Every morning I brush my cat Nobiya's teeth, put on his leash, and take him out for an adventure.
He bolts down the stairs, straining at his leash. When he reaches the first floor landing, he comes to a full stop. Pauses. Looks around. Smells the air. Contemplates where to go, what to do. Then gradually, gradually begins to explore the world outside his window.
He has favorite paths, but he's generally in no rush to explore them. He may spend 5 minutes smelling one spot on the cinder block wall by the path. Or he may bolt up the path, stop at a spot that looks like all the other spots and poke around for a long time. Sometimes, he simply meanders along at a leisurely, but consistent pace, sniffing along the way.
Occasionally, he freezes, absolutely still in his tracks. Sometimes it's a dog. He knows when the nasty Schnauzer is going to appear minutes before I do. He tenses for that one. For the friendly labs, cocker spaniels, and border collies, he stops and watches, curious but slightly wary. Sometimes they get close and sniff one another. Sometimes they just walk on by. Other times when he freezes, it's a bird. For birds, he hunkers down in the dirt, tail swishing, absolute silence, preparing to pounce. Or he chatters softly at them.
For a few weeks, a huge raven followed us around, cawing very loudly from tree to tree, insistent and a bit threatening to my ears. The bird was bigger than Nobiya and came too close for my comfort. Nobiya just stopped and watched and listened, and then moseyed on.
Nobiya loves to eat grass. And throw it up. I try to wait this process out so that it all happens outside.
His preferred walking paths are the 1.5 inch wide wooden borders around the landscaping. If there's a tiny ledge to walk on, that's where he's going.
He also likes to pause on these narrow wooden borders, STRETCH out, and sharpen his claws vigorously on them.
Along the way, Nobiya likes to HOP over certain bushes and garden hoses.
He particularly likes to jump from stone to stone on the hillside under the tall palms. Or to rest above them.
Our walks, then, are leisurely. I go at his pace. I let him direct for the most part. But when it's time to go in, I let him know, talking to him in a soft voice, or making soft clicking sounds, with a slight tug on the leash. He tries to get a little more time outside. I go to pick him up. He doesn't want that, so he goes in the direction of home. Sometimes, it takes several episodes of this re-directing, but once he's on the stairs, he generally trots right up to the door and waits for me to unlock it.
Every now and then, though, he surprises me by appearing to head up the stairs and then bolting off and jumping up on the stairwell railing, perching up on the ledge 2 stories above the ground. Just to make sure I know who's really in control.
He bolts down the stairs, straining at his leash. When he reaches the first floor landing, he comes to a full stop. Pauses. Looks around. Smells the air. Contemplates where to go, what to do. Then gradually, gradually begins to explore the world outside his window.
He has favorite paths, but he's generally in no rush to explore them. He may spend 5 minutes smelling one spot on the cinder block wall by the path. Or he may bolt up the path, stop at a spot that looks like all the other spots and poke around for a long time. Sometimes, he simply meanders along at a leisurely, but consistent pace, sniffing along the way.
Occasionally, he freezes, absolutely still in his tracks. Sometimes it's a dog. He knows when the nasty Schnauzer is going to appear minutes before I do. He tenses for that one. For the friendly labs, cocker spaniels, and border collies, he stops and watches, curious but slightly wary. Sometimes they get close and sniff one another. Sometimes they just walk on by. Other times when he freezes, it's a bird. For birds, he hunkers down in the dirt, tail swishing, absolute silence, preparing to pounce. Or he chatters softly at them.
For a few weeks, a huge raven followed us around, cawing very loudly from tree to tree, insistent and a bit threatening to my ears. The bird was bigger than Nobiya and came too close for my comfort. Nobiya just stopped and watched and listened, and then moseyed on.Nobiya loves to eat grass. And throw it up. I try to wait this process out so that it all happens outside.
Nobiya also loves to sit by the pool.
His preferred walking paths are the 1.5 inch wide wooden borders around the landscaping. If there's a tiny ledge to walk on, that's where he's going.
He also likes to pause on these narrow wooden borders, STRETCH out, and sharpen his claws vigorously on them.
Along the way, Nobiya likes to HOP over certain bushes and garden hoses.
He particularly likes to jump from stone to stone on the hillside under the tall palms. Or to rest above them.
Our walks, then, are leisurely. I go at his pace. I let him direct for the most part. But when it's time to go in, I let him know, talking to him in a soft voice, or making soft clicking sounds, with a slight tug on the leash. He tries to get a little more time outside. I go to pick him up. He doesn't want that, so he goes in the direction of home. Sometimes, it takes several episodes of this re-directing, but once he's on the stairs, he generally trots right up to the door and waits for me to unlock it.
Every now and then, though, he surprises me by appearing to head up the stairs and then bolting off and jumping up on the stairwell railing, perching up on the ledge 2 stories above the ground. Just to make sure I know who's really in control.
