Have you finished training your person?
Have you?
Well, well, so you say, but let us see! Let us run through the steps again.
Repetition is how we all learn best!
Approach your person, meowing plaintively. When they glance down, as they do, you will do a sweet kitty drive-by, gently rubbing against their leg.
A good tip for
beginners: When they are typing at high speed is the best time for this kind training!
Your person leans over. Yes she does! She says “What do you
want, my fatty fuzzy drawers meatloaf meow-meow puddy-wuddy??”
(Sometimes, it’s even dumber than that—there are studies.*)
This, inane as it may sound to you, is an excellent response. It shows that you haven’t been wasting your time. If you haven’t been
training this person for long, maybe you’ve lucked out and are working with one of the smart ones.
Next, it’s time to flop down beside her chair. Stretch out really long, forepaws and
backpaws extending in such a sexy way that, just for a flash, you show off the length of your claws. Bow your belly into one of those easy arcs that screams how flexible you are. Your tiger pelt catches the light with in a sublime halo of red-gold guard hairs.
Do this whole-heartedly, as if you’ll never arise again. Sometimes, for added effect, you may look over your shoulder and send one of those come hither blinks at the person before turning your head away, finally resting it, in a half disinterested manner, upon the floor again.
Do this whole-heartedly, as if you’ll never arise again. Sometimes, for added effect, you may look over your shoulder and send one of those come hither blinks at the person before turning your head away, finally resting it, in a half disinterested manner, upon the floor again.
As soon as your person—the old ones, like the ones I have, will most certainly grunt and groan and make
a huge fuss because they have to sit down cross-legged on the floor, whingeing on and on about “vertigo” “last week's surgery” “hip/knee
replacements” or whatever is currently ailing their show-offy-monkey balancing-on-their-hind-legs skeleton. Do NOT ever, ever cave. They can get down onto the floor beside you--and, if you have anything to say about it--they will.
As soon as they are all the way down and are just starting to pet (or groom) you, jump up and walk away.
I know this may be tough, especially if they've presciently begun to execute the Aunt Patti Frequent Flyer Eagle Star Super Premium Top Gold level Wuffle which rubs all around your spine in the very bestest way. At such times, you must exercise will power.
You want this session to be a win, don't you?
Remember, consistency is the key to successful person training--even if that means also being consistently-inconsistent, and always at those times when they are relying on you to do what you did four times last week.
Leaving the scene doesn't necessarily mean distance. In fact, at first, it’s better if it isn’t, because then your person will continue attempting to interact, calling and enticing you with mousie fingers to return. But if you're going to close the deal, you must stick to the program and play hard-to-get. You might even flick your tail at them as you turn away and head out to the kitchen food bowl for a crunchy.
But don't be in a hurry. Bide your time. Be patient. Maybe have a big drink, too, or even visit the cellar cat box. While you are doing that, though, remain ever-vigilent.
As soon as their annoying self-centered typing resumes, trot upstairs and begin the process all over again.
But don't start feeling sorry for them, though. Don't waste your time.
Sometimes, okay, they do get to type a lot, because you're napping on the couch on the cat furniture on the other side of the table upon a special fleecy blanket or upon a Queen bed upstairs. You don't really need to be entertained, just at that moment. Besides, this person takes pretty good care of you. The cat box is effectively scooped. There is always a bowl with the aforementioned crunchies and daily fresh water--if that senile co-diety who also holds court here didn't keep standing in it.
If basic things like housekeeping aren't to your liking, you'll soon make those feelings clear. Believe me, persons--this is not a threat, it's a promise! I'll take this weighty subject up at our next person training lesson.
As soon as their annoying self-centered typing resumes, trot upstairs and begin the process all over again.
***
But don't start feeling sorry for them, though. Don't waste your time.
Sometimes, okay, they do get to type a lot, because you're napping on the couch on the cat furniture on the other side of the table upon a special fleecy blanket or upon a Queen bed upstairs. You don't really need to be entertained, just at that moment. Besides, this person takes pretty good care of you. The cat box is effectively scooped. There is always a bowl with the aforementioned crunchies and daily fresh water--if that senile co-diety who also holds court here didn't keep standing in it.
If basic things like housekeeping aren't to your liking, you'll soon make those feelings clear. Believe me, persons--this is not a threat, it's a promise! I'll take this weighty subject up at our next person training lesson.
~~Juliet Waldron
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2 comments:
Dogs, on the other hand, have a completely different user manual. One of Evie tactics is to make noises like she's tearing up the furniture in another room. Or she'll chomp on the squeaky "Beave" and revert to her cute puppy behavior. Mostly she likes to whistle until her human arises to attend to her needs, which encompass going out in the yard to play ball (between the rotten weather and recent surgery, out of the question this past week and a half), but she'll always settle for a good rubbing, scritching, or even a brushing, which she sorely needs after wallowing in the mud today.
Very cute and creative post!
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