Tag Archives: Bad Cat

Catnip, I have You Now!

22 Replies

I was making dinner Monday night and I opened a drawer to get something out. When I tried to close the drawer, Chris had both paws over it and I couldn’t push it shut. I could have pushed him off but I had to stir my food and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to let him look for a second. After all, it was just kitchen stuff. What could he possibly want?

I forgot about him for a minute and saw him inside the drawer when I turned around. I thought it was a cute picture so I grabbed my camera to get a picture of him before I got him out of there. I kept calling his name but he wouldn’t lift his head so I could get a good shot. It was then that I realised that he was ripping something apart. I quickly picked him up and saw a good portion of a bag of catnip spread all over the drawer. Now I know where we keep the catnip.

Bad Cat Chris in drawer after catnip

Chris Proofing the New Home

35 Replies

Before we moved into our new home, Rose told me I needed to do something about the hole under the bathroom sink. She was worried Chris would get under there (which he is good at) and manage to get inside the walls.

I assumed it was a hole like we had in our last home when we moved in. That one was under the kitchen sink. It was an opening that allowed the pipes to come through the wall but it was bigger than necessary. At that time she was worried about bugs getting in so I filled the opening with foam insulation.

Shortly after that I noticed there were pieces of foam scattered around under the sink and then saw a large hole was chewed through the foam. We had a rat! I don’t remember if I realized it at the time but it was sure clear a few days late when I opened the door to put trash in the small garbage can we kept under the sink and saw a large rat in the can. I quickly covered the can with a cutting board and then dumped the rat outside. I then nailed some wood over the hole.

But this hole was not like that one. This hole was almost big enough to shove a body into and definitely big enough for a cat, even a fat, bad cat. I discovered that when Chris opened the cabinet door and walked inside. It was then that I remembered what Rose warned me about and I quickly looked under the sink to see what she was talking about. When I saw the opening, I grabbed Chris and pulled him out of there. He was not happy about that and let me know.

20150524_113313_705

Inside this large cavity there was an opening both to the left and right. I could even see daylight coming through the left opening.

IMG_20150524_113350_722I needed to keep Chris out of there until I could find a permanent solution. I started looking for something long enough to stick through the handles when Rose remembered we had leftover baseboard. It worked.

20150524_cats_1463

 

As soon as I was able, I bought child safety locks and put them on the doors.

IMG_20150524_121522_488

This worked but I was concerned because Chris was adamant about getting through the security and I did not doubt his ability.

20150526_213545_785

I decided to add a second level of security so I cut out some aluminum screening and stapled it over the opening.

20150531_under sinkt_1516

Good thing I did because later that day Chris managed to break one of the child locks.

20150531_Camera Test_1519

Of course, Chris is still getting into the other cabinets but I don’t worry so much about that.

20150527_064620_313a

I apologise for the quality of some of these pictures but they were taken with my phone in low light and I thought they would be somewhat useful to tell the story.

 

 

 

 

Photo Friday: Classic Chris

16 Replies

Frankie has been in the spotlight too much lately and I wanted to show a photo of Chris that I really like. You have probably seen a similar one where he is playing with toys while in a baby’s carrier. This was taken at the same time and shows not only what he does best, being naughty, but also a priceless expression on his face. It was taken Easter Day, 2010.

A young couple came for dinner with their baby and Chris kept steeling the baby’s pacifier. We would take it away from Chris and then he would unzip the diaper bag and take another one. I think he made off with three of them. We had to buy them new pacifiers and we bought a spare pack for Chris. Bad Cat Chris in baby carrier

Could This be the End of Outside Adventures?

13 Replies

We let our cats outside again on Sunday for some backyard fun. This time nobody caught a lizard and Frankie did not get on the roof (although he came close), but there was trouble nonetheless.

Both Frankie and Chris went through the fence to the property next door and the both came back on their own but then Frankie went through the fence again and led me on a drawn out chase like last week. During these chases, I have discovered that Frankie tires a lot faster than I do and then I think that I can just wait until he is too tired to run and then scoop him up, but it is not that easy. This is because Frankie has discovered a trick from Chris’s old playbook. He crawls under cars where I can’t reach him. He did that last week and he did it again on Sunday.

Our cat Frankie under a car

Our cat Frankie under a car

At one point I noticed that he was panting very hard and I worried he would overheat. I was also tired of playing his game so I made a decision that I regret. When I saw that he was close enough to me, I decided to grab him and pull him out from under the car. I knew it would upset him but I thought it would be quick and he would get over it. I didn’t realize how much fight he had in him and I only managed to scare him and piss him off. After that I was his mortal enemy which made me feel like a real jerk. You can watch what happened at the 9:45 mark on the video.

When I was finally able to bring Frankie inside, the first thing Rose said to me was “No More! I’m not doing this again!” Apparently, while Frankie was playing hide-and-seek with me, Chris and Puck were playing hard-to-get with Rose. Perhaps if we do let them out again, I will have to put the leash back on Frankie.

Fortunately, since that incident, Frankie has forgiven me and we are now friends again.

Another Big Adventure For Frankie

10 Replies

Rose and I came home a little later than usual on Tuesday evening. It was a bit colder than it had been recently and I forgot my jacket at work, plus I had to go to the bathroom, so I didn’t wait for Rose while she got the mail. I noticed the squirt bottle was not outside the door like it was supposed to be.

Since we bought that bottle, Frankie has been better about trying to run out the door. I try not to squirt him with it because I don’t want him to associate me with unpleasantness, but I will squirt it at the ground just so he will hear the sound and stay away. It has worked well lately. So well, in fact, that Frankie usually stays away from the door so the bottle is not even necessary. That is what I was hoping for when I opened the door but it was not to be.

I opened the door and held the bag I was carrying low to block any would be escape artists but a gold flash slipped under the bag and into the bushes next to the house. I looked to see who it was, hoping very much that it was Chris, but then I saw Frankie and yelled to Rose, “Frankie’s out! This is bad.”

We spent the next ten minutes trying to catch him without success. I kept trying to get on the other side of him to force him in the other direction but he was too fast and smart for me. We eventually lost sight of him and decided to go back to the house and regroup. I still had hope that he would tire and head back toward home. I fed the two cats that were not naughty that night, went to the bathroom, put on a jacket, grabbed a flashlight and a paper plate with some cat food, then Rose and I were back outside looking for the trouble maker.

We walked a little past where we last saw him but he was nowhere in sight. The last time he escaped I stood in one spot and waited for him to show himself so I thought that might work again. We walked back a little toward our house and stopped and waited. It was then Rose heard our next-door neighbor calling. She was standing at the edge of our property with Frankie in her arms. We hurried back because we knew Frankie didn’t like to be held and wouldn’t last long.

As expected, he struggled until he broke free and was loose again. He ran to the condos next to our property and hid under a vehicle there. I was able to coax him out with the cat food and slowly put my had out to “pet” Frankie while he was eating but he didn’t trust me and was off running again. This time he didn’t get far before our neighbor grabbed him and held him until Rose could pick him up and bring him home.

While I don’t exactly appreciate having to chase Frankie around at night in the cold, there was a positive side to this story. Frankie came back to the house on his own, which is a bit of a relief knowing that I can worry less about losing him.

If you haven’t read the previous “escape” stories, Check out:
Frankie’s Big Adventure
This and That
We’ve Created a Monster
Bad Cat Frankie

Bad Cat Frankie

14 Replies

Frankie has been a real pain lately. If you read my post, We’ve Created a Monster, you know it started when Frankie escaped briefly on Thanksgiving and then got worse after I decided to put a harness on him and let him outside.

It seems that whenever we are in the living room, Frankie is there batting at the vertical blinds or digging his claws into the screen. I decided after that post to stop bringing him outside. I thought he would eventually forget about it and stop being such an annoying pest but things don’t always go as planned.

Our cat Frankie picking at the screens

When Rose and I come home together it is easier to double team the cats to keep them from running out. Chris has always been great at sneaking out the door but we have adjusted to his little tricks. Unfortunately, now that Frankie is aggressively trying to get out as well, keeping them both in has become much more difficult.

A little over a week ago I came home without Rose. It is very dark by the door since we don’t keep a light on all day so I knew I would have to be extra careful. I opened the door, which swings open from my right to my left, and put one of the bags in my hand down low and pushed Chris back, away from the door. Just then Frankie came around from the left. I moved the bag over to block Frankie but he slipped under the bag and under the door and was free.

I put everything down, closed the door and went after him. Frankie is not a cat like Chris, when he gets out he runs and keeps running away from the house (see Frankie’s Big Adventure). Since it was dark and did not have Rose’s help, I really worried I would lose him. We nearly lost him twice before during the daytime.

I pursued him past the condo building next door and he then disappeared between two buildings. I thought that was it, he would either come back on his own or he wouldn’t. I didn’t want to give up but didn’t know what to do so I decided to stand near the street and wait. My hope was that he would venture back toward me.

I waited about five minutes and suddenly I saw a flash of gold. It was Frankie. I moved toward him but he hid under a car. I tried to coax him out and it worked at first. He come out close enough to smell my hand but when I moved to grab him he was gone.

I then tried to think like a sheep dog and basically “herded” Frankie toward home. When I got close, I saw my neighbor and asked for his help. Together, the two of us forced Frankie to our front yard where he gave up and rolled on his back in surrender.

Spray bottle and FrankieSince then, he has been more annoying then ever. We decided to buy a spray bottle in an attempt to keep him from ruining the screens further and as a method of coming and going at will. We tried that before on Chris with little success (see Chris versus the spray bottle) but so far it has worked on Frankie. Now when we leave we point the bottle at him and then leave it outside the door for when we come home. I also spray him when he starts picking at the screen.

Does anybody else have a problem with keeping cats inside? i’d love to her about it.

I’m Not Ready to Go Inside Yet

28 Replies

It happens every time. Whenever it is time for Chris to come inside, he gives me a run for my money. I suppose I can’t blame him. When I let him out I have to watch him and I rarely have the time to just hang out and babysit a grown cat.

Lately, Chris has been the only one allowed outside. Frankie turned out to be a runner so it is not safe to let him out. He’s been out twice and both time we had to chase him through the neighborhood to get him back. I’m afraid we will lose him if it happens again. Puck likes to go outside and he generally stays close but sometimes he gets nervous and wants to go back in right away so I don’t feel bad leaving him inside.

Chris makes getting out the door his mission in life. I often let him out just because it is easier than trying to stop it. For example, if I have a lot of groceries to bring in I let him out so I don’t have to fight with him on every trip. Sometimes I don’t let him out but he slips past me anyway. In either case, I usually give him a few minutes and then try to retrieve him and bring him back inside.

That is when he gives me the most trouble. He knows when I am ready and he goes out of his way to avoid me. I think that is also when he starts looking for a lizard because he doesn’t want to go back in empty-handed (or empty-pawed).

Here is a recent attempt of me trying to get Chris to come inside.