lyla has developed a new skill [besides getting into EVERYTHING and driving me crazy]. she likes to play fetch. i have no idea where this came from and it's not something i trained her to do using treats, etc. it just happened one day. and now it's like our little playtime together. whenever she wants to play fetch she brings a toy to me on the bed and drops it down. i stayed up way too late last night and made a video to show her skills because who on earth would believe me! by special request, this one's for you jen!
apologies for the shaky hand [it's hard to film and play]!
whenever i leave the house, or am away for the night, lyla cries whenever jessie retires to her room and is left alone [WITH buster, mind you]. she cries and cries [or so i hear ;)]. i feel really guilty pretty much everytime i leave. i've been doing a little research on separation anxiety in cats and some of the signs from petplace.com ring loud and clear...
- Over-attachment to the owner, following that person from room to room around the house.
- Distress as the owner prepares to depart (so-called pre-departure anxiety). This can take many forms but some of the more common presentations are meowing, sulking, apparent depression, slinking away, and hiding.
- Vocalization (crying, moaning, meowing) right after the owner has left (you might need to set a tape recorder to check this sign).
- Destructive behavior – rare, but some cats may claw and scratch door edges presumably in an attempt to escape from their solitary confinement.
- Exuberant greeting behavior – as if greeting a long lost friend that they did not expect to see ever again.
i included the ones that are the most true for her. since she's not 'making accidents' outside of the litterbox or more of the extreme signs, i don't think it's severe... but i think she still is anxious. when i was away for a week on vacation, they pretty much stopped eating and it took a week or so for both of the kitties to regain their appetite. i got the kittens when they were very young and were parted from their mother VERY early, another sign. lyla constantly reminds me of her early weaning separation by suckling on cookie monster.
i have found a few tips on various websites that I am going to try out... - leaving on the radio/television - ignoring the kitties 15-20 mins before leaving and when coming home to make the events less dramatic. [this is going to be SOOO hard for me. i say bye to each of the kitties like 3 times before i leave and am used to them running up on the bed when i get home and i hug them/pet/kiss/etc.]
i'm pretty sure that i can't/won't do ALL of the tips [some are intense]...like one site said keep cats out of the bedroom which is pretty much impossible with my current living situation.
has anyone else experienced separation anxiety with their kitty? any tips?
i thought the fact that lyla was obsessed with me was really cute and honestly made me feel good, but now i am nervous that she is mildly stressed. and that makes me stressed. i always feel so guilty leaving. gosh, can you imagine when i have KIDS? send me over any separation issues with pet owners tips you can find... cause i know I have it TOO!
lyla seems to be a-ok! she's been scooting around the apartment and taking lots of naps. occasionally she'll try to jump on things, but realizes that it doesn't feel very good. buster has been behaving and not trying to play with her. lyla hasn't really eaten anything since she's been home, but getting lots of zzzs. she's pretty groggy. but still cute!
here's an almost picture of her battle wound. she doesn't like it when i get too close to it, obvs.
here's a video of cute brother buster coming to her aid:
hiya world. well i'm still trying to get back in the swing of things after the holidays & vacation. bear with me!
the kitties have been oh-so-sweet since my return, although they're not eating very much [stopped eating when i was gone, awww] hopefully, they'll build back up their appetite soon especially now that we're back on schedule.
i almost totally forgot about this... but this thursday is a big day. lyla is having her spay day! yes, you heard me right, lyla will be having a little procedure! so sad. now if you remember, the vet said we should have lyla's little ticker looked at before she goes under the anesthesia. he thinks that the mumur isn't bad enough to create any compliations so we're going ahead with the surgery. don't want her goin' in heat and yellin' in my ear all night up in here. regardless, i'm still very anxious about the whole thing with the murmur issue AND the allergic reaction that one time...lyla is my little medical issue. she's still so tiny! so anyway, that is coming soon.
here are some cute pictures and a video that i don't think i posted yet of the kitties watching their video catnip!
so, as i mentioned before, the kitties received video catnip for christmas. ever since they realized the television was there while watching birds and squirrels, they have taken an added interest in the tube.
buster, in particular, is a big fan. sometimes the kitties will watch with a passing glance, but for some reason buster really took to the marvelous cw show, gossip girl. he lingered and watched for quite some time.
here's a video. he just can't get enough! looks like someone is partial to blair waldorf.
and as a typical male, he didn't even FLINCH through the commercials due to a victoria's secret ad.
this has got to be one of my proudest moments. ladies and gentlemen, i am elated to present my first 'edited' cat video. complete with music and titles. special thanks to the vimeo imovie basics tutorial video for teaching me all the tools to make this masterpiece.
in today's video, buster has lyla pinned in a shopping bag. how will she escape? let's watch!
without further ado... the cat's outta the bag.
what is that glorious noise featured in this video? why it's a band called wilco and the song is 'i'm the man who loves you'!!! listen to the full track at the hype machine and there you can find lots of ways to have it for your own collection.
so remember that time the kitties and i had a horrifiying experience with the bathtub? well apparently the kittens have gotten it in their minds that the bathroom is all the rage. they sit at the door just WAITING to be let in there. once in a while we'll let them putz around in there, and they head straight for the tub these days. weird, right? you'd think they'd be scarred after their first forced bathtime experience.
i'm kinda loving that they're getting acquainted with the tub. maybe soon i'll be able to bathe them with ease as is my dream.
here's a video of them being very interested in trickling water.
lyla is a sweet sister and gives buster a mini-bath. she also likes to lick mommy's face in the middle of the night and wake her up. lyla is lucky she's so cute...
buster, in strict accordance with his very chilled out disposition, likes to be held and to take afternoon naps in my lap. isn't this this sweetest?
edit: and yes i know you're v jealous of my shirt.
he is also a big fan of paper: awwwww. just scrumple a piece of paper and watch out cause he's all over it, stat.
in other b&l news... they almost reached super web-stardom yesterday. they were two-or-three-mouse-click-edits away from having their blog URL shouted out [by moi] on one of my fave music blogs idolator. [in the video]. better luck next time!
but, more excitedly, they have received some link love from four four which is pretty much one of the most amazing blogs on the planet. please read. go for the Winston and stay for the ANTM & Project Runway recaps [and enlightening posts like THIS].
a lil pick me up for your monday. it's long but the kitties are just oh so cute playing chase. maybe one day someone can teach me how to edit these thangs.
when i was looking to adopt kitties [and at the end of my rope with another adoption group, who will remain nameless], jeff and i attended a Cupcakes and Critters adoption/fundraising event put on by City Critters.
when we arrived, they weren't fully set up yet [as they were loading the available animals onto a fancy A/C'd bus] and a lot of the kitties were inside of an animal hospital. we took a walk to see the all the available kitties... a little leg up on the other attendees and 'competition.' we immediately saw lots of kitties in lots of carriers strewn about the floor. lil black and white kitties looked friendly. a cute lil calico saw us and cried from across the room.
we peered into one carrier and saw 2 tiny tiny kitties just playing so hard. 'i want those guys' jeff said. and the rest is history.
jeff's first memory of my kitties in the carrier was buster and lyla playing and wrestling and buster putting lyla in a headlock.
i took a cute video of them playing the other day, and buster did his infamous headlock. i remembered the fond memory of the tiny kitties that we picked out that day...
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