The DOG'S MEOW

01/11/2020

I recycle old socks as dusting cloths. Apparently, Aja has found my stash and decided that they all need to be relocated throughout the apartment. It's like "Where's Waldo" for dead socks. The least she could do would be to DUST SOMETHING while she was at it.

17/10/2020

Aja thinks she's a dog. She has to be involved in everything Arya is involved in (except for walking outdoors). Some days, like today, I make popcorn, which Arya absolutely loves. Well, now Aja has decided she loves it too, and climbs up onto my desk and very politely removes a popped kernal from the bowl and delicately eats it. Whereas Arya swallows them whole. LOL Here they are:

11/10/2020

10/10/2020

If I had known that a simple flap off a cardboard box would endlessly entertain both the dog and the cat, I would have made different purchase choices!

09/10/2020

AGAIN WITH THE WASTEBASKET! hahahahahahaha! Living with a cat is like inviting a cartoon into your life.

09/10/2020

New developments in our lives... Aja has a new favorite place to sleep. On my upper chest tucked under my chin. I feel like I can sleep so much better when she's purring so close.

She has also decided that standing on my shoulder while I'm working on the computer is her new "perch." I thought we pirates were supposed to have PARROTS!

08/10/2020

Aja's new fascination is worming her way beneath the bedspread and hanging out there, then being unable to find her way out. Have had to rescue her several times today. 🤣

I keep wondering what Arya's thinking as she watches this lump moving across the bed on its own.

08/10/2020

I hate when Aja runs into my bedroom, hisses at an empty chair then runs back out and I end up in the bathtub holding a crucifix.

06/10/2020

At my desk with Aja in my lap, purring, when she nonchalantly leaped into the trash can and sat inside it staring up at me like sentient trash.

And now I have a new name for a band.

05/10/2020

Miss Aja was incredibly destructive this morning. I forgot I had to kitten-proof my home. Lesson learned.

03/10/2020

The height of cuteness...

Arya loves popcorn, so sometimes I'll make some for a snack and share it with her. Aja, the cat, has also decided she likes popcorn. So she'll sit on the desk next to the bowl and help herself. She watches me toss some to Arya, who likes to jump up and sn**ch it out of the air. So I look away, and when I look back, Aja has grabbed popcorn from the bowl and dropped it off the edge of the desk onto Arya's head, where the dog then snarfs it down. Good lord, I'd be rich if I could capture some of this stuff on video. 🤣🤣🤣

01/10/2020

In today's edition of Ninja Kitteh:

I got to the grocery store with my own bags, and happened to look inside them before loading stuff into them and found these. If you don't know what they are, they're kitten toys. One's a little furry mouse, the other's a glittery fuzzball. In my bag. As a gift.

I guess I'm somebody now!

30/09/2020

In case you're wondering whether cats really do push everything they can off tables and shelves, they do. At least Aja does. Awoke this morning to the living room looking like an earthquake had hit it in the middle of the night.

Right now, Aja is chasing the cursor across my computer screen and trying to bat at the letters being typed. And now she's going to walk across the keyb0[u9hasdfpuy[pweo\kapyhpohfreo...

30/09/2020

If you find your cat reading a book titled “To Serve Man,” I’m just going to warn you right now, those are recipes. Cats aren’t servants.

28/09/2020

Lively weekend with the fur-fam! Aja now seeks Arya out, especially if she wants to curl up together. Arya has stopped being so anxious about having another animal in the house and they play like crazy every morning. Then it's a day-long game of tag between them. It's taken them just under a week to realize they were companions and start acting like it. Feeling incredibly blessed by how well (and how quickly) they got along!

25/09/2020

We human counterparts to dogs often have a specific "voice" in our head that we attribute to our beloved fur family. They're often cartoonish and silly, but they convey our interpretation of their lives and the thoughts that (may) run through their heads. Every dog who has shared my life has had their own voice in my head. Very distinct, and based on their personalities. When it came time to bring Aja into the family, I knew I wanted to document their journey in getting to know each other and how they adjusted to their new-ish environment. Before Aja, Arya had never met any other type of animal like a cat. She saw squirrels from afar when we lived in the Colorado mountains. She knew deer as an abstract concept as something she occasionally saw through the window. So in deciding on a title for this page -- The Dog's Meow -- it came to me in Arya's voice. And I knew that she would never think of Aja in terms of cat and dog. She would more likely attribute the sounds that Aja made as her point of reference. Thus was born "The Dog's Meow," because I truly believe that's how Arya would call it. "That's my meow!" Especially now that they're growing comfortable with each other.

25/09/2020

On today's episode of MY CAT IS A NINJA, Aja explores every hiding spot, every piece of furniture she can race across like the devil himself is after her, and knocks over anything she comes across that gets in her way.

Arya initiated a play session again this morning and more hilarity ensued. She seems to finally understand that Aja's arrival in our home was meant as a companion for her so she doesn't mope missing Otis anymore. She's learned to be gentle with the cat, and I caught Arya bathing Aja yesterday afternoon.

Aja has decided that when I lay in bed at night reading, I simply MUST be lying there doing nothing waiting for her to come a-purring and sticking her butt in my face. How can you get frustrated at that? 😂🥰😂

24/09/2020

Full on play session initiated by Arya this morning. Arya tends to mimic her playmate's style of play, and it was the funniest thing watching her try to be a cat. I'm going to have to start wearing adult diapers if I'm going to be laughing this much! Hope to get a video of it someday.

23/09/2020

One giant step forward! Last night, I crawled into bed at the usual time, and Arya came right in and snuggled against my side. Then Aja decided she needed to be part of things, so she lay right on top of Arya! Arya merely glanced at her and went back to sleep. They shifted only once, but slept most of the night one atop the other. This morning, while I was trying to wake up, Arya and Aja were playing peek-a-boo with the cat's blanket. It was so sweet and so hilarious. Strides being made!

22/09/2020

It seems to me, from observing Arya and Aja and their feeding habits, that cats eat to survive and dogs survive to eat. Arya is incredibly food motivated, while Aja will eat if she's hungry, and usually leaves a bit behind in her bowl. Aja has sniffed at Arya's food and turned her nose up at it. Arya would tackle the kitten and steal her food if she could.

Oh, and Aja has discovered the wind chimes hanging over my desk. It's been very chime-y in here lately. :-)

21/09/2020

Aja is right at home and has begun trying to goad Arya into playing. Arya responds but still seems to be terribly confused as to what kind of creature it is I brought home. This morning, Arya has shown signs of willingness to play, but it never quite manifests. However, last night at bed time, Aja came in and laid on the pillow next to my head, and Arya (who was sleeping at my side as usual) shifted herself so that her head was pressing up against Aja. They didn't stay that way for long, but it's an encouraging sign.

20/09/2020

Today's Aja pix:

20/09/2020

A very successful first night with the new family member. She is fearless and not bothered at all by Arya's incessant curiosity and penchant for whining excitedly any time Aja makes an appearance. Aja is incredibly sweet, kind, and loving. And super friendly. When Arya gets too "nosy," Aja thinks she's playing and boops Arya's nose with her paw, and the dog about passes out because the cat touched her. It's hilarious.

Everyone slept through the night in the bed with me, so yay! And Aja has inspected the entire place, knows where the litter box is (and has used it faithfully), and seems to be quite fine with her new life.

19/09/2020

Aja has arrived at her new home. The introduction to Arya has gone better than anticipated. Arya is deeply curious about this new type of creature (she hasn't ever met a cat/kitten) and whines with excitement as she follows Aja around the apartment, sniffing sniffing sniffing. Aja is pretty much ignoring the dog, which is probably the best way to help Arya in getting comfortable with her. Tonight at bedtime will be the test. In the meantime, Aja is already at home. She's been checking out the place, purring her head off, and checking in with me every few minutes. She's so laid back, it's wonderful. And she has already found her favorite place, apparently....in the window where she can look out over town, with the pigeons congregating on the roof below.

19/09/2020

DAY 1: I've been using Aja's name frequently with Arya so she gets used to hearing it prior to Aja's arrival here later today. I keep trying to get Arya to be as excited, but so far, I'm the only one who's REALLY EXCITED.

Aja arrives here around 130 pm CDT today. Stay tuned.