thistlechaser (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thistlechaser) wrote2016-08-12 08:45 am
thistlechaser) wrote2016-08-12 08:45 am
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I've created a monster...
Now and then, I'll teach an animal a trick that I know will later come back and bite me. (I taught a dog to open doors once. Worst. Idea. Ever.)
Because I got Ellie New Cat when she was young, I wanted to do things to keep her brain engaged with the world. (My previous cat was 18 when she died, so all she did was sleep and eat and maybe walk a few steps between the two.) One of the things I did with Ellie was teach her to do tricks. All well and good, even though she's not perfect about it (she tends to just run through all of her tricks until I give her the treat, instead of doing the right one the first time).
The problem is that one of the tricks I taught her was to "talk" (meow). Now, more than an hour before her meal times, she starts meowing. Nonstop. Loud. And when I say nonstop, I mean it, just MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW with no pauses other than to inhale. For more than an hour straight. It's loud and demanding and drives me crazy.
I've tried a number of things to break her of this. Saying "NO" loudly doesn't work, nor does "QUIET". Hissing at her surprised her at first and made her pause while she eyed me, but that stopped working fast. As of last night, I think I might have hit on the solution: When she starts meowing, I hiss at her and chase her around the apartment. I'm a little worried about that, as it took me two years to get her to trust me, but it seems to be working (and more importantly, seems to have no lasting effects afterwards).
I figure chasing her might be the most "natural" way to fix this -- cats don't meow endlessly in the wild because, while they are predators, they're small ones and thus prey as well. They wouldn't want to attract attention and get chased/eaten by something.
I'm glad no one's around to see me, because I'm sure it would be comical to watch.
My 'crazy cat lady' icon seems fitting for this post...
Because I got Ellie New Cat when she was young, I wanted to do things to keep her brain engaged with the world. (My previous cat was 18 when she died, so all she did was sleep and eat and maybe walk a few steps between the two.) One of the things I did with Ellie was teach her to do tricks. All well and good, even though she's not perfect about it (she tends to just run through all of her tricks until I give her the treat, instead of doing the right one the first time).
The problem is that one of the tricks I taught her was to "talk" (meow). Now, more than an hour before her meal times, she starts meowing. Nonstop. Loud. And when I say nonstop, I mean it, just MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW MEEEEEOW with no pauses other than to inhale. For more than an hour straight. It's loud and demanding and drives me crazy.
I've tried a number of things to break her of this. Saying "NO" loudly doesn't work, nor does "QUIET". Hissing at her surprised her at first and made her pause while she eyed me, but that stopped working fast. As of last night, I think I might have hit on the solution: When she starts meowing, I hiss at her and chase her around the apartment. I'm a little worried about that, as it took me two years to get her to trust me, but it seems to be working (and more importantly, seems to have no lasting effects afterwards).
I figure chasing her might be the most "natural" way to fix this -- cats don't meow endlessly in the wild because, while they are predators, they're small ones and thus prey as well. They wouldn't want to attract attention and get chased/eaten by something.
I'm glad no one's around to see me, because I'm sure it would be comical to watch.
My 'crazy cat lady' icon seems fitting for this post...