Saturday, November 26, 2005

The inmates have taken over the asylum

Okay, I have 5 cats, 4 too many probably. Anyway, three of them sleep in a large room with food water and bedding, but the door is closed. This is because inamate 1 and 2 (Cassie and Cleo) have a need to wreck the flooring in the living room when we are not around, and we can not afford to replace it. Inmate #3 (gemini) is in their for her own protection because the big bully cat Princess (ironic isn't it) terrorizes her constantly when we are not there. Anyhow, I awoke the other morning to find these 3 cats strolling around the house, I thought did we not close the door? What happened the next night, the same thing. They can open the door! Why am I not suprised. It is funny all day the expect me to open doors, closets, cans, and clean up after them, when apparently they are quite capable of all of it. I am sure they make themselves sandwiches and make phone calls when we are out. Most things they just get us to do because they love to waited on. So, Karen has put a lock on the door. I am sure this will slow them down for a little bit. And we can buy some time before they completly take over. So, if you don't hear from me for a few days or you start seeing emails from me making demands for catnip or small rodents. Beware the cats have taken over the house, send help.

4 comments:

Trista said...

We had a cat that learned to open the door as well. They're smart, those agents of Satan!

Anyway, we put one of those childproofing doorknob covers on the knob and that solved the problem without being too inconvenient.

Estelle said...

Not only can TJ open doors, he can unlock them. He picks locks with his claws. He opens EVERYTHING. He is so annoying. Jean keeps threatening to declaw him. I think declawing an animal is cruel and evil and totally wrong... but there are times like this when I wish someone had done it for us before we got him!

Catherine said...

Estelle, I am against declawing too, You should see the state of some of our furniture. When I met Karen she said we could move in if I got my cats declawed. So, I told her we would not be living together. She changed her mine. Her cat the house bully Princess is declawed, but doesn't seem to know it. Her mom made her do it, when she was living at home. Now after I explained the whole procedure too her she regrets it. But, I suppose Princess would be even scarier with claws.

Estelle said...

when I was working as a vet tech... I always tried to talk people out of it. We would offer soft paws (they don't work for TJ), scratching alternatives, etc. However, sometimes they refused.
When push came to shove, our vet put it down to this- declaw or detroy. By destroy I am talking of the cat, not the furniture. If it truly meant the difference between someone keeping the cat and the cat being euthanized or sent to a shelter, he would do it. Because really, isn't it better to be alive without claws (if the cat is indoors) than dead with them?
We also had an older man one time... he was faced with declawing his cat or taking her to the shelter... not because she was being destructive but because she was scratching him... not viciously, but in play or what not. Problem was he was diabetic and the scratches were not healing. it was for his health. I believe the cat was better off being declawed and staying with her owner. But for random declawings just because it's more convenient, I hate it. These are animals that WE are trying to domesticate. We're forcing them to live in our homes. We have to get over a little wild behavior.
TJ's problem is not scratching. Actually our cats are very good about not scratching where they are not supposed to. But he picks locks! WTF? He can open ANYTHING with those little talons. Drives me insane.