Oh my god! THERE'S the beef! RUN!

[thistlechaser]

Beware the zombie cows.



In semi-related news, I don't like Wendy's chili. I did successfully get in and out getting only a "plain" potato (yet they put butter and sour cream in the bag, sigh), chili, and a diet soda. Unfortunately the chili was full of beans, so I ate maybe a quarter to a third of it. The potato was meh, until I ended up using the butter ("butter", fake stuff) and the "lite" sour cream with it. I figured since I wasn't eating the chili, those would be fine. (40 cal for sour cream, 50 cal for the "butter spread" -- I'm surprised by that, I thought the sour cream would have been more, you got three times more of it than the spread.)

Still hating the CPAP machine. It wakes me up constantly. I haven't had a full, unbroken night's sleep yet in the two weeks I've had it. Blah.

Ellie New Cat has a new favorite place to sleep. It makes me snicker:

Sorry it's so dark, my phone doesn't have a flash.


She puts just her head under the bed, the rest of her sticks out into the room. So silly!

I finally taught her a new trick, trick #3. The first one was high-5 (she has to tap my hand to get a treat), second was sit up and beg (like a dog does), and the third is 'wave'. It's almost a combo of the first two: the 'beg' position plus she lifts one paw (but doesn't make contact with my hand). She learned it really quickly, which isn't too surprising since it's so close to the others.

Cats with no other animals around get so little mental stimulation that I wanted to do something to keep her little kitty brain engaged. In my previous apartment, at least I had a bird feeder/endless birds for her to watch, but in my current apartment there's nothing but an occasional dog or kid outside the window, thus the tricks.

It's surprising how easily cats can be trained and how well they remember their tricks.

Comments

[tersa.livejournal.com]

If you want, making a "bowl of red" (chili without beans) is pretty trivial, as long as you liked the rest of the flavors of the chili except the beans. I can write up a recipe if you'd like.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but in this case I actually have one. Remember that Blue Apron service I had for a while? The supposedly "ready to cook" stuff that got shipped to me every week? One of the few things I liked from them was their chili, only they made it with beans, too. I still have the spice mix and everything, I just need to remember to buy meat and tomatoes so I can make it again without them.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Kk. :)

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Silly Ellie! My cats train me, not the other way around...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh she's good at that, too! I think she taught me more than I taught her. She does this subtle little move with her head when she wants me to itch between her shoulders (she can't reach there). I was surprised when I noticed I was reacting to that head motion before I even realized she was cuing me with it, heh.

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

Those cows are creepy...but I can't look away...

Well, at least you know you can pass on the Wendy's. And baked potatoes are pretty easy to make at home so I bet those would make some good snacks, yeah? You're doing such an amazing job tracking all those calories, I will always be impressed by anyone who can do that.

Ellie is a goof. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ellie is indeed a goof! :)

And totally, next time I'll just make a potato myself (though having that one did scratch my itch for one).

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

Those look more like vampire cows to me...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if vampire cows would be better or worse. Their muzzles would be soft against your neck...

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

You do not want to be under them when they fly over!
Bat droppings are bad enough normally. But, cow sized?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Hahaha imagine the splatter!

[mousewings.livejournal.com]

Wendy's chili does have a lot of beans. I like it and their baked potatoes but I can see how it'd not be liked if you didn't like beans. At least you know to avoid it from now on.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if you like beans, you'd love their chili. Plenty of other places I can go instead. :)

[manue7a.livejournal.com]

teehee, it does make sense, though. Dark in front and airy at the back!

It's great that you teach her tricks to keep her busy.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha! You might have figured it out. :D

I wish I could say that the tricks were fun for both of us, but I'm sure she'd rather just get the treats without having to do the tricks.

[twissie.livejournal.com]

You make me want to get a cat so I can teach it tricks! Awwww~ :D

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

If/when you do get on, I do recommend teaching tricks. It's fun to figure out how to make her learn what to do.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I love teaching Mubbie tricks or teaching him games, and you're right, it's something that keeps their minds engaged, which is so important for solitary indoor cats.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

What kind of tricks does Mubbie do?

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I've only taught him small tricks actually, like shaking hands, "high-five", "fetch" when I throw toys, or how to play a good game of "tag" or "hide and seek", stuff like that. He also jumps through hoops. I only use treats occasionally, mostly I use clicker-training (I don't have a real clicker, I use a ball-point pen I click open and shut). My next plan is to find a sturdy beach ball and teach him how to balance and walk on it. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's a lot! I like the hoop idea, I'm going to do that one next. (Once I get a hoop...)

Ellie is food-orientated, so treats are what I use, too. 4-6/day, so she doesn't get that much training in each day.

I was watching a show about training cats, and the professionals use their food as reward (instead of putting a meal down for them, they get a bite of it each trick). That'd allow for a lot more training, but it's too much work for me.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Mubbie isn't very food-orientated, he likes praise and petting more than treats, which is unusual for a cat.

That's not a bad idea, to use their regular meals as a reward. I like to feed Mubbie after play-time, though, where I have him chase and catch an interactive toy for a while. That way, as an indoor cat, he can simulate the whole "hunt, chase, kill and then eat" experience outdoor cats make.

[spike7451.livejournal.com]

Still hating the CPAP machine.

... my sister-in-law hates hers too!

Love Ellie New Cat's new "sleeping" spot. lol.