Working With Scout

When I work remotely, I typically sit at the desk in my home office where there are two screens and room to spread out all my stuff. I have been away from home a lot lately and there has been very little time in my home office or at home in general. Between work, family and friends, it has been busy here and I find myself coming home later every day.

Yesterday was a work from home day. Scout typically sits in the window in front of the desk or seeks the warmth of my laptop at least in the early hours of the day. Yesterday was different though. Instead of keeping to his habits, he wandered the house like a little lost soul, periodically coming to check on me and sit on my paperwork.

I finally took the hint and moved to my comfy chair. This is what he wanted because cuddled up next to me is his happy place. This chair-and-a-half has a nice big ottoman, arms wide enough to balance my paper stuff and room for the house panther to relax.

He immediately hopped up and made himself comfortable, making a point to keep two paws on me at all times. He fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly and occasionally sighing as though he had never rested so well.

All was right in his world.

In the grand scheme of things, it takes so little to make him happy. A nibble of fish, a catnip filled mousie and a place to rest next to his person is all he really needs.

We could probably learn a lesson or two from our pets. It’s the small things that make them happy and, most likely, all they really want is time with you. Beyond that, nothing else is worth the worry.

Happiness Is . . .

Happiness is a place of your own in the sunshine. At least, that’s Scout’s theory. I don’t know how much sunshine we will see today but I hope you will find a place of your own where you can be as happy as a house cat in a sunshiney spot.

Happy Saturday, friends!

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Scout And The Shark

I found a deal on a Shark Robotic vacuum and spent part of yesterday watching Scout stalk it through the house.

He seems to think I have been bewitched by this crazy monster that has invaded his home, bumping into things and crawling under all the furniture. He periodically comes to get me to make sure I know that it’s still around and terrorizing the dust bunnies.

He actually took it better than I expected but he literally got no rest yesterday, even keeping an eye on it while charging on its dock. My little house panther will adjust but, for right now, it has been great fun watching him stalk and explore this newcomer!

Back To The Vet

Scout went back to the vet yesterday. He’s fine. I evidently was paranoid and impatient and spend too much time obsessing over his potty habits.

Who knew I would ever have to write that line?

The vet was terrific though, working us in on a two hour notice. She did a thorough exam and was patient as I explained all the reasons why he’s had a stressful week and listed all the symptoms I have observed in the last few days.

When she announced that he’s perfectly healthy and doing great, he looked at me like he wondered what was wrong with me.

You dragged me here for this?

His eyes were absolute daggers. But the vet and I agreed that it was worth everyone’s time to confirm that he’s ok.

The worst part of this story is that after a week of me force feeding him medicine, putting very cold drops in his ears and dragging him to the vet twice, he still comes to me for comfort. In his misery, he either senses that it’s all because I care or simply has no one else to turn to and keeps coming back.

Either way, this little house panther is worth the stress and trouble. I just hope he still thinks I’m worth the trouble too!

A Trip To The Vet

Scout went to the vet this week. Neither of us were especially thrilled but it was necessary.

He’s mostly fine but we came home with drops for his ears, pills to crush up in his food and a probiotic to squirt in his mouth. To put it mildly, it’s going to be a long twelve days for us both.

Sigh.

It’s hard when our pets are sick because they can’t tell us what’s wrong. In fact, we don’t always know there’s a problem until their symptoms worsen. He did find ways to communicate his dissatisfaction at being stuffed in a carrier, forced to ride in a car and then carted into a strange place to be prodded by strangers.

Guys, he sang the song of his people the entire way and lost a whisker through this ordeal.

On the way home, I stopped by a neighborhood drive-thru for a milkshake. He had calmed down by then but you should have seen the look he gave me when I ordered that shake. People think animals don’t understand what’s going on but he gave me a look of disgust as though to say “you stopped for ice cream? Take me home!”

So we went home to the tuna I promised him. It was laced with medicine and I managed to get the other stuff in him too.

It wasn’t good but I guess it could have been worse. We are currently in an uncomfortable place where he sniffs his food carefully in case I tried to poison him with that nasty medicine. He also keeps a wide berth when we are near each other.

Oh, and in case you ever need to know, cats can indeed close their ears. Wish me luck with those ear drops.

In Plain Sight

Scout disappeared yesterday. I searched for him for several minutes, making a few passes through the living room.

Turns out, he was lying on the arm of the couch staring at me with confusion. “What’s your problem?” his eyes gently asked.

When I stopped to chat with him about his preference for hiding in plain sight, he yawned big as though to say he hadn’t the energy to trifle with my incompetencies.

That’s the thing about having a black pet in the home. They are and will always be the hide and go seek champs of the household. Don’t bother trying. You will not win but you’ll have a great time trying!

Adopt a black pet if you have a chance. Animal shelters are full of them as people, for reasons beyond my comprehension, don’t like them. They’re passed over time and again as people choose litter mates of other colors. Plus, they’re at risk of abuse and the evil acts of superstitious people who will hurt and torture them.

Scout found me in the street and adopted me on the spot. He clearly knew that I lacked a great hide and go seek partner and could benefit from his sweet kindnesses.

That was a lucky day!