PetSmart

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Tigers gone wild!

Tulip was in rare form this morning. I don't know what got into her, but she was tearing up the place before we left for work. She was spinning in circles, chasing her tail. She was on the coffee table. She was on the back of the chair. She was chasing me down the hallway. She was shooting sand out of the litterbox. Take it easy, punk! I think we'll be doing some playing before bed tonight.

Geez, I almost forgot. Last night I started chirping like a bird, just to see what Tulip would do. She was freaking out! She was running all around the living room squeaking and "looking" up at the ceiling. She kept swatting at the air. It was hilarious. I wish we got it on video, but every time Eve got out the camera Tulip stopped. She was doing it all evening. I swear we need to keep a camera set up in our living room.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Meeting Hisako

Our friend Hisako came over for dinner on Sunday night. Tulip wasn't the biggest fan of that idea at first. We closed the bedroom doors so she wouldn't disappear for the entire evening. When she realized that, she hid under the couch. Hisako did her best to coax her out, but Tulip was having none of that.

While we were eating dinner Tulip decided that things were quiet enough for her to peek out from behind the couch. She crept a little closer a few times, but ran away when we paid attention to her. A few times she came within a couple feet of Hisako, but wouldn't come say hi.

After dinner Hisako and I sat on the floor and tried to tempt Tulip out again. She came out and tiptoed around Hisako. She flopped down on the rug just out of reach. She walked along the couch just out of reach. What a tease! One time she walked up and sniffed Hisako's hand, then ran off. I thought that was pretty brave of her.

Overall I was really impressed at her efforts to visit. She was clearly tempted, but not quite brave enough for an official greeting. I'm hoping that if we have people over frequently, her curiosity will get the best of her. She's so sweet. Everyone wants to meet her. We just have to get her to be a little braver.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Kitty status

Here's a quick run-down of how things are going for Tulip after 3 weeks with us:

Appetite? Check.
Poop? Check.
Getting on and off the giant bed? Check.
Finding the food and water bowls in the kitchen? Check.
Building sandcastles in the bathroom next to the litterbox? Check.
Chowing on sushi? Check.
Bumping into the coffee table 500 times a day? Check.
Hunting the string on a stick? Check.
Hogging the bed? Check.
Lounging on the deck in the sun? Check.
Being the best cat ever? Check.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Invisible string

Tulip loves her new string-on-a-stick toy so much, that's all she wants to do! I'll walk around the house with it dragging behind me and she follows me all around chasing after it. In fact, I'm apparently known as the String Lady now. Even when I don't have the string she still follows me around, running around my legs looking for it. Invisible string! At least she's getting some exercise.

It's become the new routine to play this game right before bed. She's so interested in playing with it that she'll chase it up onto the bed. Eventually she'll get tired and flop over and go to sleep. Everybody wins!

When I left for work yesterday I left the string on top of the kitchen table. I purposely left all the chairs pushed in all the way so she wouldn't get up there and get the string. When I came home, the string was next to her scratching post. Are you sure she's blind?

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Tiger hunting

When I was a kid, my dad used to take me out "tiger hunting". Tiger hunting was really just taking a walk out in the woods behind our house. But when I was 5 I thought we might actually catch a tiger one day. It was one of my favorite things to do with my dad. I even drew a picture of us tiger hunting and brought it to show-and-tell when I was in the first grade. I told my teacher that we went tiger hunting almost every weekend. My teacher told me she didn't believe that my dad really took me tiger hunting. I was SO upset I went home and told my dad about it. He told me to tell my teacher to "go flap her ears". Amazingly, I never did! :)

Well, dad, it took me 39 years, but I finally caught a tiger. Yeah and, Miss Cassidy? Go flap your ears.

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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Tooth brushing

Eve brushed Tulip's teeth for the first time today. That went over like a fart in church. Not much actual brushing happened, but it was a start. I can see we're going to have to spend some time on this, hopefully not getting bit in the process.

Note to self: Don't accidentally use the seafood-flavored toothpaste.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

New toy

Eve dug out this toy that belonged to our old cat. It's just a really long string of polar fleece attached to a stick. He was crazy about this thing. Eve washed it so Tulip could give it a try. She loves it too! She can hear it tapping on the floor and pounce right on it. She has great fun sitting up on her hind feet and swatting at it. She keeps grabbing the string and trying to walk away with it. I'll have to get a short video of this in the next few days. It's pretty cute. It also keeps her from pacing in front of the door for a while.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Awwwww!

Tulip must have read that last comment I made about her not sleeping with us. Last night Eve brought her to bed and she slept on my shoulder, sharing my pillow with me. She stayed there all night. Sweeeeeeet.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Alone time

Tulip has decided that she doesn't feel like sleeping on the bed with us right now. At bed time I still carry her in there and put her on the bed. She runs around a bit, gets all her pets, then gets down off the bed and goes back to the living room. Sometimes she comes back, goes to my side of the bed, squeaks until I reach down and pet her, then heads out to the living room again. I really wish she'd sleep in with us. It makes me feel like we're a little family. But she's pretty independent. She's still very affectionate though. When I get up in the morning, she's usually sitting next to the couch waiting for me. She comes to the kitchen and helps me make coffee, then sits next to the couch and gets more pets while we drink our coffee. It's a good way to start off the day.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Gone to the vet

Tulip's first visit to the vet went surprisingly well. I came home early from work. I was hoping that it wouldn't take me all day to round her up, and to my relief and delight, she was downstairs sitting at the front door. With her in an easy spot, I rushed to get the carrier. I proceeded downstairs as calm as I could be so as to not give away my intentions. She was surprised to be in her carrier, but decided not to fight it and just settled in.

I clumsily placed her in the car, securing the seat belt around the carrier. Not one time during this whole experience did I hear a peep from her. Call it indifference or contentment. She wasn't worried or anxious or fearful. What night and day between her car riding reaction and our old cat's!

I got to the vet's a little early. The longer I was in that waiting area, the more people and pets piled in. Tulip was calm as can be. I had the top of the carrier open so I could pet her. She just laid there, moving her head now and then to pay attention to particular noises. She didn't seem to care about the dog that was barking in the adjacent room behind the closed door.

When it was finally Tulip's turn, the vet assistant asked me to place her on the scale, which was in the waiting area. I warned her that with all of the people, pets, and noises all around, it is unpredictable what a blind cat will do. She agreed to allow me to weight Tulip while in the carrier.

After that, Tulip and I were led to the room where the barking dog had been previously. I set Tulip on the examination table. Thank goodness there was a small blanket between her and the cold metal table. A little comfort in a strange place goes a long way.

I learned that the vet assistant also has a blind cat. It's amazing how we are learning of others that have pets with similar situations. It must be that law attraction being applied. Her cat's name is Cosmo. Cute!

After asking me a few questions about Tulip's history, of which I kept referring back to the folder Janet put together for us, she left us. It was just me and Tulip in that room until Dr. Cote came in. Tulip was being so sweet and patient through it all. She never sat up but just kept her paws tucked under her while I petted her constantly.

Dr. Cote was so welcoming. She has got to be the nicest, caring, non-sales oriented vet ever! I didn't feel rushed or limited for her attention. She made sure I had all my concerns and questions addressed. She's so personable.

Tulip's health is excellent. She received her distemper shot (FVRCP) and a teeth cleaning with some yummy seafood flavor toothpaste. The doc recommended we clean Tulip's side and back teeth with it at least once a week. So, she'll be on a Sunday-brush-teeth-time schedule starting this weekend. And with that, Tulip's scheduled to come in in 12 months.

I hope Dr. Cote finds her way to this blog and if she would permit us to place her business info here. Now I see why Janet highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommended her to us!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Miss Independent

Kitty's getting a little more independent. She's now able to get on and off the bed on her own, although I often help her. She cruises around the entire house, no problem. She still bumps into things pretty frequently, but mostly because she isn't paying attention to what she's doing. When I get up to make coffee in the morning, she likes to sit in the entrance to the kitchen and "watch" what I'm doing. Her little head follows my every move. It's pretty darn cute!

I'm teaching her to come when I call her. It's slow going, but we're making some progress. I find that if I talk to her in a deeper voice, she responds more. Sometimes I'll call her name and she'll come running to me. Awwwww!

She's doing a couple of weird things still. First of all, she paces maniacally in front of the sliding door to the deck. I guess she knows there's more space out there and she wants to explore it. Sometimes she'll pace all day though. It drives me a little crazy. I try to distract her with toys. It hardly ever works.

The other weird thing is that she doesn't seem to look for her food and water and she doesn't scream when she's hungry. She just waits for us to put food under her nose. We have food and water for her in a couple different places, but we still find ourselves showing her where it is. She doesn't seem to care. Although, if we forget for a while, she eats like she's starved half to death. Go get your food, kitty!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Lounging on the deck

Eve swept off the deck today and blocked off the railing with blankets so Tulip could explore out there safely. She's been pacing in front of the sliding door for days now. She obviously realizes that something is out there.

I've been paper writing all day, so I put a blanket down on the deck and sat out here with my computer working. She finally decided to come out and investigate. She's found her way up onto every chair and the air conditioner. I love watching her explore.

There's a tree that hangs over our deck, so she's been "watching" the hummingbirds up there. I think she's having a pretty good day. I also think we're all going to get some rest tonight after all the fresh air.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Meeting the grandparents

Eve's parents came over this afternoon. We had plans to take mom out to dinner for Mother's Day. They also wanted to meet Tulip. Tulip didn't seem to think that was the greatest idea. We were able to flush her out from behind the couch for a very brief sighting, but that was about it. She was already in a weird mood. She was even hiding from Eve and I for much of the day. Hopefully it was just bad timing and she'll be a better host next time.

Friday, May 11, 2007

First sushi dinner

Tulip had her first sushi dinner tonight. Eve stopped at Nigia Market to get some sushi-grade fish and brought it home for me to prepare. We had salmon, tuna, yellowtail, albacore and sea urchin. Tulip didn't eat much today, so when we sat down to eat, I gave her a little sample of fish. She didn't seem interested in the salmon, but enjoyed the tuna, albacore and yellowtail. She's an expensive date! She ate all that I gave her and was looking for more. I guess she enjoyed her dinner!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Kitty bowling

Here's a video of Tulip playing her "bowling" game tonight. It works out great because the ball can't get away from her. She's pretty good at it!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Nightcrawler

Tulip was awfully busy last night. She's still trying to figure out the layout of the bedroom. To do so she moves from corner to corner of the bed, reaching out with her paws to see what's there. Then she'll make noises and listen to the way the sounds bounce off of things to judge where they are. It's really cute during the day. At night when I'm exhausted and already not getting enough sleep? Not so much. The exploring and creeping around the bed when on for most of the night. This morning when the alarm woke me up after a night of barely sleeping, she was sprawled on the blankets snoozing away. Tonight we will be playing extensively before bed!

This morning she finally decided to eat. She seems to not want the food when it's in a bowl or on a plate. When I put some dry food directly on the couch in front of her and she ate it. So be it. Bowls are out for now I guess.

When I left for work this morning she was lounging quite luxuriously on the back of the couch. I'd say she's feeling a bit more relaxed these days. Wish I could say the same! In my next life, I'm coming back as a cat.

The best part of my day, by far, is coming home to be with her.
=^. .^=

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Marco Polo

Some little 4-legged explorer discovered that she could let herself out of the bathroom today! Eve came home to find her sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. My first reaction was, "Oh my god, did she leave us any presents?" If she did, we haven't found them yet. Her litterbox was clearly used. I'll take that as a good sign. It looks like she found her way onto the kitchen table and took off with the headphones from my iPod. I guess she wanted some music!

When I got home, she was hiding under the couch as usual. I am completely all done with that, so I reached under there and pulled her out. I put her up on top of the couch and attacked her with some more of the firm petting trick. Tough love! She flopped right over and started purring. I gave her one of her springy plastic toys and we played with that for a while while I brushed her. She loved it. Then I discovered a new game. I leaned over and made little purring noises at her and she stretched up and rubbed her nose against mine. She seems to like to do this from time to time. I know, I'm officially insane. But honestly, who could resist that much sweetness?

First day alone / first night in bed

Tulip spent her first day home alone yesterday. I worried all day long. I had school, so I didn't get home until 10:30 last night. However, I called Eve on my dinner break. She said that Tulip was just fine and that she had found the litterbox on her own during the day. I was so proud!

When I got home, she was hiding under the couch. I've decided that I've really had about enough of that, so we flushed her out. I had to play kitty rodeo for a while because she was spooked. But I found that if I get down on the floor with her and pet her really firmly, she usually calms right now. It worked. I walked her over to the couch and convinced her to come up there and flop with me for a while. She totally relaxed.

When we were ready for bed we brought her back to home base. She went right in her carrier and laid down. It's a straight shot from the bathroom to our bedroom so I could see her little ears pointing in our direction after we got in bed. She was still wide awake and wondering what we were up to. I decided to get her and put her on the bed to see if she'd sleep there with us. She was very curious about the room because she hasn't spent much time in there other than hiding under the nightstand. She did about 100 laps around the bed trying to figure out where she was. I was about ready to give up because I was exhausted and it was late. I decided to try the petting trick again and it worked again. She flopped herself down on the bed and went to sleep. When I woke up, she had worked her way up a little higher and was sleeping in between us. I gave her a little pet to wake her up and was greeted with a big stretch, yawn and loud purring. She woke up in a wonderful mood. I love it!

We took her back to her home base where she relaxed in the carrier while we ran around getting ready for work. We tried to get her to eat. She showed a lot more interest but fell just short of digging in. Eve ended up smearing a significant amount of wet food on her which she licked off. Then she went over to her water bowl and drank a lot of water. That made me happy. Things are looking up.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Timid morning

Tulip got off to a timid start this morning. She's still not really eating or drinking. She had a couple more pieces of dry food this morning. Last night we got a tiny bit of wet food in her by smearing in onto the back of her paw. She's completely uninterested in eating. That has me less concerned than the fact that I haven't seen her drink yet.

Last night she suddenly decided that she was nervous. We brought her back to "home base" where she curled up in her carrier and went to sleep. This morning she wasn't very eager to come out. She did finally decide it was okay. We're still learning where the litterbox is, so I try to encourage her to go in there. She's been in there twice successfully with some guidance from us. So far, no more accidents. We've discovered that when she starts pacing back and forth in front of a door, that's our cue to escort her to the litterbox. This morning she was in there for quite some time, but didn't do anything. I'm a little concerned she might be constipated, especially with the lack of water. I gave her a bit of vaseline. In the past, the vet has recommended this for hairballs. They all seem to like it. I smeared some on her paw. Hopefully that will help.

This is her first day home alone. We decided she's be safest if she was restricted to the bathroom area. She has her carrier, blankets, toys and food in there. Hopefully she'll be okay. I suspect she'll spend her whole day in the carrier. If I can sneak away, I'll go visit her at lunch. It's just about killing me to know she's there alone.

Ooo, a couch!

Tulip discovered the couch yesterday afternoon, or I should say the top of the couch. She had been hiding under it from time to time before that. I was sitting there doing homework and she was poking around the living room. She came over to visit and put her paws up on the edge of the couch. Once she realized what it was, she jumped up. I had down-filled, faux suede blanket spread out which she found her way onto. She immediately started kneading and purring. She ended up plopping herself down on the blanket and sleeping most of the afternoon. Cute! Every once in a while she would stretch her arms out toward me and yawn. I'd give her a little pet and she'd curl back up and sleep some more. That made my whole day.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Finding her way

Tulip is very slowly starting to find her way around. After a lengthy stay under the nightstand, we decided to flush her out of there. Eve lifted up the nightstand and I took her out. We've discovered that if we walk around with her and pet her while she's exploring she seems less nervous about it. If my knees would tolerate the wood floors I'd crawl around with her while she explores.

Once we got her out from under the nightstand, we worked out way out to the living room. She discovered her bed and her scratching post. She also discovered the stairs. And by discovered I mean she stepped right off the top landing without knowing it was there. She was fine and worked her way down to the bottom eventually, with me coming down along side her and petting her the whole time. All of our living space is upstairs, so the only thing at the bottom of the stairs is a small entryway. She seemed really confused by this. She kept reaching out with her paws trying to figure out why there weren't more rooms down there. She discovered a small throw rug that is in front of the door and decided that would be a good place to relax for a while. I also brought one of her beds down there and put it in the corner. She crawled right in it and napped down there for a while.

Later we brought her upstairs to explore some more. She investigated the living room for a while and finally settled under the couch. She still seems to want to hide a lot. We decided that while she needs some time to herself to do the hiding thing, she needs to come out and learn her way around the house too. We have been splitting her time between letting her hide and making her come out to look around. That seems to be working okay so far. Unfortunately, we discovered the hard way that she didn't know where her litterbox was. She ended up going back downstairs and peeing on the rug in front of the door. I was pretty bummed about that.

After her little accident we took her back upstairs and decided it was necessary to keep her in the bathroom area until she would actually use the litterbox. She has spent the most time in that area and seems to be comfortable there. We've set it up as her "home base". Her carrier is still in there with the door open. She seems to like to sleep in there. She also has some toys and food and water in there with her. I haven't seen her take a drink yet, which has me concerned. I can't seem to force it on her. She did eat 2 pieces of dry food this morning finally. We couldn't interest her in the wet food last night. I'll give it another try in a while.

She spent the night in the bathroom area, sleeping in her carrier. Eve sat in there with her for half the night working on her computer. Tulip seemed to enjoy the company. When I got up this morning I went in to visit her. She came right out of the carrier when I sat down next to her. She rolled around on the throw rug and offered up her belly for petting. That was a trick. She grabbed me for petting it. She was full of love this morning, rolling and rolling on the rug while I talked to her. I moved into the toilet area where her litterbox is and she followed me in there. She finally got in and out of there a couple times on her own. Eventually she used it.

After a successful trip to the litterbox we opened the door so she could come out into the rest of the house. She wanted to come out, but wasn't sure it was a good idea. She stuck her head out into the hallway, then decided it was time to go back under the nightstand. I'm sure she hasn't had much rest since she's been here so I thought I'd let her sleep under there for a while. We'll see how it goes later. I'd really like to get her to eat and drink.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Day 1

Tulip arrived last night. We picked her up at Petsmart where Janet volunteers. She was quite content in her pet carrier and stayed that way for the whole ride home. On the way, we stopped to pick up some dinner. While Eve ran in to get the food, I stayed in the car with Tulip. I opened up the top of the carrier so I could pet her. She seemed to like that and was pretty affectionate considering she doesn't know me yet. When Eve got back to the car I closed the carrier back up and we came home. She didn't seem to mind at all.

We brought the carrier upstairs and left her in it while we unloaded the rest of her things from the car. She's got a lot of stuff for one small kitty! We set up a litterbox for her in the bathroom, so we decided we'd put her carrier just outside the bathroom so she would hopefully find it quickly. We opened up the carrier and it didn't take her long to venture out. She didn't go far, but she did poke around the bathroom a bit. We sat with her for quite a while, talking to her and petting her. We had quite a long day so we went to bed fairly soon. She found her way back into her carrier which we left open for her. She spent the night in there and seemed to be pretty content.

This morning we went in to see her. She was still in the carrier and responded nicely when we talked to her and petted her. So far we can't seem to interest her in any food or water. But she does know where the food bowls are. She hasn't been in the litterbox yet either. Hopefully that's not a big deal.

We got up and made coffee. We could see her from the kitchen. She poked around the bathroom some more, then ventured into the bedroom. She found her way under the bed and then finally under the nightstand. That's where she's been ever since. She seems to just want to sleep under there. We go in there to check on her every once in a while. She seems a little annoyed with us when we try to interact with her under there. I guess she just needs some time to figure out what's going on. Hopefully she'll decide to come out from under there soon.

Overall she seems to be doing pretty well. She doesn't seem to be particularly scared, just really confused. I'm looking forward to her being more relaxed with us.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Meeting Tulip for the first time

We learned of Tulip while searching the internet for local animal shelters. We came across the website of FOCAS (Friends Of County Animal Shelters). Tulip was in foster care with a FOCAS volunteer named Janet. As soon as we saw her picture and read about her, we knew she was the cat for us.

Janet was kind enough to let us come to her home and meet Tulip. She's a bit on the shy side, so Janet had her waiting in a large wire pet kennel for us. When we arrived Tulip retreated to an empty litterbox that was in the kennel with her. She didn't seem particularly stressed or scared, just very cautious. As we stood next to the kennel and chatted with Janet Tulip laid at the entrance of the litterbox and listened in. She seemed quite interested in what was going on but completely uninterested in coming out. After chatting with Janet and talking to Tulip through the kennel for a while, we opened the kennel door. Tulip stayed put and allowed us to get closer and pet her. I was very relieved to see that. She sniffed us and listened very attentively to us. Her face is so sweet, it's just priceless. We fell completely in love with her. Janet's husband came out to the garage to join us. He decided to take Tulip out of the kennel so we could interact with her a bit more. She allowed him to hold her while we talked to her and petted her head. She was quite tolerant which made us really optimistic.

As we drove home, we discussed the meeting. We both thought things went really well. We decided that we were ready to commit to adopting Tulip. We will be bringing her home for the first time tonight. And so the adventures begin...