State of the House

I have been quiet for awhile lately, because my mom was visiting from out of town.  We had a great time, but there was not much time left over for blogging!

So, now it's time to get people back up to speed on the comings and goings in the House.

Let's start with the cats.  They're all doing very well, and I have to say that I firmly believe that Foster Cat Mitchell's adjustment period is over...  he has been completely accepted by the other cats, and no one is trying to terrorize him.  I guess that just goes to show that our contentious lot CAN let in newbies, if that newbie has the right attitude.  It makes my heart break anew for poor Romeo, who was never accepted even though he lived here for a year.  But...  Mitchell plays with Annie and Bit (the latter being Romeo's primary tormenter) and is even tolerated by Charlotte. (Charlotte barely tolerates Annie, who she has lived with for three years, so I think it's about the best that we can possibly hope for.)

Moo-om...  this is a kitties-only club.  You can't come in!

Now that the weather is getting chilly at night, I'm finding that I am once again waking up with one or more cats sleeping on top of my legs or pressed up against my side.  They might get annoyed with me for not feeding them gooshy food every hour of every day, but I do serve as a good heat source!

The cats did well with having Mom here...  most of the time, they are very shy around anyone who isn't us.  Charlotte even jumped up and napped in her lap one afternoon, shocking all of us.  She barely does that with us!  Even timid Bit climbed up in her lap once.  That makes me happy.  It shows that our attempts to socialize them better are starting to pay off.

The dogs are doing great as well.  Maera lovedlovedlovedLOVED my mother, and was almost embarrassing with how she fawned all over her.   I would frequently have to pull her off of her so that the poor lady could have a cup of coffee in peace.

 We've enrolled both dogs in basic obedience training for greyhounds, and had their first class yesterday.  We've introduced them to the concept of the clicker, and both of them seemed to enjoy the class a lot.  (Probably because they got tons of treats as part of the clicker training!)  They both did a good job, though Maera is so timid in unfamiliar surroundings.  For much of the class, her tail was firmly between her legs, especially if she was approached by any people or dogs that weren't us or Argos.  That is something that I'm trying to work with her on, and I'm sure that she'll get her confidence eventually.

Around the house, it is a completely different story.  She is a riot there, and is always galloping about with something in her mouth.  Hopefully it's a chew toy.  Sometimes it's a shoe.  Or a dish rag.  Or a throw pillow. I think today took the cake, though.

Yeah, that is supposed to be a kitty scratching post.  That's the base at her feet.

Argos just gives her a look that very eloquently says, "What is your PROBLEM?" when she starts acting like that.  Then he gives me a worried look like he thinks that I'm going to blame him for her bad behavior.

Please don't blame me for my sister being such a spaz.

Anyway, we're going to be getting back to a regular schedule starting tomorrow...  I just got back from taking my mother to the airport.  The dogs are going to be very sorry she's gone.  She stayed home with them every day last week, even when we had to go to work, and gave them treats and took them outside for extra potty breaks.  They're really going to miss that!