The first 2 months
The first 2 months of sharing life with Duncan have been anything but dull! He is a constant motion machine! I've never seen anything like him before -- that cat NEVER stops moving! Even in his sleep, he twitches! I've described him to friends as a holy terror and its about as accurate as one can get. Heights are his favorites. He's been on the top of my refrigerator, the air conditioner in the kitchen (which is about 6 inches from the ceiling!) and the sliding glass doors in the bathroom. In fact, he is not allowed in the bathroom at all unless strictly supervised. He seems convinced that my shower cap and all buff puffs are there for his entertainment even tho I've tried my best to make him realize that is NOT the case!
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back to that fateful day he walked into my life. March 19, 2011 -- as the saying goes, a day that will live in infamy! After declaring his new home acceptable, Duncan proceeded to check out the real amenities -- "WINDOWS! Oh, yay, WINDOWS! And birdies flying around out there! And squirrels running around! And people! People walking dogs! And cars zooming down the street!" So much to see and marvel at! And then there were the toys! "Mom bought a bunch of mice, some catnip balls, a scratching board, a tunnel and a few other toys and then there was the crinkle sack and the ball/track thingie and CATNIP! Lots and lots of fresh, homegrown CATNIP!" Yes, my little boy had chosen wisely! He obviously knew a sucker when he saw one and I had wasted no time in proving him right! He was in heaven when he spotted all the afghans lying about and could barely contain his pleasure when he curled up on one and started purring and kneading. The first couple days were just a wonderland of new toys and places to explore. That first night, when I went to bed, I called him and he came flying in from whatever he was doing, plopped down next to me and snuggled all night. Yup, he wasn't the only one who had chosen wisely!
In the days -- and nights! -- that followed, Duncan explored every nook and cranny of his new home. And God help anything that got in his way! One night, VERY late and on a work night, I might add, he discovered the air conditioner in the kitchen. The only reason I knew about it was because I heard the crash as he tossed aside the kitty knicknacks that were on the air conditioner as they hit the floor! That was when Duncan discovered the spray bottle! It has been one of my tools for teaching all of my kitties the rules of the house -- what few rules there are, anyway! -- but Duncan was definitely a special case! I had to spray him 3 times before he decided he needed to get off the air conditioner as quickly as possible so naturally he took the "overland" route -- right across the top of my kitchen hutch which meant "moving" all the stuff I have up there! Fortunately nothing went flying too far and nothing was broken but it certainly startled both of us! He also discovered the top of the refrigerator and the top of the sliding glass doors in the bathroom which lead directly to the top of the cabinet next to the doors! That wasn't quite as "lucky" an experience. My room freshener quickly fell prey to Duncan's "enthusiasm" and wound up in several pieces. My body sponges, shower cap and buff puff were also too tempting and he decided he needed them as HIS toys. That was when the bathroom became "off limits"! Now the door is permanently closed and he only gets to go in and play with the water in the sink when I'm with him!
The bathroom wasn't the only scene of destruction. Unfortunately, one of the set of lamps in my bedroom that had survived my marriage and three previous kitties could not last with Duncan on the loose. He absolutely knows when he's been a bad boy, too! That was one of the quietest days since he's come to live with me!
Duncan has a tendency to sleep all day while I'm at work and then want to play -- as in ransack the apartment! -- while I'm trying to sleep. Sleeping hasn't been all that easy for me in the last several years so hearing "BANGBANGBANGCRASH" coming from the kitchen doesn't do a lot to help me stay asleep! Nor does holding the Indy 500 on my bed! A friend suggested putting Duncan out of the bedroom when he starts racing around the room -- first he climbs up the drying rack, then WHAM, onto the bed shoving the drying rack over in the process, chase the "blanket mice" (aka my FEET!), then fly onto the windowsill, from there to the dresser, to the clothes dryer and KABAM, off the dresser, out the door, down the hall and then BACK into the bedroom and onto the bed -- and it made sense. I'd done that once with my Gus and that was all it took so when Duncan started doing his kitty rain dance on my head one night around 2:00 a.m. I got up, picked him up and deposited him on the other side of the bedroom door. Ah, peace! I went back to bed and slept the rest of the night thru till the alarm clock went off. Then I walked out of the bedroom. OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!! It looked like the kitchen had been blown up overnight! EVERYTHING that had been on the table was now on the floor and scattered all over and mixed with all the paper recycling that had been strewn about. The garbage pail had been knocked over and its contents dragged out onto the floor, including the coffee grounds from the pot of decaf I'd made the night before. It was complete and total bedlam! How on earth had I managed to sleep thru all this insanity?! Lucky for Duncan he had the good sense to stay way far away from me! However, he did win that round -- I was not up to another kitty tantrum so no more tossing him out of the bedroom! What I did do, tho, was to install the catnapper I'd gotten in one of the bedroom windows. Now, most nights he sleeps there and we get along a lot better! Of course, there are always the nights that he doesn't get enough of the wiggles out of his system and the banging in the kitchen starts up around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I try to pull the pillow over my head and just ignore the sounds most nights -- its just "safer" that way!
As you may have guessed by now, Duncan is a jumper! The higher the better! And if it happens to be on mom's back, that's the best! Yes, my BACK! I was standing in front of my makeup mirror putting my contacts in one morning when he leapt from the bed to my shoulders -- well, ok, he didn't quite make it all the way to my shoulders so he had to CLIMB up my back to get there! -- and then peeks around to see what exactly it is I'm doing, you know, real up close and personal! Crazy damn cat! After that, it was open season for jumping on mama! I'd bend over to pick up something he'd tossed on the floor and he'd be on my back. I'd be washing dishes and he'd be on my back. Tying my shoes -- Duncan on my back! Sensing a pattern here?! The BEST was the day I was bending over cleaning his litter pan. Not only did he jump on my back but then he decided to run in circles -- ON MY BACK! When I yelled at him, he nipped me on the butt! Definitely never a dull moment with Duncan in the house -- and I haven't laughed this much in years!
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back to that fateful day he walked into my life. March 19, 2011 -- as the saying goes, a day that will live in infamy! After declaring his new home acceptable, Duncan proceeded to check out the real amenities -- "WINDOWS! Oh, yay, WINDOWS! And birdies flying around out there! And squirrels running around! And people! People walking dogs! And cars zooming down the street!" So much to see and marvel at! And then there were the toys! "Mom bought a bunch of mice, some catnip balls, a scratching board, a tunnel and a few other toys and then there was the crinkle sack and the ball/track thingie and CATNIP! Lots and lots of fresh, homegrown CATNIP!" Yes, my little boy had chosen wisely! He obviously knew a sucker when he saw one and I had wasted no time in proving him right! He was in heaven when he spotted all the afghans lying about and could barely contain his pleasure when he curled up on one and started purring and kneading. The first couple days were just a wonderland of new toys and places to explore. That first night, when I went to bed, I called him and he came flying in from whatever he was doing, plopped down next to me and snuggled all night. Yup, he wasn't the only one who had chosen wisely!
In the days -- and nights! -- that followed, Duncan explored every nook and cranny of his new home. And God help anything that got in his way! One night, VERY late and on a work night, I might add, he discovered the air conditioner in the kitchen. The only reason I knew about it was because I heard the crash as he tossed aside the kitty knicknacks that were on the air conditioner as they hit the floor! That was when Duncan discovered the spray bottle! It has been one of my tools for teaching all of my kitties the rules of the house -- what few rules there are, anyway! -- but Duncan was definitely a special case! I had to spray him 3 times before he decided he needed to get off the air conditioner as quickly as possible so naturally he took the "overland" route -- right across the top of my kitchen hutch which meant "moving" all the stuff I have up there! Fortunately nothing went flying too far and nothing was broken but it certainly startled both of us! He also discovered the top of the refrigerator and the top of the sliding glass doors in the bathroom which lead directly to the top of the cabinet next to the doors! That wasn't quite as "lucky" an experience. My room freshener quickly fell prey to Duncan's "enthusiasm" and wound up in several pieces. My body sponges, shower cap and buff puff were also too tempting and he decided he needed them as HIS toys. That was when the bathroom became "off limits"! Now the door is permanently closed and he only gets to go in and play with the water in the sink when I'm with him!
The bathroom wasn't the only scene of destruction. Unfortunately, one of the set of lamps in my bedroom that had survived my marriage and three previous kitties could not last with Duncan on the loose. He absolutely knows when he's been a bad boy, too! That was one of the quietest days since he's come to live with me!
Duncan has a tendency to sleep all day while I'm at work and then want to play -- as in ransack the apartment! -- while I'm trying to sleep. Sleeping hasn't been all that easy for me in the last several years so hearing "BANGBANGBANGCRASH" coming from the kitchen doesn't do a lot to help me stay asleep! Nor does holding the Indy 500 on my bed! A friend suggested putting Duncan out of the bedroom when he starts racing around the room -- first he climbs up the drying rack, then WHAM, onto the bed shoving the drying rack over in the process, chase the "blanket mice" (aka my FEET!), then fly onto the windowsill, from there to the dresser, to the clothes dryer and KABAM, off the dresser, out the door, down the hall and then BACK into the bedroom and onto the bed -- and it made sense. I'd done that once with my Gus and that was all it took so when Duncan started doing his kitty rain dance on my head one night around 2:00 a.m. I got up, picked him up and deposited him on the other side of the bedroom door. Ah, peace! I went back to bed and slept the rest of the night thru till the alarm clock went off. Then I walked out of the bedroom. OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!! It looked like the kitchen had been blown up overnight! EVERYTHING that had been on the table was now on the floor and scattered all over and mixed with all the paper recycling that had been strewn about. The garbage pail had been knocked over and its contents dragged out onto the floor, including the coffee grounds from the pot of decaf I'd made the night before. It was complete and total bedlam! How on earth had I managed to sleep thru all this insanity?! Lucky for Duncan he had the good sense to stay way far away from me! However, he did win that round -- I was not up to another kitty tantrum so no more tossing him out of the bedroom! What I did do, tho, was to install the catnapper I'd gotten in one of the bedroom windows. Now, most nights he sleeps there and we get along a lot better! Of course, there are always the nights that he doesn't get enough of the wiggles out of his system and the banging in the kitchen starts up around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I try to pull the pillow over my head and just ignore the sounds most nights -- its just "safer" that way!
As you may have guessed by now, Duncan is a jumper! The higher the better! And if it happens to be on mom's back, that's the best! Yes, my BACK! I was standing in front of my makeup mirror putting my contacts in one morning when he leapt from the bed to my shoulders -- well, ok, he didn't quite make it all the way to my shoulders so he had to CLIMB up my back to get there! -- and then peeks around to see what exactly it is I'm doing, you know, real up close and personal! Crazy damn cat! After that, it was open season for jumping on mama! I'd bend over to pick up something he'd tossed on the floor and he'd be on my back. I'd be washing dishes and he'd be on my back. Tying my shoes -- Duncan on my back! Sensing a pattern here?! The BEST was the day I was bending over cleaning his litter pan. Not only did he jump on my back but then he decided to run in circles -- ON MY BACK! When I yelled at him, he nipped me on the butt! Definitely never a dull moment with Duncan in the house -- and I haven't laughed this much in years!
posted by Cookie's Corner @ 10:59 AM
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