to do

 Wishing 'being draped over the couch' was on today's to-do list.

Willow

Wonderful Willow.

deterrent update

A while back I wrote about my purchase of StayAway automated deterrent in an effort to dissuade Theo from counter surfing. I thought an update was in order.

The device works by sensing motion from a small sensor that when triggered emits a short burst of air and/or a moderately loud sound. With the small switch on the back, the human can select either just the sound or both the sound and burst of air.

So after some use how does it work? Nahum and Willow are terrified of the sound, even though it is not very loud, but the surprise factor seems to send them running for cover. This is an unfortunate side effect of using an automate device, because they are never the ones to trigger it - they are innocent bystanders who get to experience the consequence of Theo's mischievous behavior.

Of course Theo is not nearly as scared by the sound or puff of air. When he triggers the device, he looks puzzled as he calmly jumps down. He then stares up at the counter, trying to make sense of what happened. Sometimes he jumps right back up to get a closer look. In general it seems to slightly dissuade him from prowling the counters and gives him something else to think about besides the hunt for food.

The biggest challenge with this device is remembering that it is there! I think the humans have triggered it more than the cats. We typically set it up when food is being prepared and one has to step away for some reason. Inevitably, we forget it's there and it goes off, sending Willow and Nahum bolting out of the room. I created a post-it note that says "Alarm is Active!" to post as a visual reminder. That sometimes helps but has not been fool proof.

The other challenge, is the device has to be placed in such a way that a human can get behind it to deactivate it without setting it off! This means careful consideration must go into placement. We were hoping to use it more on the stove to keep Theo off the hot (or lit) stove, but I am a little nervous about putting a pressurized air canister near an open flame or a very hot surface! After all the warning label on the canister says "container may explode if heated!"

Looking back, am I glad to have spent the $40 on the StayAway? It's not a sure thing for preventing Theo's antics but I suppose it it helpful to have a device that can be used in moments of need and it is certainly better than no device. So, in the end I would say, yes, it was a good purchase.

family photo

Getting all the cats together for a family photo is very challenging, so it rarely happens. When they all gathered on the dishwasher, I grabbed the camera and hoped for the best.

Nahum refused to cooperate by putting his back to the camera.

He just wasn't going to look at the camera like the other cats!

Adjusting the perspective to accommodate 

Nahum's unmutual behavior landed the family photo.

feline decision making

For a long time I have been fascinated with the concept of animals making choices. What is the process that takes place that helps them make their choices? I remember many years ago thinking about this as I watched some ducks swim around in a lake. Each duck made it's own choice of which direction to swim in when they encountered the fork in the lakeshore.

One of the many things I love about cats is their wildness. They are way more wild than dogs. It's almost like having a pack of wild and friendly small mountain lions living in your house. Watching the cats interact and do all their various cat behaviors is very fascinating. They make hundreds maybe thousands of decisions every day. 

All of the cats love to play ambush. One of them will crouch down behind a shoe or a box or something and wait for an unsuspecting victim to stroll by. Crouched in the pounce position they wait and wait. Eventually he victim comes strolling by. Watching the crouching cat, they make an instant decision to pounce or not. Often they choose to pounce but occasionally they choose not to. What informs such a choice?

Out of all the cats, Theo is the easiest to read. When human food is being prepared on the kitchen counter, he is fully engaged. He jumps up on the dishwasher, which floats like an island in the middle of the kitchen, to get a good view of the activity. With his nose up in the air, he surveys the air currents to learn more about his potential prey. He then fixes his gaze on the prize and starts scheming. He knows he would need to be quick because a human is immediately present. He weighs the potential consequences of the attempt versus the possible gains. Factoring in the distance, height, and consistency of the prey he calculates his required speed and angle of attack. Then he makes his ultimate choice, to execute the plan or not.

Just looking at him in that moment, I can see all those gears turning in his brain.

"I see the human is expecting me to jump from the floor right at the food, stupid human. I shall jump on the counter from the far edge, out of reach of the human. In one quick and perfectly timed leap, I instantaneously lunge across the counter grab the muffin and flee with the prize to a secure location."

Feline choice seems to involve more than just instinct or innate programming. The cat's personality also appears to be factor. When faced with similar situations, Theo will frequently make a different choice than Willow. I don't worry so much about Willow scheming complex plans to steal food. Her sweet personality informs her decision making.

travel advisory

Willow makes a statement about travel.

Is she asking me to take her with me
or telling me not to go?

play neglect

I have been neglecting my play duties lately with Nahum. In his typical sweet manner, he has been very gracious. The last two evenings, while I was working on the computer on the couch, he climbed up in my lap and settled in for a long nap. Nahum lap snuggles are an extremely rare thing, two nights in a row is unprecedented.

Nahum refusing to look happy
for the posed picture!

Before I left for work this morning, I told Nahum I would set some time aside to play with him in the afternoon. When I got home from work, I fixed some lunch and was eating at the dining room table when Nahum hopped up on the table with his favorite string in his mouth. In a sweet gesture he placed it right by my plate. He was taking me up on my morning promise.

I quickly finished my lunch, locked Rose and Theo on the back porch and played feather toy and string with Nahum. We were both instantly happy!