pet him (if I want to) without any apparent distress on his part. There’s one box in the kitchen by the refrigerator I’d love to toss, but I can reliably catch Andy there if he gets on top of it during a chase. He just doesn’t think I can catch him there, I guess! But I do every time!
The box behind Dougy’s tail is a safe spot, Andy thinks!
Another place is on top of the guest bed. Why he feels safe there, I don’t know. I’m just happy I always can catch him there! And an invalid chair in the guest bathroom. Yep! Another snatcheroo spot for wee Andy! Another spot used to be good – the stacked carriers in the front room – but Andy’s caught on to what can happen there. If I approach it, he scatters to the wind!
No, Andy! This is no longer a safe spot…
