Puzzling behavior

I've recently noticed the emergence of some behaviors in my humans that I had previously thought were restricted to the Christmas season (see my earlier post if you don't know about Christmas yet). One example is jigsaw puzzles. 

Both cats and humans find jigsaw puzzles fascinating. There are lots of little pieces, and they can be chewed, carried, knocked onto the floor, or used as a cat-sized hockey puck. Shockingly, your humans do not want you to do any of those things. 

No, your humans don't want your help with the puzzle.

Imagine that. There may be a thousand or more of those little pieces, and they won't want to share a single one of them with you. Instead, they will stare at the pieces for hours on end, only occasionally moving one of them from one area of the table to another. In the end, though, they will manage to get all the pieces to connect. 

If there are any pieces missing at that point, you can be sure they will blame you. 

I'm afraid we'll just have to bear this selfish behavior in the name of being supportive during the pandemic.

These are the times that try cats' souls.

Pandemic isolation update

Thanks, I firmly believe, to my care and constant vigilance, my humans are still healthy and sane after two weeks of staying home. Things are settling into something of a routine, so I don't have all that much new to say except for the following isolation survival tip:

Don't steal the last snack bar, even if the wrapper does rustle beautifully.

Remember to share the snacks!

Cat Etiquette for the Pandemic, 2

Folks, this pandemic is going to be here for a while. We're all going to need an extra dose of patience for our humans, who are going to end up very stressed if they aren't already. Here are a few more ideas as to how we can help them in these troubled times.

1. Tolerate paw lotion. If you've been doing your part, you've been encouraging your humans to wash their paws with cat-like fervor. But if they are following your lead, they may be getting very dry paws. So try to be as tolerant as you can to the scent of lotion on your humans's paws and in your space. I know it's unpleasant, but we can try to be gracious about it.

Humans may need paw lotion.

Lure them out onto the deck.

2. Encourage them to go outside. If your humans have a balcony or deck, they should definitely be getting outdoors as often as they can. You may be able to lure them out with your good example. Even if they don't have their own balcony or deck, they may be able to get out for a walk or a bit of gardening, depending on where they live. A dose of nature will do them a world of good.

Direct their attention to nature.

Telework

Today I have listened in on three teleconferences, and I am learning a lot about what humans call "work." My main conclusion is that it is remarkably boring! I couldn't stay awake.

B-o-o-o-o-ring

Cat Etiquette for the Pandemic

I'm collecting ideas for how we cats can help out during this pandemic with our customary grace. Here's some that I've come up with so far. Please chime in with other ideas if you have them.

1. Learn to Skype. Humans love it when we do that. I don't know why they want us to stare at screens just as fixedly as they do, but they do.

Learn to Skype

2. Leave the toilet paper strictly alone. I'm not kidding about this. Humans everywhere have gotten very touchy about their toilet paper. You may normally enjoy playing with it, but for now, just don't.

Skip the toilet paper shredding

3. Use the Cat Scan. Give all foreign objects that come into the house a careful inspection. Any object that comes through the door could be dangerous!

Cat Scan it!

4. Demonstrate good paw washing technique. Keep reminding your humans of the important of paw hygiene. 

Demonstrate how to clean each toe

There goes the human-feline timeshare agreement

I hear some of us cats are not enjoying having our humans around all day. I grant it's technically a violation of the timeshare agreement. But come on, fellow cats, be nice! It's time to give our humans a little slack: they are very stressed out just now. And many of them don't even want to be home!

Look cute

Relax a bit and you may find that you actually enjoy having them around. There's more going on in a day, and you may notice that a certain bored, blah feeling that used to assail you around midday is no longer there. On the other hand, they are now more at risk of a bored, blah feeling. That can be the first step toward a serious illness humans call depression. Looking cute for them and playing with them are good natural therapies for these mild early symptoms. You don't want a depressed human on your hands!

Play with them

Social distancing for cats?

Dear Thera,

My humans are saying the words "social distancing" in every other sentence these days. What is social distancing, and should I be doing it?

-- Back away?


Dear Back,

Social distancing means staying away from others. It is something humans have to do right now to avoid spreading a virus. We cats do not need to practice social distancing because we do not need to worry about getting this virus. So please don't worry about social distancing, but do continue to model calm and restful behavior for your humans, not to mention your superior sense of personal hygiene. 

--Thera

No social distancing for cats!

Screens and paw washing

Dear Thera,

Something is wrong with my humans. They have stopped leaving the house and are spending all their time staring at screens. They barely notice my existence. What's wrong? Is this a symptom of the virus I keep hearing about? Have they finally been assimilated? Is there anything I can do?

--Screened


Dear Screened,

This is not a symptom of the virus. It's your humans' way of trying not to catch or spread the virus. If you look closely, you will notice that the excessive screen use has three main components, two of which are good and one of which is highly problematic.

1) Teleworking. This is good, and you should try not to interrupt it too much. As I've said before, work is what keeps the kibble coming, so try to tolerate it.

Demonstrate effective napping behavior.

2) Social connection. Since your humans are staying at home, they will quickly get lonely if they don't communicate with other humans. So try to tolerate this one as well. Remember that humans are a more social species than we are, even if we ourselves are more social than they sometimes give us credit for.


3) Obsessive news watching. This one is the real problem. While your humans need to stay informed, staying glued to the media channels is not healthy for them. Try to distract them from this behavior if you can. You can also try modeling effective alternative behaviors, which include napping and careful paw washing.

Come on, people, wash those paws!

Don't Panic

Dear Thera,

My humans are beginning to show signs of anxiety. They say the word "coronavirus" a lot, and they are showing symptoms of excessive grooming and hoarding behavior. I am concerned. But I am also confused. Should I be more concerned for them, assuming their behavior is the sign of some illness or psychological disorder? Or should I be more concerned for myself, since there may be a virus coming and no one is doing anything to protect me?

What should I do about this? How scared should I be?

--Panic (?)

Panic?

Dear Panic,

No, don't panic. The virus your humans are concerned about only weakly infects cats at most. If you get it you will not become all that sick, and you will not need to worry that you will infect your humans or their friends. 

Meanwhile, your humans' washing and hoarding behaviors are entirely normal and even wise under the circumstances. In fact, you might want to remind them that they should stock up on kitty litter while they are at it. If the virus strikes in your humans' community you may find that they stay home more than usual--and even, possibly, all the time for a while. This might disrupt your routine, but try to be understanding, as they will be under considerable stress. Your natural role as a stress-reducer, soothing humans with your soft coat and the sound of your purr, will be invaluable.

If your humans become ill, things may get much worse. In a mild case, however, you may again be able to play a helpful role. A human with a fever makes an excellent bed-warmer for you, and you in turn can be a comfort to your human. It is the more severe cases that are worrisome. But remember, you yourself should be fine.

--Thera

Don't Panic