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We had some gravity experiments going on yesterday.
I was downstairs spending the night in my boyfriend's room (Nimbus is not allowed access to the basement) and His Majesty was not pleased. I heard a loud thump and crash at about 4AM. I'd left two dessert-size small stoneware plates stacked by the sink and he had pushed them off, shattering one of them.
Later I was on the phone, ignoring the cat, which is obviously not ok. He got up on a shelf I usually prefer he not be on, but it's not a huge deal. There was a little plastic figure, like a small elf with a sword and cloak for D&D tabletop games, that was on that shelf. I looked over, and Nimbus had it in his mouth, and as soon as I looked at him, and he looked at me, he threw it off onto the floor.
We had some gravity experiments going on yesterday.
I was downstairs spending the night in my boyfriend's room (Nimbus is not allowed access to the basement) and His Majesty was not pleased. I heard a loud thump and crash at about 4AM. I'd left two dessert-size small stoneware plates stacked by the sink and he had pushed them off, shattering one of them.
Later I was on the phone, ignoring the cat, which is obviously not ok. He got up on a shelf I usually prefer he not be on, but it's not a huge deal. There was a little plastic figure, like a small elf with a sword and cloak for D&D tabletop games, that was on that shelf. I looked over, and Nimbus had it in his mouth, and as soon as I looked at him, and he looked at me, he threw it off onto the floor.
It's pretty obvious that Nimbus has learned how to modify your behavior ( gravity testing works every time ). Looks like you have 2 choices- 1. clear off every horizontal surface of everything under 10 lbs (that's what I did), or 2. Never ignore him again.... ever..... for the rest of his life.
He had gravity-experimented a cherub statue I have and the wings broke off. So I was sitting down to superglue them back in place. Easy fix for a broken ceramic thingie, no big deal.
Cat comes creeping up, slowly, cautiously, and sniffs the other end of the ceramic figure from a distance of 3 inches or so, he came NOWHERE NEAR the glue, and I am 100% certain about that, I was right there. He squinted his eyes, and immediately started drooling, like drops of water saliva falling from his mouth, and backed off and tried to smack at the source of the offending odor as though it had attacked him. (This seems to be his reaction to things that offend his sensibilities. Sit back and smack at it. Loud thing? Smack it. Stinky smell? Smack it.) At one point, he noticed a drop of saliva falling from his mouth, and he jumped back and smacked that, too (after it had hit the carpet.)
I made him get away, figuring the fumes could not be good for him. He did not have any respiratory reaction (he does have asthma!) but he continued to slobber for a little while.
I tried to use Google to see if this was...normal?...and all I got in my searches were results for conditions involving bad smelling drool, like when cats get stomatitis. Nothing like this.
I guess I need to keep the cherub put up somewhere the cat can't get to it, until the super glue has 100% completely dried and set. Like maybe a few days, even, to be on the safe side? He keeps wanting to come back and investigate it, even though he found it so horribly offensive.
That's a new one . Not surprising I guess, since any cyanoacrylate substance gives off fumes and a pretty noticeable odor.... on top of a cat's superior sense of smell. It would be interesting to know if most cats react that way, or just yours. Usually 24 hrs would take care of any odor, but an extra day wouldn't hurt. Would hate to see your Cherub get the Paw 'O Doom treatment again.
Yeah, fortunately the cherub...while I've had it since I was a teenager and I am fond of it...it's a common enough ceramic and not like it was expensive or anything. It's been broken before. I just keep gluing it back together. lol
The problem we had, is this shelf sits next to his cat tree, and I don't really have a better place I can move it. My living room is kind of "Tetris'ed" together where everything works and fits just so. If I move one thing, I have to move everything. But Nimbus has been leaping into his cat tree with such vigor that it rocks and shakes the shelf. Which means all of the items atop the shelf, shift. Eventually, the cherub shifted right off the opposite edge.
But I have a possible solution. Glue dots. I'm gonna glue-dot the things I display on the shelf, to the shelf. I mean, really I could get "museum wax" for this, but I think these glue dots will work.
Nimbus is capable of delicately stepping amongst my breakables, even with his big fluffy butt, without knocking anything over, but his exuberant tree-leaping is a bit of a problem...the challenges of a big cat...
We had some cat drama last night. An outside cat paid us a visit, a feisty young tuxedo tom outside the sliding door to the back patio.
Nimbus and the Interloper faced off on either side of the glass, tails whipping about. Other cat began a low, moaning menacing noise and Nimbus growled and hissed at him. The stranger flung himself against the glass frantically and Nimbus postured right back. Very angry kittehs.
Nimbus got so upset he had an asthma attack and I had to move him away from the window and get him to calm down.
Eventually it began to rain and the intruder moved on. I really hope he's not going to become a regular visitor. He didn't have a collar or anything, so I don't know if he's a neighbor's cat or a stray.
Outdoor cat has not shown up again. Maybe he was someone's indoor cat who got out. I prefer to think that, rather than something unfortunate having befallen him. Even if he was totally trespassing on our patio and harshing Nimbus' vibe that day.
Yesterday I discovered a big mat on the back of my boy's leg, and I use trimmers to take care of this...it works, but my efforts are limited by the cat's patience. I was really determined to get this one, though. So I persisted even when Nimbus was telling me loud and clear he'd had quite enough of my shenanigans messing with his backside, if you please. He went all fight club on me, and I ended up tossing a lightweight throw blanket over him. He immediately became still, like "what the hell?" So I was able to finish buzzing off the mat.
I tried scruffing him, but that wasn't doing it. He was mad! All twisty and fighty like, "I KEEL YOU!" But the blanket did the trick. I think there's a thing where people cover an animal's eyes, to get it to chill out and be calm. Take away some sensory stimulation, or whatever. If nothing else, being suddenly in the dark might have just confused him. I only needed a few seconds of him being still to get the job done, I'm just glad it worked.
He seemed pretty offended when I let him go. Hid under my desk in cat-loaf position, glaring at me. He got over it, though. That's the great thing about the cat, he'll forgive me, at least by the next feeding time, for whatever indignities I've subjected him to.
Outdoor cat has not shown up again. Maybe he was someone's indoor cat who got out. I prefer to think that, rather than something unfortunate having befallen him. Even if he was totally trespassing on our patio and harshing Nimbus' vibe that day.
Yesterday I discovered a big mat on the back of my boy's leg, and I use trimmers to take care of this...it works, but my efforts are limited by the cat's patience. I was really determined to get this one, though. So I persisted even when Nimbus was telling me loud and clear he'd had quite enough of my shenanigans messing with his backside, if you please. He went all fight club on me, and I ended up tossing a lightweight throw blanket over him. He immediately became still, like "what the hell?" So I was able to finish buzzing off the mat.
I tried scruffing him, but that wasn't doing it. He was mad! All twisty and fighty like, "I KEEL YOU!" But the blanket did the trick. I think there's a thing where people cover an animal's eyes, to get it to chill out and be calm. Take away some sensory stimulation, or whatever. If nothing else, being suddenly in the dark might have just confused him. I only needed a few seconds of him being still to get the job done, I'm just glad it worked.
He seemed pretty offended when I let him go. Hid under my desk in cat-loaf position, glaring at me. He got over it, though. That's the great thing about the cat, he'll forgive me, at least by the next feeding time, for whatever indignities I've subjected him to.
You know, if you stop and think about it, cats are really pretty forgiving considering their self-imagined status and the unpleasant crap we put them through sometimes. Even if you have a cat that tends to hold a grudge (like I used to have), it's usually not for long. It's a good thing because they could really make our lives miserable if they wanted to.
My little princess Ms. Sheba is also prone to mats, and has had to go the groomers twice this year to get them off her backside. She's recently gotten better about me combing her though, so hopefully I'll be able to keep the mats off of her in the future. I will remember the blanket trick though, just in case.
Nimbus had a sudden attack of the friskits hit while he was standing in the kitchen. This is problematic for traction reasons. He ended up scrambling, flailing, and propelling himself into a wall, before finally finding the carpet and tearing off down the hallway, ending in a dramatic "action pose" with back and tail arched and eyes aglow.
I can see why some may have once believed cats to be agents of the Devil. Or at least possessed by demons. Ridiculous demons that are easily defeated by linoleum flooring.
Nimbus had a sudden attack of the friskits hit while he was standing in the kitchen. This is problematic for traction reasons. He ended up scrambling, flailing, and propelling himself into a wall, before finally finding the carpet and tearing off down the hallway, ending in a dramatic "action pose" with back and tail arched and eyes aglow.
I can see why some may have once believed cats to be agents of the Devil. Or at least possessed by demons. Ridiculous demons that are easily defeated by linoleum flooring.
I have linoleum in my kitchen as well. The traction-fail was a common occurrence around here when the cats were younger. It was always entertaining to say the least.
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). Looks like you have 2 choices- 1. clear off every horizontal surface of everything under 10 lbs (that's what I did), or 2. Never ignore him again.... ever..... for the rest of his life. 
. Not surprising I guess, since any cyanoacrylate substance gives off fumes and a pretty noticeable odor.... on top of a cat's superior sense of smell. It would be interesting to know if most cats react that way, or just yours. Usually 24 hrs would take care of any odor, but an extra day wouldn't hurt. Would hate to see your Cherub get the Paw 'O Doom treatment again.
