Kitty Journal 28 - The Problematic Salem

Curious what's the picture is all about? Simple, it's Salem doing one of his antics. His new found hobby is scratching on the bathroom door. Sometimes when there's nobody in there (I kept the bathroom / shower door closed so my cats won't be licking or sniffing bleach) and sometimes while I was in there *sighs*. He would scratch and mews at the door till I opened a bit (if I were inside) and then he would stop and just stare at me or sit down quietly in front of the bathroom. Other times he would just scratch on the door and then stare at me when I scold him (even though there we nobody in the bathroom). Granted his behavior is typical to when he was locked up in the cat room or in a cage, it still mind boggles me. In my opinion, he still acts like a kitten when he's practically an adult (at nine months old). My other two cats just stare at him whenever he's throwing tantrums. The good news is that he realized that my fly swatter is a deadly weapon (I smack the ground / carpet real hard in front of my cats to scare them whenever they're up to mischief) and he will run into their room whenever I caught him scratching the bathroom door. Granted it was fun to have Salem follow me around the house, when I'm in the kitchen he will sit nearby. He was always outside the bathroom whenever I shower or use the bathroom. I called him the black stalker or the bodyguard *laughs*.
Last week, I bought a book on cats at a local warehouse used book sale. It was really good, with a lot of illustration on how to take care of cats, first aid and grooming. It also features problematic cats and the remedy for them. I came to realized that Salem is a dependent cat, solely dependent on humans (namely me and my bf). He follows us around, would even try to follow my bf outside the front door whenever he leaves. Follows me all around the house, even sleep beside my feet most of the time (I find that somewhat cute though). But what annoys me is his constant mewing when he demands attention. He would sit on his but, usually on top of the coffee table and mew from the top of his lungs. He would only stop when I reprimand him *loud audible sigh*.

Like these sandals? This is another of Salem's antics.

See the bite marks? It's all Salem's doing, sometimes I wonder if he's a cat or a dog in disguise. He chewed the black shoe off, it's unwearable. I grew tired of scolding him, anytime I take my eyes off him, he will chew the sandals. Once I was shocked to see bits of the shoe stuck to his teeth.. it mind boggles me why he would chew shoes, it's not as if I didn't feed him T_T

It all come down to Salem being too dependent, so I'm guessing he needs a new companion. I'm debating about adopting another cat but it's not a bad idea. ( I love cats anyway, it's just my pocket isn't deep enough to splurge on them *laughs*).

Oh well, it's the trials of a cat owner. I have to learn how to cure this nasty behavior of Salem's and then make him a better cat. ; )

Kitty Journal 27 - The Noisy Ride

I was busy last week with Hari Raya Celebration and such, didn't have much time to sit in front of the pc to write. I brought back my cats with me last week, what a journey! Neko-chan and Sherbet were well behaved (or too scared to misbehave..) and sat quietly in the car for the 4hours journey. Salem was being a bad boy as he is and didn't stop mewing all the way from KL to JB. It was dreadful, I tried taking him out of the carrier and putting leash on him but he still won't stop. Good news is that it kept me awake (lol). We endured the noisy journey till I arrived at my parents and put all the cats into the cage.

My family and relatives were excited with my cats (especially Sherbet). The fluffy fur, the big body, Sherbet was everyone's eye candy that's for sure. At 1 year old, he weighs almost 7kg but sadly he's very scared. He huddled in a corner whenever my relatives came to look at him. Salem is the usual over-friendly cat among the three of them and always demands attention. He personally met every members of my family, shameless boy that he is. Neko-chan is the cool cat as usual, sat or lie down anywhere in the cage nonchalantly, as if she's right back at home. It was nice to see my family accepting my cats (even my mother who hates cats).

On the 4th day, I let them roam the house. Sherbet the timid and shy sniffs around cautiously while Salem just walk about anywhere, went downstairs and playing on the stairs. Neko-chan sniffs cautiously and made herself comfortable under the sofa. I let them out once in a while but Salem is starting to aggravate me. He slipped outside while I was having breakfast and didn't want to come in. After that incident, I had to close all doors and windows since Salem kept trying to go outside. Overall, it was a good experience bringing back my cats with me. But, on the way back to KL, as usual Salem made a racket and mews all the way back. I haven't seen my dad drove 4 hours JB to KL before, I bet Salem helped him stay awake. *Laugh*

I'm still contemplating on Hari Raya Haji, maybe I'll put them in boarding or bring them back. One thing's for sure though, I'm not bringing Salem back with me, he needs some kind of training being locked up *sighs*.