Right before sleep last night ... aaaah, peaceful and quiet ... Daisy begins barking hysterically in the kitchen. Thinking she spotted a squirrel outside or something, I get up to kindly suggest to her that she shut the fuh kup. But when I opened the kitchen door, there was THAT DAMNED CAT AGAIN. It was in the sink, licking dishes! In the sink, people! And my poor freaked-out puppy was barking from under the couch in the next room. Not that she could have reached the cat, even if she'd been brave. In the sink!
Of course the cat bolted as soon as I opened the door, and ran right out the pet door with which it has become so familiar. Daisy finally got some backbone when the cat left, and gave chase out the door after it. When Daisy came back, I praised the heck out of her, gave her a chewie, and we all went back to bed.
I am just shakin' my head. Here I had fantasized that a new, vigorous puppy would discourage that stupid cat from trying to come in. Bwah-ha-ha! Boy, did I underestimate Daisy's youth and that cat's moxie. I'll have to make a new tinfoil doormat for the outside door - it did keep that cat out for a while.
Hope Daisy doesn't try to eat the tinfoil, though.
Stray cat? I dunno, I don't think cats should be outdoors. But that's just me. I'd catch it and take it to a shelter. Beware of the foil! I had a dog eat that once!
Posted by: Theresa | May 19, 2004 at 06:53 AM
Oh, this is a neighbor's (outdoor) cat. The neighbors are not the most responsible of citizens, I can attest. I'll monitor the tinfoil, but it really did discourage the cat from coming in the house. Apparantly cats don't like to step on foil.
Posted by: pam | May 19, 2004 at 07:02 AM
Have you thought about getting one of those pet doors that are activated by an electronic collar that you can have on your pets only? That might work.
Posted by: Kimberly | May 19, 2004 at 07:11 AM
oooooOOOOOoooh! I've never heard of that. Wonder if PetSmart carries it ......
Posted by: pam | May 19, 2004 at 08:59 AM
They sell it at lots of places. Here's an example just so you can see what I'm talking about.
Posted by: Kimberly | May 19, 2004 at 11:27 AM
My husband's dog ate a whole bag of Hershey's kisses a few Christmases ago - foil and all. Not only did the chocolate not affect him like it's supposed to, the red and green foil seemed to not bother him in the least. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Because I knew you wanted a stranger to tell you all about Christmas-themed dog shit.
Posted by: anna | May 19, 2004 at 08:29 PM
Anna, I'ma LOL over that! Come back here next week and we'll commisserate over our stats finals.
Kimberly, my husband is wild for the electronic dog door idea. He didn't boggle at the price tag, either. He and his buds in the neighborhood love gadgets like this - they'd have a great time ruminating over it during installation.
Posted by: pam | May 20, 2004 at 09:50 AM
Somehow, I just cannot see BB and the local guys hangin out, installing gadgets and listening to ribald choral-themed jokes where the punchline is "and the alto said 'not with that fach you won't'"
Or does that merely show the limits of my suburban imagination?
As for unwanted kitty, my initial reponse would be: go to a used bookstore, find a copy of that 70s classic "101 Uses For A Dead Cat" and mail it to kitty's obviously clueless owners with a note attached reading "Life Can and Will Imitate Art If You Don't Keep Hairball Factory In-Doors"!!
Sometimes you have to be cruel in order to enjoy yourself....
Posted by: Anthony | May 20, 2004 at 12:21 PM
You absolutely wouldn't recognize the new, suburb-oriented Baritone Boy now. When a guy neighbor is outside, tinkering with a lawn mower, BB and about three other guys mosey on over to "help" - which help may vary anywhere from loaning tools to talking about basketball. Believe me, he would relish bonding over a new dog door gadget with his fellow suburbanites.
Posted by: pam | May 20, 2004 at 01:35 PM
Well no wonder he doesn't want me to come out there and see him--can you imagine me sitting by and letting him indulge in regressive bourgeoise male bonding? Can You? Not on your life. I haven't gone this far down the road without learning how to be a MAJOR EMBARASSMENT when I think the situation calls for it! If that means interrupting a discussion of the King's half-court defense in order to talk about my theories of Ru Paul and 18th century castrati, I'll do it. Anything to save BB from playing golf and voting Republican. And don't laugh: there's a direct corelation between primitive male bonding and reactionary voting habits--I saw it on the web so it must be true!
Posted by: Anthony | May 21, 2004 at 05:22 AM