The one where my cat manages to shame me

I live with a cat.

 

I was going to say ‘I own a cat’, but one can never ‘own’ a feline, especially Deia, so I figured mutual cohabitation would provide a more honest portrait of our relationship. It’s not anything like Marley and Me, though it involves a great deal of tolerance and the occasional mutual niceness.

 

She is not an expensive pet, as she only eats one brand of dry food, interspersed with the random tuna can. In the past six years she has developed the adorable habit of scratching the legs of my dining room chairs. Considering said chairs have been in the house since 1997, and even then were given and not bought, I could care less. However, the six years of scratching have taken a toll on them and pretty soon Deia won’t have anything left to scratch, which might prompt her to move onto my much more cherished futon.

Thusward, I took initiative and bought something for her on Amazon, a highly rated cat scratching post.

It arrived yesterday.

 

My excitement at seeing the post was much greater than my cat’s. She looked at it but carried on business as usual. I let her and the post be for a while, figuring these things take time.

 

In the evening, as I was laying on the futon (which is in very close proximity to Deia’s bed and scratching post due to the miniscule size of my apartment) talking to my boyfriend on the phone, Deia began to assault me (read jump on me from the back of the futon) seeking attention…Attention she should have been showing the post!

 

Me (to the cat, while on the phone with A): Deia! The post cost 20 dollars! We’re in a global repression!

A : Yes, use logic. That will work.

Deia stares at me.

 

I try a new tactic, getting on the floor next to the post and grabbing Deia’s front two paws and showing her physically what she should be doing. (I forgot to mention she is not the brightest crayon in the box. By no means. At times she doesn’t recognize me if I put on a hat or a coat)

 

Deia goes completely passive resistance on me. Where did she learn these Ghandian tactics??? Was she alive in the 60s in a past life? Her nails are completely drawn in so my action do not create the desired effect.

A (via phone): I found an article online: “If you want your cat to start using a scratching post do not force it, cats will resent it and not want to go near the post”

 

Me: Great timing.

 

A: It says to show the cat how to use it and make it look like you are having fun so she will want to do it as well.

 

At this point I go Andrew Lloyd Weber (shoutout to Cats, the title for this blog! Sort of…) running my nails against the carpetlike fabric of the post. Deia continues to stare yet I can tell that as time is passing and my nails are getting more and more filed she is beginning to ponder the post.

 

In the end a small victory was had by me last night. After my demonstration she did look at the post.

 

And then play with the chopstick next to it.

 

Still! She was in close proximity to the post when it happened! VICTORY!