Critter Photo #7

Posted by: Allison Helps Cats on: February 1, 2016

• In: Teasers
• 4 Comments

With our household of critters having expanded to include three cats and a dog, I thought it fitting to join a meme related to pets. After searching around, I came across Awww….. Mondays. The one rule is: “Post a picture that makes you say Awww…. and that’s it.” Every photo seemed to feature a pet and so the meme is a perfect fit!

Now that you know how the Cat Trio and the Solo Dog became my family, let me back up and tell you some of their individual adventures. Cinder is probably the one who had to most adjust to the new family members. She came to our home in time to usher in the year 2014. For two years, she had my husband, our dog, and me all to herself.

In this time, Cinder naturally grew used to quiet and uninterrupted meals. Also, if you didn’t count Barnaby, she was the only one coaxing for food. Cinder also liked to sleep wherever she wanted. Normally, that did not involve sleeping our the bed with us. To convince her to come anywhere near the bed at night, I had to lure her with treats. Even then, half the night, she preferred the tower in the living room or a spot by a window anywhere else in the house. Why not? She knew that whenever she wanted, she could get our attention.

Despite her disliking to snuggle, she did enjoy playtime with Andy and me. Cinder and I would run around the house, under and over furniture. My main obstacle, for which I felt bad, happened when Cinder would run behind furniture. Normally, I couldn’t squeeze into those narrow spaces. Well, another obstacle occured on those days when she decided to dart to the top of her tower. I couldn’t reach that high, a problem that Andy solved by buying a stool for me. From those heights, Cinder enjoyed wrestling with Andy and me.

When the other cats arrived, everything changed. Even though we gave all three separate eating areas, Rainy didn’t respect those boundaries. Should she deign to grace us with her presence at bedtime, Cinder could no longer trust that our bed would be available for just her. Finally, there was the matter that now two other cats wanted to play with her owners, with Barnaby, with her….

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Cinder turned into a sourpuss. That naturally led us to correct and scold her more, which led her to even further retreat. In response, we tried to push her into accepting more attention, which didn’t go over well either. Then one day, Andy and I talked, and we make two decisions. First, we began acting cheerful all the time to see her. Second, we backed off demanding time with her. And, miraculously, these two decisions seemed to make a difference. After a long day of Cinder hiding out in the basement, Cinder bounded up the stairs to play with us and the other cats. Our girl had adjusted!

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Tags: Allison's Book Bag, Awww.... Mondays Meme, pet photos, reviews of books for young people