Last night I had a dream that I was on a trip somewhere and my suitcase had really squeaky hinges. Argh!! Matt woke me up and said "Clare Bear, Conan's brought in another mouse, can you deal with it..." which made me realise that the squeaky hinges were actually a squeaky mouse trying to escape from Conan. MIght I add, it was the second of three mice he brought in last night. We thought three birds in a week was bad!!!
Plus I hear there was a very large spider that he brought in last night as well, one that would be about the same circumference as an espresso cup with its legs spread. Ewwwww.
But the GOOD NEWS - I always aspire to see something positive about everything, including this killing spree - is that one of the birds was saved by some quick wit and team work. PLUS he's stopped stealing socks!! For the time being anyway.
Here's the update to date:
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 5
Birds: 5
Lost collars: 5
Items of clothing and underwear now in the Kitty Couture Range - 12
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Backdate: 11 July 07: Thank God for Ellenco!!
... is all I can say. Matt and I thought Conan was up to something, or something was a little off when we got home yesterday because Conan was winking lots with his left eye. Upon closer inspection he had a lot of gooby stuff in his eye, so I did my usual mum routine and wiped that shiz away.
A couple of hours later he joined me on the bed while I was chatting to a dear friend in Melbourne, and I noticed it was still a bit goupie so I checked out his freaky second eyelids and the left one was verrrry red. Poor little poppet!! So my day of annual leave which was intended for doing 'me' stuff (aqua jogging, getting wedding photos, sorting out the garage, starting on two new sewing projects and finishing the cushion covers I desperately want to get out of my house) ended up being for Conan. I got the aqua jogging and wedding photos done, but ended up running around getting him into the vet and then that was about it! GRRR!!! Every time I get a day or a half-day, if I don't get in the car and drive to Auckland then I end up running round after one of my boys. But that's beside the point, I'm just whingeing!!
Sooo anyway $119.00 later and a booking for next week for a checkup (which will be a $46 consultation plus whatever else they charge) and Conan's got to put up with having me wrestle him and put a tiny bit of cream in his eye so he gets better. Three years ago a friend got her cat insured and I thought that it was a)precious, b)ridiculous and c)a waste of money!! However upon finding out what she'd claimed back I thought hey, surely $18 a month can't hurt. Quite the opposite actually!! Ellenco Pet Insurance for cats and dogs is a total Godsend. We can now claim up to 80% of vet costs, excluding the usual stuff you can't claim for, up to a certain limit each year which we get nowhere near. However it's just fabulous!!
So check it out if you're tempted, but we're certainly looking forward to getting ... um... whatever 80% of $119 works out to. Nice!!!
http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/petinsurance.htm
A couple of hours later he joined me on the bed while I was chatting to a dear friend in Melbourne, and I noticed it was still a bit goupie so I checked out his freaky second eyelids and the left one was verrrry red. Poor little poppet!! So my day of annual leave which was intended for doing 'me' stuff (aqua jogging, getting wedding photos, sorting out the garage, starting on two new sewing projects and finishing the cushion covers I desperately want to get out of my house) ended up being for Conan. I got the aqua jogging and wedding photos done, but ended up running around getting him into the vet and then that was about it! GRRR!!! Every time I get a day or a half-day, if I don't get in the car and drive to Auckland then I end up running round after one of my boys. But that's beside the point, I'm just whingeing!!
Sooo anyway $119.00 later and a booking for next week for a checkup (which will be a $46 consultation plus whatever else they charge) and Conan's got to put up with having me wrestle him and put a tiny bit of cream in his eye so he gets better. Three years ago a friend got her cat insured and I thought that it was a)precious, b)ridiculous and c)a waste of money!! However upon finding out what she'd claimed back I thought hey, surely $18 a month can't hurt. Quite the opposite actually!! Ellenco Pet Insurance for cats and dogs is a total Godsend. We can now claim up to 80% of vet costs, excluding the usual stuff you can't claim for, up to a certain limit each year which we get nowhere near. However it's just fabulous!!
So check it out if you're tempted, but we're certainly looking forward to getting ... um... whatever 80% of $119 works out to. Nice!!!
http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/petinsurance.htm
Backdate: 27 June 07: Clever Little Toad
The cat-safe rooms have now expanded to include two more rooms - the master bedroom and the main living centre.
Main living centre is basically our kitchen, dining area and family space which are all open plan. Thank God for house & contents insurance, as we've had the voiles in the lounge and family areas (fine weave sheer net curtains) replaced at a mere $100 excess charge for a few hundred dollars of damage from cat claws. So Matthew's banned Conan from that space until we get proper curtains (after 1.5 years in the house we have finally ordered them, yay!!) because if he can't see another cat through the curtains, he won't try to attack the cat through the material and the window. That's the theory anyway. Conan figured out how to wiggle the cavity sliding doors between family area and lounge enough to get a paw and arm through, then wiggle his crafty little self in, he would then proceed to hide amongst the cables hanging down behind the TV centre - he tries to either eat the cables (farrrk!!!) or sits in the centre pretending to be a DVD player. We got tired of barricading the two doors with large picture frames, so I went off to one of my favourite places, Bunnings Warehouse, and got the DIY thing going on with magnetic strips up the top of the door.
He still tries to get in there occasionally...
As for the master bedroom, Conan's been allowed in there for most of his captive life, however I had to hide a beautiful mohair blanket which was a wedding gift from my sister and her husband in the wardrobe because Conan tries to eat it. Which is a shame because it perfectly matches the duvet cover set!! BUT the latest is that Conan has found out how to throw himself against the end of the sliding door and get himself into the wardrobe!! Matthew suspected it was due to the mouse scent lingering in there that drove him wild and gave him extra energy, comparable apparently to mothers being able to lift cars off their children or something. I still shudder with disgust at having to clean up after the latest mouse episode, it was hideous. But he's lost his "trust card" (teaching term) and is banned from free access to the bedroom until further notice.
We also had to shut him out of the bedroom the other night because he was going crazy - later it became apparent why, as we woke up repeatedly to scratching noises and eventually saw a mouse running around the bedroom. It was dealt to by a very tired Matthew. that's why we have husbands :) I hate vermin!!
Latest tally, updates in green
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 2 (disgusting. absolutely vile.)
Birds: evidence of 1
Lost collars: 5
Conan is now micro-chipped and has had his Cat AIDS injections, so we're not too worried about the collars anymore. He's still displaying a funny looking shaved patch from the surgery.
Main living centre is basically our kitchen, dining area and family space which are all open plan. Thank God for house & contents insurance, as we've had the voiles in the lounge and family areas (fine weave sheer net curtains) replaced at a mere $100 excess charge for a few hundred dollars of damage from cat claws. So Matthew's banned Conan from that space until we get proper curtains (after 1.5 years in the house we have finally ordered them, yay!!) because if he can't see another cat through the curtains, he won't try to attack the cat through the material and the window. That's the theory anyway. Conan figured out how to wiggle the cavity sliding doors between family area and lounge enough to get a paw and arm through, then wiggle his crafty little self in, he would then proceed to hide amongst the cables hanging down behind the TV centre - he tries to either eat the cables (farrrk!!!) or sits in the centre pretending to be a DVD player. We got tired of barricading the two doors with large picture frames, so I went off to one of my favourite places, Bunnings Warehouse, and got the DIY thing going on with magnetic strips up the top of the door.
He still tries to get in there occasionally...
As for the master bedroom, Conan's been allowed in there for most of his captive life, however I had to hide a beautiful mohair blanket which was a wedding gift from my sister and her husband in the wardrobe because Conan tries to eat it. Which is a shame because it perfectly matches the duvet cover set!! BUT the latest is that Conan has found out how to throw himself against the end of the sliding door and get himself into the wardrobe!! Matthew suspected it was due to the mouse scent lingering in there that drove him wild and gave him extra energy, comparable apparently to mothers being able to lift cars off their children or something. I still shudder with disgust at having to clean up after the latest mouse episode, it was hideous. But he's lost his "trust card" (teaching term) and is banned from free access to the bedroom until further notice.
We also had to shut him out of the bedroom the other night because he was going crazy - later it became apparent why, as we woke up repeatedly to scratching noises and eventually saw a mouse running around the bedroom. It was dealt to by a very tired Matthew. that's why we have husbands :) I hate vermin!!
Latest tally, updates in green
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 2 (disgusting. absolutely vile.)
Birds: evidence of 1
Lost collars: 5
Conan is now micro-chipped and has had his Cat AIDS injections, so we're not too worried about the collars anymore. He's still displaying a funny looking shaved patch from the surgery.
Backdate: 25 June 07: Murderous Rampage #2
There are just some things in life that you appreciate: coming home busting for a wee, having your cat sitting on the stairs furiously miaowing 'hi mum, mum mum muuuum', running upstairs to your ensuite, doing your business, washing your hands, exiting the ensuite and walking downstairs to fix yourself a drink, then sitting down for five minutes. It's one of my favourite daily routines. Last Wednesday, somewhere between washing my hands and fixing a drink I came upon rather a nasty sight.
As I exited the ensuite I recoiled in horror as a beheaded... well a mostly be-bodied creature lay on my bedroom floor. To my disgust, Conan had caught a mouse and semi-devoured it, and it all slowly dawned upon me why he was miaowing so excitedly when I got home, and also why he was going nuts trying to get under the nursing chair in our bedroom the previous night.
This creature had just a tail left, and a few bulging internal organs (I'm guessing stomach, intestines, the usual bottom ones, I wasn't about to go at it with a toothpick to identify them!!) sticking out of what was left of his 'hind. Ew, ew and EW!!! So I had to gather the poor wee creature who was minus a skeleton, skin, head, feet, etc. and put him in a wee coffin (care of the pharmacy packaging). The whole time Conan the Destroyer was walking around proudly bunting my legs as if to tell me that I should be a proud mummy.
And to add insult to injury, I accidentally left our ensuite door open a crack the next day and he got hold of my superlong dusky pink knit jersey and made the too-short long sleeves even shorter. Oh great. A murderer and a kitty-couture designer all in one!
But when you wake up at 4;30am on a Sunday with a gut-ache, and your cat curls up next to your head and shoves his face under yours for a warm sleep, it really is hard to stay mad when they're so cute.
As I exited the ensuite I recoiled in horror as a beheaded... well a mostly be-bodied creature lay on my bedroom floor. To my disgust, Conan had caught a mouse and semi-devoured it, and it all slowly dawned upon me why he was miaowing so excitedly when I got home, and also why he was going nuts trying to get under the nursing chair in our bedroom the previous night.
This creature had just a tail left, and a few bulging internal organs (I'm guessing stomach, intestines, the usual bottom ones, I wasn't about to go at it with a toothpick to identify them!!) sticking out of what was left of his 'hind. Ew, ew and EW!!! So I had to gather the poor wee creature who was minus a skeleton, skin, head, feet, etc. and put him in a wee coffin (care of the pharmacy packaging). The whole time Conan the Destroyer was walking around proudly bunting my legs as if to tell me that I should be a proud mummy.
And to add insult to injury, I accidentally left our ensuite door open a crack the next day and he got hold of my superlong dusky pink knit jersey and made the too-short long sleeves even shorter. Oh great. A murderer and a kitty-couture designer all in one!
But when you wake up at 4;30am on a Sunday with a gut-ache, and your cat curls up next to your head and shoves his face under yours for a warm sleep, it really is hard to stay mad when they're so cute.
Backdate: 28 May 07: Because we just love 'em
I flew up to Auckland on Friday morning for a weekend away (calm before the storm styles) to do some shopping and relaxing with my bestie who lives up there. Plus she gave me a voucher to get my hair cut at a FUH-LASH salon!! I was so impressed by the Morgan & Morgan staff that I even told the girl who cut my hair "Okay, I trust you with my hair. If you think it'll look better with a bit more off, then I trust you to cut it." BIG STEP!!! Usually I cringe, whinge and cry if more than an inch is taken off the length. So my hair's now about the length it was last year but much presshier (prettier) and I'm even styling it. Gawd, what is the world coming to. It looks super healthy!! But she did show me how to do some tricks with GHD irons and now I WANT some!! Let's see, if I save $30 a week from my lessons and try not to spend any of that, I wonder how long it'll take me to save... Again, what is the world coming to. I swore I'd never need them 'cause my Warehouse irons 'did the trick'.
Came home last night and within minutes I hear dthe familiar call of the wild, and Conan stuck his head through the cat door and came straight for me!! Big cuddles and bunts in the face and stuff. He may as well be a dog!!
The lady who gave Conan to us is a fantastic Tonkinese cat breeder, and also an amazing landscape gardener. She's helped out my in-laws recently by looking after their property that the tenants have neglected. so when she visited them last week to settle accounts, my mother-in-law kindly told her about a few of the choice antics that the Conanator has been up to and guess what she said: "Maybe I should take him home with me for a few weeks to do some training with him."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, no!!
Came home last night and within minutes I hear dthe familiar call of the wild, and Conan stuck his head through the cat door and came straight for me!! Big cuddles and bunts in the face and stuff. He may as well be a dog!!
The lady who gave Conan to us is a fantastic Tonkinese cat breeder, and also an amazing landscape gardener. She's helped out my in-laws recently by looking after their property that the tenants have neglected. so when she visited them last week to settle accounts, my mother-in-law kindly told her about a few of the choice antics that the Conanator has been up to and guess what she said: "Maybe I should take him home with me for a few weeks to do some training with him."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, no!!
Backdate: 17 May 07: Update on the Rascal
Just to update you on the wee rascal: due to us being workaholics, and having a serious illness in the extended Short family I'm afraid there was no time to take Conan the Barbarian to the vet. But he seems to have come right!! He's spending loads of time at the house behind us (Nanna's) and is just as cheeky and cuddly as ever.
Soooo we're assuming the offending bird has passed due to his tummy being less swollen, his breath smells fine and he's not so fidgety. I'm still feeling like a bad parent (don't judge me!!) but we do have a checkup for the wee monster in the next fortnight so we shall see what the vet says. She's probably going to remind me of her diagnosis of OCD and recommendation to put him on cat prozac but I'm not entirely convinced. Of the cat prozac that is!! Seeing how psychotically happy he is when we catch him chewing on a jersey or a sleeve with his eyes rolling up in his head... of that OCD I am convinced!!
I guess the new sock that was dragged in through the cat door last night is true proof that he's back to his old self. Shit. Another one for the bag of shame.
Soooo we're assuming the offending bird has passed due to his tummy being less swollen, his breath smells fine and he's not so fidgety. I'm still feeling like a bad parent (don't judge me!!) but we do have a checkup for the wee monster in the next fortnight so we shall see what the vet says. She's probably going to remind me of her diagnosis of OCD and recommendation to put him on cat prozac but I'm not entirely convinced. Of the cat prozac that is!! Seeing how psychotically happy he is when we catch him chewing on a jersey or a sleeve with his eyes rolling up in his head... of that OCD I am convinced!!
I guess the new sock that was dragged in through the cat door last night is true proof that he's back to his old self. Shit. Another one for the bag of shame.
Backdate: 14 May 07: My Conan the Bulimic
Well for the last few days following the bird saga, Conan has succeeded in gutting yet another felt catnip mouse toy (I've lost count, we've bought at least four bags of 6 in the past year, and he steals them from our neighbours too...).
But unlucky for me I've now cleaned up two piles of cat-yuck of undigested IAMS cat food on our deck, and then I got home yesterday evening to five new little piles of regurgitated IAMS catfood which I'd put water in to soften it (so he would digest it?? unfortunately not) and it appears from the pattern of puke that it's reminiscent of when he ate a frisbee-sized hole my father-in-law's cable knit jersey he got when he first entered the RNZ Air Force 31 years ago... and proceeded to bring up his food in projectile vomit in a pattern like a Catherine Wheel of puke. So it was smelly and plentiful and not my favourite thing to do on Lazy Sunday.
So ... I'm getting a little scared 'cause I've never owned a cat before, and although the neighbour reassures me that the bird will slowly digest and pass through, and no, there's no reason to take him to the vet, I'm still a little worried.
But unlucky for me I've now cleaned up two piles of cat-yuck of undigested IAMS cat food on our deck, and then I got home yesterday evening to five new little piles of regurgitated IAMS catfood which I'd put water in to soften it (so he would digest it?? unfortunately not) and it appears from the pattern of puke that it's reminiscent of when he ate a frisbee-sized hole my father-in-law's cable knit jersey he got when he first entered the RNZ Air Force 31 years ago... and proceeded to bring up his food in projectile vomit in a pattern like a Catherine Wheel of puke. So it was smelly and plentiful and not my favourite thing to do on Lazy Sunday.
So ... I'm getting a little scared 'cause I've never owned a cat before, and although the neighbour reassures me that the bird will slowly digest and pass through, and no, there's no reason to take him to the vet, I'm still a little worried.
Backdate: 10 May 07: Birdie, birdie, where's the birdie?
Ew, ew, ew. Matthew and I got home last night to find feathers all over our bedroom, some went under the wardrobe door even, but no bird. It was pretty foul (no pun intended) because there was also blood against the wall, the phone cord, the feathers, one foot, one beak and no body. We turned all the cat-safe* rooms upside down and couldnt' find anything!! Ew!!!
Conan's scoreboard to date:
Socks from our washing: 6
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 1 (ew!)
Birds: evidence of 1
Also lost collars: 5 (including 3 designer collars, little troll!!!)
*Cat safe rooms - until recently we had to close off every room in the house, including the downstairs toilet, because the ratbag of a cat would bust into the room and eat the end off, or middle out of something, or drink out of the toilets, and Matthew would spit tacks. Like, really spit tacks!! Now we've removed potential chew-toys (including clothing, blankets and the like) they're now 'cat-safe'.
Conan's scoreboard to date:
Socks from our washing: 6
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 1 (ew!)
Birds: evidence of 1
Also lost collars: 5 (including 3 designer collars, little troll!!!)
*Cat safe rooms - until recently we had to close off every room in the house, including the downstairs toilet, because the ratbag of a cat would bust into the room and eat the end off, or middle out of something, or drink out of the toilets, and Matthew would spit tacks. Like, really spit tacks!! Now we've removed potential chew-toys (including clothing, blankets and the like) they're now 'cat-safe'.
Backdate: 18 April 07: Apparently ants can carry 8x their own weight on their back...
And Conan can carry things about half his weight in his mouth!! there was a certain item of clothing that came off a certain husband, and I ended up having a chasingly good time (not that easy with a back injury!!) trying to get it out of his mouth and telling him off, before he dropped it right by the cat door. And ran out the cat door and took refuge at his "Nanna"s house ... sign of things to come? I hope not!!
Here goes:
Updated tally:
Socks from our washing: 6
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 17
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 1 (ew!)
Here goes:
Updated tally:
Socks from our washing: 6
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 17
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 1 (ew!)
Backdate: 2 April 07: The New Trend...
...is stealing rolled up, clean pairs of socks. So my furry 'child' is causing the whole family shame as he appears to be breaking-and-entering (I've never known how to spell that, kinda like 'suppose') and taking clean washing. But it's only socks now!!
I have a terrible confession to make, Conan snuck under the covers this morning, after waking us at 3:30am and then 5:30am, and slept there until about 8am when we left. But thinking that he was around where the lump in the middle of the bed was, I carefully sat down and pulled a pair of socks on, when I felt something move beneath my bottom. Pulled the sheets back, and there was the wee boy with his front legs stretched out (it could've just been those!!) and the fur on his head looking very scruffy. and he did a low moaning meow that sounded like a big growl. I feel like the worst 'parent' ever!! however he was being his loony self by the time we left.
So here's the updated tally:
Socks from our washing: 3
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 16 (three extra pairs this week)
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
and jerseys, cardigans and men's underwear he's put big holes into: 7
Backdate: 15 March 2007: Not my favourite cardy!!
Well we can add three foreign socks on to the list now, plus another little kitty chase toy. When will it end!! I haven't done the walk of shame OR the flyer for the neighbourhood but one will have to come soon. Oh the shame.
The other night Matt heard the telltale clicking sound (kinda like when you click your tongue but deeper and accompanied by frenzied panting...) and went to the couch only to find Conan eating a hole in my FAVOURITE cardy!!!
Let me tell you why it's my favourite cardy.
Pink cardy - very old and brown around the wrists so can't wear to work.
Grey cardy - has been turned into Kitty Couture around the neck and big holes in one of the wrists.
Blue cardy - also Kitty Couture, actually so holey it's no longer wearable and when that came out it was the worst kitty vomit I've ever smelt.
Black bolero cardy - faced the same fate as the Blue cardy.
Mid-sleeve black cardy - faded from three years of solid wear, plus kitty couture at the bottom and on one sleeve.
So needless to say this long-sleeve black cardy, albeit a $30 House of G purchase, was my very favourite cardy. AND NOW IT'S HOLEY!!!!
Out comes the sewing machine and I'm racking my brains for inspiration on how to fix this latest one.
As I type, Conan is chewing open a catnip toy and it's making a racket as it's one of those furry feathery ones with a solid "indestructible" plastic case inside. Ratbag!!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Backdate: 10 March 2007 - Socks, socks and more socks
We were out at a wedding rehearsal dinner last night (big day today for Rachel and Dave today!!) and get home to a giant thick white sports sock and a little cat toy, left on the front doorstep. I can't believe how regular this is getting though, as this morning I struggle down the stairs to put on my espresso maker (it's red, I love it!) and there is a pair and a half of lovely kids socks - the full pair sstill in a big roll!
I guess I'll have to do the walk of shame this morning to go to our neighbours' houses to see if anyone's going to claim the socks. Farrk, I hope none of them get angry!!
but we can't make ourselves angry at Conan - he curled up under the covers with us this morning under the covers just in all his softness and cuteness and quirkiness we can't stay mad! Actually I should clarify that - Conan did come under the covers but he proceeded to stretch out and push both of us to opposite sides of the bed. Ratbag.
So to date:
Socks from our washing: 3
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 10
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
If anyone has any advice I'm open. Not looking forward to the door-knocking walk of shame...
I guess I'll have to do the walk of shame this morning to go to our neighbours' houses to see if anyone's going to claim the socks. Farrk, I hope none of them get angry!!
but we can't make ourselves angry at Conan - he curled up under the covers with us this morning under the covers just in all his softness and cuteness and quirkiness we can't stay mad! Actually I should clarify that - Conan did come under the covers but he proceeded to stretch out and push both of us to opposite sides of the bed. Ratbag.
So to date:
Socks from our washing: 3
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 10
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
If anyone has any advice I'm open. Not looking forward to the door-knocking walk of shame...
Backdate: 8 March 2007 ... and it goes on
How can you get angry when they look this cute...
I only did that blog entry this morning but at 10:15pm, I heard the cat door click shut and sure as sh t, the telltale muffled miaow. Conan had brought me a present, a footlet sock that was pretty and blue and pink stripy. Never seen it before.
When I get to work tomorrow I will be creating a flyer to distribute to my neighbours (much less embarrassing than door knocking but Hall of Shame material even so) to say "Hi, we're the Shorts, we moved into number 63 a year or so ago, and we have a kleptomaniac cat. If you are missing half a pair of socks, or a small child's toy, or a cat toy, it is unfortunately highly likely that our cat Conan has stolen it. So please call us on xxx or email me at xxx and we can see if it has turned up under our bed or dining table." and should my cat come by your place, lock all doors and windows, and hang your washing more than four feet off the ground. don't be fooled by the cute face.
Honestly, how will I teach my future children not to steal if the cat is a kleptomaniac??
Funny, my friend Kat said that her new fur-baby boy kitty is now turning some of her underwear into Kitty Couture. Man I love it when I make up a word and it spreads!! Just like backne... All I can say is LIDDED LAUNDRY BASKETS!! and super good plant sprayers. and insurance for the curtains. Allll from our experience.
Argh!! Ratbag cat!!
Backdate: Thursday 8 March 2007: Conan the Kleptomaniac
(Please note: this is being transferred from a Yahoo! blog which I don't want to use any longer)
Conan was a belated wedding gift (strange I know) given to us when he was three months old in May 2006. He's a sepia classic tabby variant of Tonkinese cat and was just so dead cute when we got him. Until he started crying. Every. Night. We were told that it would subside, and it did, now he restricts miaowing for when he a) is hungry, b) wants a treat, or c) comes through the cat door to announce his arrival.
I was a cat hater. My friends Kat and Kat (oh the irony!) had a kitty each that I admittedly fell in love with - Smurf is the cutest big fluffy thing out who had hilarious quirks like acting as an alarm to get Kat out of bed, and Molly is just this tiny, sleek, perfect little Burmese cat. so that built me up for Conan. Matthew and I love that thing like a child, I'm embarrassed to admit it!!
Then, Conan started to eat things. I caught him with a sock from the washing and he'd eaten huge holes in it... which admittedly we thought was pretty cute. Then half my jerseys (mainly the nice merino wool ones) started turning into Kitty Couture. Huge holes in elbows, sleeves, collars, and one jersey even looked worse off than a bad block of Swiss Cheese!! He'd of course then proceed to store it in his stomach, then vomit it all over either our new carpet, the tiles, or once it was on the bedspread. More on the kitty couture later.
So last night Conan falls asleep on our bed as per usual, taking up so much space I'm nearly falling off my side of the bed. I wake up at 1:30 to hear him scratching around my books under the bed, and pull him onto the bed but he's gone nuts! I discovered a mouse (thank goodness it was dead and not bleeding) under the bed. Nice present Conan!! GROSS!!!! We were woken again at about 6am by a muffled miaow coming in the cat door, because he had a sock in his mouth that he'd stolen from someone else's washing. To add to another he'd left under the bed in the morning!!
So to date Conan the Destroyer (or now Conan the Klepto) has clocked up the following:
Socks from our washing: 3
Socks stolen from the house behind's washing: 6
Beanies and gloves nicked from the builders: 2 of each
Foreign mouse cat-toys that I never bought: 1
Complicated cat-toys I never bought: 1 (toy in mouth, string and stick dragging behind)
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toy stolen that was as big as him: 1 (that was hilarious)
that's not including the toys or clothing he's destroyed that we had. Simba the lion was a quadriped, he is now a biped. Giraffey? Triped.
ARGH!!!
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