AppleTreePets: Day Thirty Six

Taking a Chance

Andy and I have been blaming each other for turning off the coffee pot. We have one of those politically incorrect ones that use destroying-the-environment pods and always have hot water ready for that instant cup/pot of coffee. But, it has to stay turned on to keep the water hot. This does not happen when the coffee pot is turned off. I just figured he was trying to save electricity. I'm not sure why he thought I was doing it because, according to him, I am responsible for global warming. Anyway, we are coffee people, in that if we don't get coffee asap, we might kill each other. Waiting for the thing to heat up is just unbearable...

Imagine our surprise when we discovered the real culprit - Chance. Of all the cats, and of all the things to do, he is the one who has chosen to sit on the coffee pot. Since the power button is on top (obviously the designer did not have a cat) every time he sits on it, he shuts it off. I think the thing that drives my problem solving husband crazy is that he can't solve this one. There is no cat-proof place to stash a coffee pot. All suggestions are welcome.

While I'm on the topic of Chance, he is my problem child. I love that little guy something fierce, so he is secure in his living arrangements. It's just that he can't get the concept of using a litter box, something I assumed was innate in all cats.

I was not looking for another cat. I had three, and after someone told me that, according to some Chinese legend, a cat will come to you when you lose someone, I wasn't tempting fate by bringing another cat into the house!! You see, Eli arrived around the time my mother died; Fancy when my father passed and Finn after the loss of my dear cousin. But there they were on my friend's website - pictures of adorable Ragdoll kittens - and I wanted one. I told my breeder friend which one I liked - the guy with the comical markings on his face - and that if no one claimed him, I would. Someone did. I was disappointed but figured it was meant to be.

So, imagine my surprise when, about a month later, I get a phone call from her asking if I was still interested in him! I didn't hesitate to say yes. When she brought him to me, he waltzed into the house and my heart like he had always been here. When I asked why he had been returned she said that the people who took him had a small child and couldn't really give him the attention he needed. Translation: he had litter box issues and they couldn't be bothered. I was, literally, his last chance. Well, I sure don't have a baby to distract me and nothing but time on my hands, so I figured - piece of cake.

Well, it's been a year and it hasn't been anywhere near a "piece of cake." Chance will use the litter box if I'm watching him then go wherever he wants when I'm not. And, just in case you're wondering, I know it's him. His brothers make a big deal of using the litter box like it's the grand finale of a Broadway musical! They have also tried to teach him. Well, Finn has. Eli thinks he should be the only cat here, so why help him. Fancy spends most of his time trying not to kill him. I have tried every type of litter made; bought bigger, smaller, higher litter boxes and put them all over the house. I have taken all of Jackson Galaxy's advice including putting plastic runners with the nubs up in places where I don't want him to go, and placing aluminum foil in forbidden areas. He sure won't stand on the tin foil. He poops next to it - with the box an inch away!

Here's the thing. This hasn't made me angry or dislike him. Quite the opposite. I love him more, if that's possible. He is not doing this to be difficult. There is a reason and I will get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I praise him when he uses the litter box and looks to see if I noticed. I tell him he is here to stay and will never have to go somewhere else to live or have his name changed - again. (Who names a kitten Jasper?) When he looks at me with that funny little face with a flame on the side of his nose, I forget all about the litter box, and just pick him up and tell him he's the best little cat in the whole world.