How To Keep Cats Off of Your Sofa.......

Ever since I put a pink velvet fainting sofa in my sitting room, all three of our cats have cuddled up on it. Sometimes all three of them, other times one or two of them. Try as I might, I couldn't get them to nap someplace else. So I just gave up, and put a cotton afghan over the pink velvet so at least they weren't really on the velvet.

A couple of weeks ago, I had put the cover for a cardboard box on top of the dryer in the laundry room. I was going to just throw it out. But AngelBoy found it and curled up in it and went to sleep. Within half an hour, ShadowBaby noticed him in the box and he pushed and nibbled and meowed till AngelBoy got out of the box.

Next in the box was Rusty.... he got ShadowBaby by the back of his neck and just held him there with his teeth for a half a minute or so........ just a subtle little message to make ShadowBaby get out of the box, which he did.

The box cover is still on top of the dryer. At any given time, one of the cats are in it. As one cat naps in it, another cat is waiting on top of the washer for his turn, and the third cat is resting on the little rug in front of the machines. All three cats, waiting for one cardboard box... instead of all three of them on my pretty pink velvet sofa.

I tried to add more cardboard boxes in there, but they weren't interested. They all want the one that was there first. You would think one box would be just as good as the next, but for whatever reason, the first box is the one of choice.

It amazes me that any of them like the box cover, since it isn't all that big. Just about three inches high, maybe 12 inches x 18 inches. My husband came home from work tonight and AngelBoy was in the kitchen when the car pulled into the driveway. AngelBoy ran into the laundry room, jumped on top of the dryer and dove into the box. He stuck his head down into one of the corners and I guess he thought no one could see him. I didn't want to burst his little cat-bubble, so I didn't tell AngelBoy that a three-inch-high box can't hide a 14-pound cat.

Speaking of cats, I've just finished reading the most remarkable book: "The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats," by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. Wonderful book, each chapter discussing the emotions that bubble up in our felines. I've always said that our three cats are so different, each personality unique. The theory that "a cat is a cat is a cat" just isn't true.

The nine emotions discussed in this book are narcissism, love, contentment, attachment, jealousy, fear, anger, curiosity, and playfulness. There was a lesson in each chapter, and I won't go into every lesson here. The non-cat people won't care..... the cat people will look for the book and read it themselves.


Gorgeous day today..... lots of sun....... I haven't planted the Morning Glory seeds yet. I want to make sure we're not going to get any more overnight frosts.