Bumkitty vs. Bucky, round 1
BumKitty has been settling into Cat Retirement quite well. Far from climbing up the walls as I had feared she might, she seems to spend most of her time flopped out on the ground or the windowsill. She's still way too interested in the window, but SAM and I have been working hard to ensure that she doesn't claw her way up the screen and then plummet 3 stories to the alley below.
The ploy to keep her out of the bedroom has been successful so far. She will occasionally poke her nose through the doorway and sniff at the air, but the slightest "nuh-uh-uh" makes her slink away obediently. At first we thought she is just being a very obedient kitty by staying out of the bedroom, but last night I realized that there's another reason. She believes that the bedroom is guarded by Bucky.
Last October while looking for a stick-pony for my Lady Godiva halloween costume, I happened across a plush buckskin pony at Fred Meyer. I figured I'd pick it up as a backup option, in case I couldn't actually find the stick pony I had been searching everywhere for. When I brought it home to SAM (who also happens to be a buckskin pony) he absolutely fell in love with Bucky. So now bucky generally lives on the bed as an extra pillow, or floats around the room posed in various entertaining places.
I saw BumKitty staring at Bucky the other day, but didn't know what she was thinking. So last night I decided to carry Bucky closer to her so that she could see that he's just a plush toy. Up until the 3 foot range she just stared, wide-eyed. From 3 to 2 feet away, the ears went down, the back arched, and the tail went straight up, bristled out to twice it's normal size. I tried moving him just a tiny bit closer and suddenly she hissed, swatted him 3 times in rapid-fire succession, and ran to hide under the dining table. A second attempt at introduction produced similar results.
I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. I don't want to torment her too much, but I may have to repeat these experiments again soon. With my camera ready. :)
The ploy to keep her out of the bedroom has been successful so far. She will occasionally poke her nose through the doorway and sniff at the air, but the slightest "nuh-uh-uh" makes her slink away obediently. At first we thought she is just being a very obedient kitty by staying out of the bedroom, but last night I realized that there's another reason. She believes that the bedroom is guarded by Bucky.
Last October while looking for a stick-pony for my Lady Godiva halloween costume, I happened across a plush buckskin pony at Fred Meyer. I figured I'd pick it up as a backup option, in case I couldn't actually find the stick pony I had been searching everywhere for. When I brought it home to SAM (who also happens to be a buckskin pony) he absolutely fell in love with Bucky. So now bucky generally lives on the bed as an extra pillow, or floats around the room posed in various entertaining places.
I saw BumKitty staring at Bucky the other day, but didn't know what she was thinking. So last night I decided to carry Bucky closer to her so that she could see that he's just a plush toy. Up until the 3 foot range she just stared, wide-eyed. From 3 to 2 feet away, the ears went down, the back arched, and the tail went straight up, bristled out to twice it's normal size. I tried moving him just a tiny bit closer and suddenly she hissed, swatted him 3 times in rapid-fire succession, and ran to hide under the dining table. A second attempt at introduction produced similar results.
I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. I don't want to torment her too much, but I may have to repeat these experiments again soon. With my camera ready. :)