DOOLEY - Segment 2 (Scroll down for opening segment and previous chapters)


     If you let your cat outside, and your home is not surrounded by the “Great Wall,” you should be prepared for the occasional territorial disagreement with other nearby cats. These agreements are usually settled by a lot of hissing, loud screeching, flying claws and biting.  NEVER try to break up a fight with your hands.  If you try this, it means you are exceedingly stupid, and you won’t need your hands in the foreseeable future.       

     Remember that cats are predators.  They love to hunt.  A cat will hide and wait for his prey.  When it passes by, the cat will jump out and latch onto it with its claws. (If you have a cat, you will need to remind it that your feet and legs do not qualify as prey.)   

     Once they have their prey, their natural instinct is to pull it to their belly, while on their back.  They will then kick with their back legs, along with shaking and biting the prey.  It’s good if you have a small toy, such as a dead mouse, for the cat to use as practice.  If the dead mouse has decayed to the point of being useless, the cat is perfectly content to use your arm.   If you want to avoid scratches and puncture wounds, you can wrap your arm with several layers of duct tape.  Otherwise, you will need a first aid kit and bandages.

     Dooley tried to impress me with his hunting skills.  He loved to bring home dead animals and deposit them on the front porch.  If the door was open, he would deposit them in the house.  I would have been impressed if he would have brought home an elk; but mice, shrews, and an occasional bird?  I could bring them home.

     To stay on the cutting edge as a hunter, the cat uses scratching to keep his claws sharp.  The cat is not particular what he scratches.  It can be the material on your furniture, bark on a tree, or just plain flesh---I still don’t know how they can sharpen their claws using the skin on your arm. 

     A scratch is also their autograph.  Do not ask for an autograph.  If you want to protect your couch and other furniture, cover it with aluminum foil.   If this is too much trouble, look for someone who makes aluminum sofas.  If you want to protect yourself from scratches, check with someone who does aluminum foil body wraps.

 

     In between shredding furniture and arms, cats love play time.  But there are some games they don’t enjoy playing.  They don’t do well with games of Fetch.  They will watch if you want to chase a stick and bring it back, but they aren’t going to engage themselves in such silliness.   They DO NOT like “Spin the Cat.”  Doing this on the carpet creates spark, which can electrocute you and the cat.  Using the clothes dryer as a carnival ride, is another game that lacks appeal.  My son-in-law, who refuses to be named, unknowingly ran their cat on “perma press.”  He didn’t know the cat was napping in the dryer when he turned it on.  After hearing some loud meows, he made the discovery.  Michael said if he had known the cat was in the dryer, he would have run it on the “fur” cycle.  The cat still wobbles a bit, but is slowly regaining his balance. 

 

 

To be continued...check back soon