Cat Lock Key

Cat Lock Key, originally uploaded by Monika & Tim.

One of Dusty's favorite activities is walking across laptop keyboards while a human is working on the laptop. Sometimes she'll even decide to sit for a while. Dusty's keyboard jaunts often activate some obscure Windows feature that renders the laptop unusable, leaving the human to frantically google a solution on his or her phone. Sometimes the human learns something in the process. Today, Dusty managed to get the windows key to stick. What I didn't know was that windows key + L locks the computer. So, with the windows key stuck, every time I typed the letter L I ended up locked out of the computer. Fortunately, with some googling, I learned something new about windows and was able to type words with the letter L again.

Dusty: A Year Later

A lot has happened in a year.  Dusty has moved east and now splits her time between Philadelphia and DC.  She has been studying Hindi lately:

I miss my Dusty Girl (again)!

It's Wednesday and I have 5 full days of vacation left and I miss my Dusty Girl a lot! I can't wait to see her next Monday night and hope that she remembers who I am! I'm happy that once I return Monday night I won't have to go out of town again until the end of March. 'Til Monday then...

February 16-19

I am out of town again, at home in Germantown, TN and then off to Arlington, VA. But first, let me share what happened when I returned to home to Ann Arbor on February 16 and then until February 19 when I was off again.

Monday. Dusty did seem happy to see me! Lately when I come home she'll roll over on her back and show her tummy. It seems to me that she was lonely during my trip; she was in a super playful mood when I came back and I played with her for a long while. I was happy to be home too!

Over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, we settled into our routine again. I'd be away during the day and she's 'hold down the fort' while I was away, and then evening time we'd hang out. I've noticed that she's really become very playful lately. She's even started to pounce on a green ball that she's ignored until now; she also really likes her flashing-light ball.

She's still very talkative, especially when I'm at my desk. I don't know if it's that my attention is clearly focused elsewhere, that my back is to her, or what, but she'll come by and start meowing quite a bit. I've figured out that she wants attention. What's new--she'll jump up and place her front paws on the chair so I can pet her head, and one time she even jumped into my lap where I petted her for about 10 minutes before she jumped off. I tried once to pick her up and sit down with her at my desk chair but that was a no-go; she jumped down instantly.

She's still loving looking out the window. I'm so thankful she likes her cat tree; I can't believe that I even thought she wouldn't like it! It is by far her most favorite place in the apartment. I've noticed that she's jumps down differently from the top perch--instead of jumping down right to the floor, instead she'll break her jump by stopping at the second perch with her front paws where she pauses momentarily on her way down. Of course that is cute as well.

She's definitely a picky eater. I tried to feed her some chicken on Wednesday, Feb 18 but she wouldn't have it. And this is CHICKEN! The only two foods I know this cat likes is the "Good Life/Wholesome Delights" treats and her Iams Cat food. Not even canned cat food attracts her!

I tried moving her wall-corner scratcher but she's still not going for it. I wonder if she even really gets what it's for? It seems she would go for it--she's always rubbing up against protruding objects. We'll see if she gets it eventually...

One night I tried an experiment: since once she had pushed open the bathrooom door that was slightly ajar, and I got such a kick out of it, I thought I would try it with the bedroom door. Frankly, I was extremely tired and was getting a little tired of her keeping me up with her intermittent 'pet-me-now' demands. So I left the bedroom door slightly ajar when I went to bed. She definitely followed about 10 minutes later; I was definitely amused and certainly glad that she is feeling so comfortable. Another instance of this new confidence--she had no hesitation climbing up on my side to perch out briefly as I slept . Usually she likes me to be on my back so she can climb right on my chest. But I'm trying to be less accomodating now since I do really like to sleep on my side; nevertheless I'm glad she's feeling comfortable!

Health update: it seems Dusty's eye thing might be back. I noticed it a little on Wednesday night and put in drops on Thursday evening before I left again. I hope it clears up or else I'll have to take her to vet when I come back. (And this may be gross but I feel compelled to mention it since I'm trying to document as much as I can--when scooping her litter box I noticed that she hadn't buried her deposits like she usually does. What gives? I thought cats always bury their stuff?)

I'm also going to have to work on grooming her more; I'll try to sneak in some brush strokes when I can, but she definitely loses patience after about 5-6 strokes. I thought she would like being brushed?

Pictures: the top is one I took before I left for this second trip; the ones below were taken while I was away in DC from Feb. 13-16.

I miss my Dusty girl!

I'm currently in Washington D.C. right now visiting my husband. It was hard to leave Dusty yesterday because I knew I wouldn't be seeing her for a few days. I made sure to play with her quite a bit before I left since she wouldn't have much stimulation and human contact for a while (with the exception of her pet sitter). I'm sure she will be fine, and I wonder if she notices my absence?

I've also been getting into cat books lately. I bought Cat Speak yesterday from Borders, which was ok. I've seen that Think Like a Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett has gotten rave reviews so I can't wait to get my hands on that one next, as well as Catwatching by Desmond Morris. I'm just so curious about what cats are thinking, and why they do what they do. As I've quickly learned so far, they are so different from dogs! I'm eager to learn more and welcome any suggestions about particularly good informative books to read about cat behavior.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Today was a low-key day. I was out most of the day because Thursday is my long day. This morning had some special moments, such as when I was in the bathroom with the door only slight ajar (usually it almost always fully open). As I was brushing my teeth, I heard Dusty walk by and she pushed open the door! She didn’t come in, but kept walking by with the door more open now than it was before. It seems like she’s getting more comfortable with how things should be?

Another cute morning moment—I was sitting at my desk writing an email when I heard her meow behind me. She tends to meow quite a bit when I am at a desk—perhaps because my back is to her? Perhaps because she just wants to alert me to her presence? Regardless, I patted my lap in order to prompt/invite her to come up onto the chair. However, instead of jumping into my lap, she jumped through the space between the arm rest and the seat of the chair and thus sat right behind me. This was only for a few moments however, because my clothing accidentally jostled against her face, and then off the chair she jumped. Of course I totally didn’t mean to do that and I hope that she will continue to try to jump up on the chair again.

An experiment: she had previously tried to jump up onto the window sill that’s in my bedroom but wasn’t able to make it. This morning I left a few cat food bits on the windowsill to see if she would try again. However, this evening they were still there. It seems that she ‘remembers’ bad experiences; once she has had one, she is likely not to repeat that experience again.

This evening—Dusty seemed more playful, with a lot of energy. She seems especially into her laser ball that she likes to pounce upon. Here are some other pics from playtime and her lounging time today.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009- It's been a week!

It’s now been one whole week since I got Dusty! I’m still have so much fun shopping and thus went to PetSmart this morning to return a few items and get some new ones, such as hairball preventative treats (not a hit) and catnip-flavored, long-lasting bubbles (also not a hit).

Since I don’t have class on Wednesdays, I was able to spend a lot of quality-time at home to aid in Dusty coming out of her shell and getting used to my presence. I was truly amazed at how much she was able to sleep, right through most of the day. And yet, even when she awoke, she would still yawn! What’s with that?

I was happy later that day when she licked my hand although I had no treats in them (though I did earlier that morning). I’m not sure whether she thought I had a treat or whether that was out of affection; I’d like to think it was the latter. Boy this cat is really making me work for her affection!

The biggest highlight of the day: Dusty took an hour-long nap on me. I was really happy at this because I’m relieved she’s found at least a few other places she will rest besides her cat tree, and I’d like to think that she considers me a safe, pleasant ‘place’. Here are some adorable pics of her napping!