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Maybe It’s a Chicken

Newton: What’s this? It looks a little like a chicken, not really. This is why the head peep doesn’t do arts and crafts.

orange tabby cat inspects funny chicken

Ashton: A chicken! Where’d that come from?

Newton: Do you really think this looks like a chicken?

Orange tabby cat inspects funny chicken as brown tabby cat looks on

Ashton: Did you make it? I didn’t mean to hurt you feelings.

Newton: No, I didn’t make it.

Ashton: You don’t mind if I eat it, then?

Newton: I wouldn’t eat it, but if you’re that hungry…

Orange tabby cat inspects funny chicken as brown tabby cat looks on

Ashton: I don’t see anything edible in here.

brown tabby cat inspects funny chicken

Ashton: What, did you think I was going to get my head stuck in there like I did last week? I’m not a silly kitten, I learned my lesson.

brown tabby cat sits next to funny chicken

Ashton: Who are you looking at, bird-brain?

brown tabby cat looks at funny chicken

Chicken Leg IconDid you see the rest of our chicken capers? If not, catch up on our adventures.

How to Kill a Bug

Ashton: This doesn’t smell like a real bug, but I can still use it to demonstrate the way to kill a real bug. 

brown tabby cat sniffs robotic insect

First you swat the bug to show it who is the boss. Cats are always the boss of bugs.

brown tabby cat plays with robotic insect

Then you kick it with as many feet as necessary to really punish it. After all, it’s a bug and it has armor. You may have to knock it around some.

brown tabby cat plays with robotic insect

Then you put a big bite on it. If it’s a real bug, you get to taste that buggy goodness. This one doesn’t taste so good, but you get the idea.

brown tabby cat plays with robotic insect

Now it’s your turn. Go find a bug at your house and give it a try. Bonus points if you do it in front of your human!

About Ashton’s Table Manners

When we posted the other day about Ashton’s table manners, several of you said that you don’t allow cats to beg at the table. We thought we’d tell you a little about why Ashton is allowed.

Ashton_window_chicken_03_wm

Ashton is afraid of the manpeep. She is four years old now, and to this day, she won’t share a piece of furniture with him. Not the sofa or even the bed.

Ashton_window_wave_02_wm

The only time that Ashton is willing to come within his arm’s reach is when there’s chicken involved.

So we changed our rule about no begging at the table and grill a breast of chicken for her every week so that it’s food that is healthy for her and safe for humans to handle at mealtime.

Ashton_waving_sq600

Ashton started by sitting in the windowsill and looking cute for her treats, but she learned the paw wave works even better than looking cute. The humans think they taught her the paw wave, but she knows that she trained them.

Ashton_window_wave_wm

As long as she gets chicken, she isn’t going to argue about who trained who.

Ashton_window_treat_wm

She doesn’t realize she’s also having a positive interaction with the manpeep who she wouldn’t otherwise approach. A very positive interaction.

ashton_window_tongue_wm

We know that Ashton getting some extra chicken at the dinnertime isn’t going to make her fall in love with the manpeep, but he’s getting closer to being able to touch her when she’s on the cat three where she feels safe, so it’s a start. For a timid cat like Ashton, it takes a lot of little steps… and a little chicken.

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