Finally Here

For several years, Mowgli has had a cat wheel. For a while I thought he never used it with more than his front paws, later, I learned he did get totally on it, go nuts, and run. This was usually in the middle of the night as you slept in the bed next to it...When the wheel got brought up from my parents house he immediately resumed using it, more so than I ever noticed before at times. But there was a problem, it was a bit too small for his long body, and sometimes his hind legs would go flying off. The decision was made...it was time for a bigger wheel...

But this decision was made at about the same time that a cat (I think it was a cheetoh, a breed created with bengals) was highlighted on an Animal Planet show using one, so the company was suddenly slammed, and the waiting game began. After a few months, it finally shipped...

*Sniff*

Ready....set...go!

*Sniff*

What is it????

I love boxes

A lot

What are you doing to my box?

Oooh, another box!

I got two boxes...

After the wheel was set up, he focused his attention between it, and the boxes before they were broken down and carried out...His time is now being split between sleeping, running on the wheel, eating, running on the wheel immediately (ya I'm waiting for the puke to come), back to sleeping, meowing to go outside, running on the wheel, playing with his favorite balls, maybe some more sleeping and eating, then back to running on the wheel....

Troublemaker

Mowgli prevents homework from being done

Dislikes shades being shut

 

And steals from shopping bags

Ok, so it was for him, but not until after he was done eating

Local catnip, not surprising he found it. It's very strong smelling compared to the best I've found in pet stores!

He refuses to eat big food items in his food dish and will drag them out. If I put something under the food where he takes it, he drags it off again...

But, he doesn't really understand and/or have the patience to work at getting big things apart. So after a few minutes I take it back, wash it, cut it into smaller chunks, and give him some back...then when he is out of the way, disinfect the floor. (And yes that is a raw chicken drumstick, he is on an almost completely raw diet)

And another bengal troublemaker...Mowgli's cousin showing my brother why flowers were a bad idea...

 

Mowgli's Urban Jungle

Surveying his kitchen kingdom

On the prowl

And stalking

What's this?

For me??

Mowgli tends to spend a lot of time in the kitchen some days. Not because he is obsessed with the kitchen or eating, but being that his caretakers are a culinary grad and a baking and pastry grad, a lot of time can be spent there. Since I do not allow him on the counters (and it is a rare occasion he will try to get up there with me anyways), he is allowed to use the fridges to get to the top of one set of cabinets. Although someone may be teaching some bad habits...he knows who makes most of his meals (me) and who gives more scraps (Matt), so if we are in there working, he pays attention.

And sometimes he needs to really be in the way middle of things

Enough of the floor

Nap time

What???

It's my Cat in a Box

 For some reason, everytime I look at these pictures I get that song Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake did on SNL a few years ago...you know which one I mean...it was around Christmas time...
If you don't, then follow this link to youtube: It's my...
And not to sound weird, but the song also reminds me of my Dad (Mowgli's Grandpaw). It cracked him up and he would (probably still does) walk around the house singing the chorus on occasion.  

He did come out of the box. Then went back in...

Use for Liquor Store Box

The cheaper the toy the more he likes it....few cardboard boxes make it in and out of the apartment the same day. Mowgli will be in kitty heaven when moving time comes around (whenever that might be after March). Attempts to alter said boxes to make what we think is a more interesting box, tends to result in ignoring of the box afterward. But since you put a whole ten minutes into cutting those holes and taping things together, it will remain in the living room for at least another week...because maybe he'll rediscover it....

Test

Levitation

I'm not a cat...

I'm a dog, I can bark....

About 20 seconds in, turn it up....

Seriously, on more than one occasion he has made noises very similar to barks. Frequently when chattering at a moth or bird one will slip out. I blame his upbringing with first my two bigger dogs and then with my parents' little princesses. Mowgli outweighed all of them, except Gabby the westie (RIP), until she started to be affected by kidney failure.

And I don't have paws...I have furry hands...

His ability to scoop, hold, and catch things with his paws I associated with him being a bengal when Matt brought it up (up to that point, I just thought all cats did it). Matt thinks its because he is front declawed and his paws are more floppy and more suited to scooping (I'm not an avid supporter of this, but had to in order to keep him). I supposed it could be a bit of both, because of his supreme bengal intellect, he taught himself to maneuver his paws to catch and hold things.

Upper Body and Plotting

New cat wheel is finally on its way. This one is a touch too small and full-blown running usually results in a leg or butt flying off. So a lot of the time...he just works his uppers.

And there is still a slight obsession with the front door and getting out, but most meowing/screaming/howling has ceased. But it seems pretty clear here, he got caught plotting....

more "Good" Idea

And this was what he was doing Tuesday while I was gone....

"Good" Idea

 

Monday night

"Hey, let's take him outside" sounded harmless enough, Mowgli can be a trepidatious/neurotic cat. I assumed chances were he would make it out of the apartment door in his harness and on leash, take a look around, and immediately want back in his territory. Apparently he is getting braver (I wish his stomach would reflect that, Irene was messy) and didn't put up a fight walking down the stairs....and happily trotted out the front door and started sniffing outside the building...and then got pissed when we took him inside (I didn't want him eating grass with whatever chemicals they may put on it). And then got more pissed inside the apartment and started meowing....loudly...which became howling at the door. Bengals can be very vocal cats. I was now hating myself for ever responding back to his cuter (and quieter) meows...and hating that I could no longer respond to them.

And it continued the next day. To the point that night where I was considering going to the Animal ER just for tranquilizers, because "how long until the neighbors start complaining and I'm forced to bring him back to my parents' house, and when will I have time to do that, and I can't be up all night with him, I have school tomorrow, and a financial management test I'm not ready for and..." In short, an unnecessary and classic Becca freak-out before anything bad has happened or had a real indication of happening.

Anyway, catnip had been given earlier in the night, a temporary fix...which became a nipped out cat rolling in front of the door, then pawing at it, then making sloppy howls. Eventually, with all the lights turned off and being ignored when meowing and given attention when being a good boy, he gave up.

Only to keep trying the next day when I got home from school. I finally resorted back to old puppy training knowledge, throwing some coins in a metal quart measure pitcher and shaking it from behind my back or around the corner with each meow. I don't think I ever actually used this with a dog though, but making a high-pitch yip when a puppy nips you works really well to tell them no in their language, and I'm getting off-topic...He tried to overpower it the first few times, literal meowing screams that kept growing in decibels...and tested it a few more times throughout the night. But since late Wednesday night, I haven't had to use it as much, and he usually stops within 3 slightly-whiny and medium loudness meows now. Which is good, because we both might go deaf if he keeps up the screaming and I keep up the coin shaking.

He did try to escape Friday night though...so maybe the fight isn't over yet....

 

Thursday night...following standing on his hind legs and pawing door with both front paws...

High Jumps

Mowgli's first toy was a cat dancer, the breeder sent it home with him. Since then, cat dancers have been a favorite of his...though they require replacements every so often...or when getting bored, modifications to make a "new" toy.