"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...