Kitty in the dog house...with television!

One night last week, Maxie really upset me...I came home to find that she had somehow managed to pry open the drawers of my wardrobe (yes two of them!) where I keep, separately, my socks and smalls. The drawers were both nearly empty as she had pushed their contents into the space from which the drawers came from.

So I got home, received the usual exuberant greeting, "Daddy! Welcome home!!! I've missed you! Oooooooh, I've redecorated your wardrobe too! Come look, come look."

Speechless in frustration (it had been one of those days, and my arm had somehow developed an incredible pain at the elbow from nowhere) and frigid in anger, I yelled at her, making her jump. I remonstrated, how could she do this to me, giving so much more work for me to do! She cringed...visibly scared. My heart thawed, not enough to feel guilty, but enough to stop yelling. I grabbed her into my arms and nagged at her, and tossed her into Garfield's cage, for her safety: I didn't trust my temper not to hurt her.

Telling her to stay in there while I work my anger off...I went back to the room and moved her litter box and a shelf full of books to pull my wardrobe from where it stood, as I couldn't remove the drawers completely, in order to dig the clothing out from the abyss. Predictably, they were all dust-covered and I had to run a load of laundry at 1am in the morning. Thankfully she left me some in the drawer that I could still use....

Thus, kitty was in the dog house for a few days, no hugs from daddy; a punishment which she didn't really object to since she doesn't like hugs anyway, it was a win-win situation since I can't really bear to really punish her. I was angry though, so I wasn't feeling too huggy all the same...

Anyway, perhaps she felt there was something off with our relationship a few days in, and decided to make a play to regain my attention and affection. First, she started hanging out with me in the living room again (instead of walking off when I'm around) and then she started watching tv with me.

Kitty watching street fighter

I love kung fu films, daddy!

Feeling petty for arguing with a cat as the movie ended, I made her come nearer and gave her a final talking-to.

Yes, daddy?

"You know I don't like to be angry at you right, Maxie?"

"Yes, daddy. I'm sorry for making a mess."

Sowwie....

"Just don't do it again, alright? You know your dad's got anger and emotional issues," I chided, and she slunk away somewhere while I channel surfed after clearing the remnants of my lunch from my table.

Going through random channels, I heard her collar bell ringing as she scampered back into the living room to stare at the tv screen.

Ooh, Hello Kitty!

"Duh!" I said to her. "I'm not watching this with you!"

"Meow!!! Please please please, daddy?" she begged. Eyes luminous and hopeful.

I gave in...I've spent 2 days sulking so I guess I could give her some love now. We sat through 10 minutes of agony of kitty cartoon (thankfully it was on the tail end of the show) that featured some dodgy Hello Kitty remake of King Kong (the ape was replaced by a dog...could you believe it?).

The torture over, I decided to put in another DVD to while away the time, and we both settled down to watch the movie.

I love movies!

On a totally unrelated note, days after we made up, I had to go out to meet a shelter colleague to pass some stuff, so I opted to take Maxie out with me for a few minutes of sight-seeing.

Maxie in her "designer" carrier

She yowled and complained the whole way until she finally realized I wasn't taking her to the vet, at which point she quietened herself and "enjoyed" being outdoors in the relative safety of her bag. Kitty was nervous though and didn't take to the trip as much as I had thought/hoped she would. I did, however, take the opportunity to steal some snap shots of her watching the outdoors from within her bag:

I see and hear a lot of scary stuff!!!

Can we not do this again, please?

The moment we got home and I unzipped her bag, she leapt out and started rubbing all her favorite surfaces as if to ensure she's home properly....and settled to snooze in her shoebox.

So I guess that's all, folks!

Photo spam ~ Conversations with my cat.

The princess hasn't been very forthcoming with providing input on the blog this past week...and when I nudged her about it, she just gave me a lazy look and said, "Oh bother, I just want to be lazy. I can't always be entertaining your readers, you know, daddy? Besides, they should just worship me cos I'm cute and awesome!"

Hmmm, you know what, that IS food for thought. I've always liked cats cos I think they are cute and awesome! They seem to preserve the natural lovability that is inherent in the young (think kittens, puppies and babies) and carry it forward in their lives to pop up at you at random times.

For example, what IS it with cats and small enclosed spaces?

My bag!

My bag too

No, you may not have it.

Mine, but of course!

And then, they have this besottment with boxes, rectangular containers, or baskets...

Kitty nap time, do not disturb!

This box is comfy!

HUGE BOX!!!

What are you staring at?

And I remember an episode back in the old apartment:

Hmm..I wonder if I can fit in this...

Just needs a bit of finesse

Ah...there we go

*snooze*

So I asked Maxie, who opened an eye graciously, what's with her (and cats) and small spaces like boxes and such.

"What's there not to like? It keeps the sun out, it hides me, and I don't have to look at you," she said, quite matter-of-factly without any rancor, taking the sting from the words.

I was still digesting this when she added, "Besides, that look on your face when you thought I had ran away was priceless!"

Ah yes, I remember THAT episode...she hid somewhere I didn't notice and refused to answer me when I called. I panicked and looked all over the house before seeing something move...probably convulsing in kitty laughter:

I don't recall my bed being quite so lumpy...

"Anyway, I like to make you feel guilty when you leave for the weekend without me!" she continued, warming up to the conversation now, both eyes open. "Not, that I like to go traveling all that much anyway. Stuck in the travel carrier for hours on end," she sniffed disdainfully.

 

Bag inspector kitty

Maxie likes to hop into my travel bag as I'm packing

"And most importantly, daddy, is that you can't resist me when I'm stuck in somewhere small and I love it when you go softy-melty and coo at me and give me treats cos I'm cute," she confessed.

Peekaboo, daddy!

Mrowl?

"Heh, well you know I'm a sucker for you, my princess," I admitted. "Who taught you all these acts anyway? How do you know how to steal human hearts this way?" I persisted.

Maxie waved a paw airily. "It's in our genes!"

You know what, I think she's right! Look at my uncle's kittens and how naturally they took to looking cute in a small enclosed space. :Þ

I wanna sit somewhere and look cute!

Come join me.

But, there's no space!

Use the other one, silly!

And thus concludes a lesson in kitty lore, by Madame Maxie...

You're welcome, humans.

Encounter with the Om Nom Nom Nom Monster

I have recently obtained a vacuum cleaner machine from my mum (thanks mum!) so I could actually clean up the place properly as the usual sweep and mop routine was soundly defeated by "somebody's" cat fur. It is incredibly frustrating to spend half an hour sweeping up the place only to find that there's TONNES of fur leftover when you're mopping.

So anyway, having gotten the tools necessary to clean up the place, I submitted it to Her Highness's inspection:

Hmmm...new addition to the house...

Box!

What's inside?

Open!!!

What ish this?

"Daddy, you got me a new toy! Hurry and open it!" cried the kitty. Of course, I could do nothing but oblige...

This doesn't look very fun...

*sniff sniff*

"Uhm...what is this, daddy?" asked the cat, while batting at the machine to elicit a response.

"It's a vacuum cleaner, Maxie. I'm warning you, it's going to be very loud and maybe you would like to perch in your cat tree while I clean the house," I responded, before lifting her up into said cat tree.

My advice, however, went unheeded. As I assembled the various tubings and such for the vacuum, the curious kitty poked her nose into the procedure and unabashedly supervised the whole process.

"Daddy, that tube doesn't go there! It sticks to the other one!"

"Daddy, you're using the wrong head for that tube!"

"Daddy, you're not supposed to open that!"

Between the two of us, I got the vacuum cleaner set up and gave her a final warning. Predictably, she ignored me and even showed her disdain by acting cute.

I ain't afraid of no vacuum!

"Alright, suit yourself, baby," I shrugged...and turned the machine on.

A flash of black and brown whizzed past me, upending some of the stuff I left on the floor. Unable to help myself, I grinned while straightening the mess she left in the wake of her impersonation of the Flash.

"Whaza matter, Maxie? I thought you weren't scared of some noise?" I teased her.

OMG OMG OMG the monster is coming!

Don't you dare bring that closer to me!

"Mrowll! It's eating everything!" she complained, trying to preserve her composure as she watched me sweep across the floor with the vacuum cleaner.

"WHY IS IT EATING MY FUR?!" came the surprised exclamation, as it dawned on her that the machine was sucking up all the stray bits of fur that's littered the apartment ever since we moved in.

I turned it off in order to switch into the room...and kitty gingerly prodded the vacuum cleaner and ran into hiding as if afraid it would chomp on her for her audacity.

Hiding in the closet

Giving me her wide-eyed sympathy-inducing look, she meowed, "Daddy, does this thing eat...*gulp*...cats?"

I refused to reassure her, wanting to see where this would lead...and cruelly turned the machine on again (of course, not with her standing right next to it, I'm not THAT mean!). Maxie shot out of the room and cowered in her new favourite "bag".

Help! It's a cat-eating machine!

Done with the cleanup, I opened the waste tray and dumped all the collected waste, 90% of which was compressed cat fur, and showed it to the kitty.

"See the amount of cat fur you litter the house with?" I said, in mock severity.

Maxie slunk away, still tentative even though the machine was safely packed up in its box again; taking mincing steps as though afraid of being ambushed at any time.

Finding a safe haven

"Daddy, I promise not to boss you around again. Please don't let it eat me!" she meowed, pitifully, begging for reassurance.

Finally giving in to sympathy, I gave her treats and much pettings and told her that of course I wouldn't let the machine eat her...for now...mwuahahahaha!

Sensing my irreverence, the little princess stalked off and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the night. :p

~Genesis of a Tsundere Cat~

I've always been a sucker for cats a cat person. I think it's because they were the very first pet animals I came into association with at my maternal grandmother's place (sorry, readers..but fish just don't cut it for me). My first pet(s) though, wasn't a cat, I've had budgerigars when I was younger, but I've always wanted a cat.

So two years ago, while I was picking up the pieces of my life following a long overdue breakup from the wicked witch of Malaysia  a very crazy ex-girlfriend, I decided that I wanted a feline companion. As I was renting a room at that point, I asked my landlord if it was okay for me to keep a cat. I got the permission I sought and started making plans.

Since I have never had a cat before, I thought I'd skip getting a kitten and instead, adopt an adult cat from the SPCA or other shelters with cats, as their attitudes would be more settled and would be less frenetic compared to the kitten versions. I also selfishly (and naively) thought that an adult or senior cat would serve very well in getting my feet wet and after it has passed I can get on to obtaining my dream pure-breed cat: a ragdoll. Things didn't quite turn out the way I expected. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.... :P

Therefore, having obtained permission to get a cat, I started surveying various places for cheap kitty equipment: toys, beds, litter boxes, litter, food, cages, etc. I got everything planned out, so all that was left to do was to get said equipment, and get a cat. I was purring at the thought of finally getting one.

There were many stray cats at the parking lot of my apartment, and never did it cross my mind that I could adopt one of them as they were mostly crusty adults and rather mangy...not to mention I was worried they wouldn't take kindly to my desire to hug my own pet cat...

One evening, not too long after completing my survey, I was just going about my daily routine when I saw this little kitten in the parking lot, ambling around. As was my wont, I hurried back upstairs to grab some cat food for it (yes, even then, I was "that" crazy old cat man).

Our first meeting

Om nom nom nom

I fed the kitten, and petted it a bit. A little Malay girl came over and started hugging it. I asked the girl if the kitten was hers and she said no, her mum didn't allow her to keep one. Awww...

Well, I guess this is will have to be yet another stray that I'll be feeding downstairs.

I went on my business, and bumped into the kitten again a few days later. Again I fed it, and went on my way. I started talking about the kitten with my godsister, Rainbow, and she started urging me to take this kitten. I refused her steadfastly, insisting I wanted an adult cat and that a kitten was  simply "too much work". We nearly had an argument cos I said she was pushing me, and she respected my wishes. The idea, however, took root...

The third time I saw the kitten, it had wandered nearer to my staircase (my apartment building had many staircases leading to different units) and I told it jokingly that if I saw it again when I came back, it's coming home with me. I got back, made a half-hearted attempt to find the kitten but couldn't see it. I saw a stray male that I fed regularly and asked him (in English, mind you) if he saw my kitten. The little striped furball appeared, as though out of thin air, and gambolled over to me. The male made as if to attack the kitten and before I knew it, the little furball was in my arms and 5 flights of stairs later, in my room.

I was aghast. What have I done? I brought a KITTEN home! Where will I put it? I haven't even bought anything yet! OMG OMG OMG..... 

*toss kitten into a box* 

*take box into car* 

*drive to the hypermarket* (for non-Malaysians, that's like a Wal-mart or Safeway)

I went to the hypermarket and bought litter sand, kitten food and a kitty carrier for the little furball. Still frantic, and cursing Rainbow for planting the idea in my head, I walked around checking if I got everything I needed for the first night. The kitten wasn't quite sure what was happening, but wasn't too noisy, thankfully.

Home. for now...

First night

The kitten settled in the carrier for the first night. I wasn't letting it out unsupervised, nor was I hugging it til it's clean....Poor kitty wasn't used to caged at all, and when i woke up the bedding I gave it was wet and it didn't stink of pee...so somehow...it managed to get everything wet and I was starting to wonder if cats actually sweat... (they don't).

Next morning, I let it out and started letting it explore, and gave it a temporary litter box and some food...Also tried to take pictures of its ass and showing Rainbow and my other cat advisor, Katie, to help me sex the kitten. The general consensus was that it's a male...Not knowing what to name it, I went on Facebook and asked for suggestions, we settled on Max. I'll fast forward just for a bit here: The following week I sent Max to the vet and discovered that he is actually a she. Thanks to a conveniently placed dark patch of fur, she managed to fool everyone into thinking she's a he! Sneaky kitty! Well, since I'm already used to Max, she became Maxie instead.

Exploring

I'll give this a try

Blegh, dry!

Kitten still preferred wet food

mmmm fresh sand

Didn't even need to litter-train my kitten. Schmart!

Hiding...

After settling "his" toilet, I locked Maxie up in the small carrier again, and went out sans cat to buy the stuff I've been surveying.

I don't believe in small cages for cats

Home, with a real litter bo and scratch pad

It took me 3 hours and 5 rearrangements of the kitty condo's steps and platforms before I found a configuration that Maxie liked. Yes, even then she was already acting the princess!

I tried to make some sort of cat bed for Maxie, and thought (still think) that cats were super adorable in boxes.

Maxie's first box

In an obvious attempt to snub my cat bed, Maxie showed she preferred hanging out in the litter box than my box.

When out of the cage and not playing, I noticed she started gravitating towards this, which was left on my floor from my shopping earlier...

And so begins Maxie's love affair with canvas "recycle" bags

Bemused, I decided that since she loved that canvas bag so much, it can be her bed in the cage.

"Who needs a box when I can have a canvas bag?" says Go-Green Kitty.

DIY "sock punching bag" toy

I also got some kitty shampoo and toys. I will spare her the indignity of pictures from her very first bath. Suffice to say neither of us left it unscathed. I survived with physical scars of clawmarks on my back, and Maxie survived with a deep abiding hatred of the sight of me in my swimming trunks...

Yes, I was stupid enough to attempt bathing a cat without a long sleeved shirt on :p

Maxie's very first toy

Comes with two "mice" that kitty can bat around

And a tunnel where Daddy can role a ball around for kitty

I missed the early signs of her potential as Kung Fu Kitty

It was an interesting week for the both of us. I got used to having a kitten who produced very stinky cat poo that Rainbow teased me would last through kittenhood. Boy was I glad to find that she was just exaggerating things to make fun of me cos it stopped stinking after a week. Maxie got used to being told "no" to a lot of things, especially wire chewing. I got to learn that not all cats are like my grandmother's....i.e. they do not all like to be hugged, or petted, or sit in laps, or want to show love to their humans...and she got to learn that waking up Daddy in the middle of the night results in being caged.

Kitty likes boxes

And plastic bags...she got yelled at for this one. Didn't want her suffocating

And paper bags

And of course, all of daddy's bags are belong to me!

It took us at least half a year before I trusted her enough to let her out of the cage while I slept. We had issues, my daughter and I, but we got through them together. I still love her now, more than ever; and she...well I think she loves me, but who knows? My cute little tsundere kitten who grew up to be a tsundere cat...

PS: Thank you, Rainbow, for making me keep Maxie. :)