Fightin’ Bookworms.
Jake, Reacher, and Corbett snuggle up.
I think all my Bookworms are beautiful, but there’s something about Corbett’s caramel-colored belly and striking dark stripes that appeals to me an awful lot. He’s particularly gorgeous, that one.
It’s just too bad that he’s a BAD BAD BOY. When Fred gets up and gets ready for work, one of his tasks is to put the collars on all the cats who require them, and then open the back door. Recently, we’ve both been finding Corbett outside several times during the course of the morning. We react by flinging open the door and telling him to come inside, and then when he gets inside the door, we spray a blast of compressed air at him to scare him further into the house. He runs into the house, but it isn’t long before he’s back out the door again.
Finally, on Saturday, I came up with a plan. Any time we found Corbett outside, we’d pick him up, put him in the guest bedroom, and give him a “time out” for ten minutes. Oh, how Corbett DOES NOT LIKE being locked in the guest bedroom AT ALL. He would howl and howl at the door, “Let me OUT of here! I want out! Oh, release me from this dungeon with a big, comfy bed and my own litter box and all the food and water I could ever want! Let me out! OUT I SAY!”
We’d steel ourselves against the pitiful howling, and at the ten minute mark (or thereabouts), we’d let him out, and OH the joy on his little face. He’d purr and purr and rub up against us, and follow us wherever we went until we picked him up and reassured him that we loved him.
After three days of time outs, I can report that yesterday, he didn’t even go near the back door. I’m not saying that the problem is over, I’m sure he’ll test us a few more times, but if I can convince him that he wants to stay inside, I’ll worry about him a little less.
Jake went running into the foster room yesterday when I went in to hang out with the Rescuees. Gavin, Garrity, and Franco were mildly interested in Jake, and they sniffed at him. Garrity smacked at Jake’s ears a little.
Sheila, though. Sheila went ::FLOOF!:: and just stood there, in her floofed-up glory, and glared at Jake. Who wasn’t paying any attention to her at all.
Jake hung out with the Rescuees for about fifteen minutes before they overwhelmed him, and he growled at them and asked to be let out of the room.
I think the Rescuees are still a bit too small to let out into General Population just yet, but it won’t be too much longer.
Sheila will be one busy little girl, having to show ALL those big cats just who the boss is!
“I am but a poor wee kitteh!”
“No, I am but a poor wee kitteh!”
“You’re both wrong – I am but a poor wee… Okay. Not even I believe that one. I’m a butt-kicking bad girl, and big kitties cower at the sight of me!”
“I don’t cower at the sight of you, little girl, and you do NOT want to mess with Sheriff Mama!”
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Previously
2009: Phyllis: always smiling.
2008: Banzai!
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Oh, Robyn, you crack me up! Your pure and absolute enjoyment of these furry little beasts is contagious. I particularly love your giggling in the background when your videos feature some especially amusing kitty antics.
May we request a pic of Sheila in “full floof”? Lol… I totally agree with all Kristen just said!
Why is it that we like BAD BOYS?? LOL!!
Awwww brilliant pics as always and lovely Jake too!
The Bookworms are brilliant as always and the Rescuees just melt my heart!
Sheriff Mama is FIERCE!! in a vey sweet way!
take care
x
Oh that is too funny…timeout for little Corbett…I should try it on my bad boys 🙂
Too funny about little Sheila…nothing is more ridiculously funny than a ferocious floofed up tiny kitten…there’s gonna be a new sheriff in town 🙂
Ok, I have to ask first about the floofing up because I cannot remember this with any other cats – do yours curl their tails under or put them up? Because I always picture the tails out when the floofing happens, but Stella gets floofed, hunches up and curls her tail under her body, and that just seems weird. I haven’t noticed enough with her brother – he is usually calmer around the big cats.
And of course you will have to add a note so that both Corbett and Sheila’s forever homes know that when they start their blogs about them (and really, that should be required for all your adoptees) that they should head over to our Naughty Kitty Club because they sound perfect for it (girl boss cats aren’t naughty in and of themselves, but they way they assert their authority usually is). I have used the time outs on Barney a few times – they did kind of work. I am sure I will need them on our newbies because they can fight like I have never seen!
Amy, I almost always see the floofing with the tail straight out. I think I’ve seen the tail-curled-under once or twice, but it’s not the usual. Maybe it has something to do with how scared they are. Or maybe it just depends on the kitten!
I sure do wish I could require adopting parents to start blogs about the kittens I’ve fostered. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! 🙂
i’m not knocking your methods or anything, because they clearly seem to work, but in theory, aren’t you punishing Corbett for coming in? Does that make sense?
I don’t know how else you could do it though, unless you can somehow spray him with the hose until he comes in or something? 🙂
Freya & Teego: Good point! I hadn’t considered it that way. I should set up a chair at the bottom of the back steps and spray him with water as soon as he so much as sticks his head through the door. I imagine that would get my message across! 🙂