Galen T. Kitty, Soooooper Genius

[madbaker]

Chapter XXIV: In Which Our Hero Is Hit By A Mind-Altering Ray

At least, that's the only explanation I can readily come up with. Galen's normally pretty smart, being half Siamese. Sometimes he's frighteningly smart and only needs opposable thumbs for his plans to come to fruition.

I was awakened early this morning by frantic scratching. This is Galen’s normal M.O. for "I'm trapped, come rescue me!" It doesn't work as well as frantic meowing - which all my previous cats used.

But anyway, Galen had wandered behind the laundry hamper, then behind the mostly-glass, open bedroom door. And gotten himself trapped. He couldn't figure out how to back up behind the hamper. Help arrived in the form of mommy moving the door.

Then as I was getting into the shower, he found a spider in the bathroom, chased it, lost it. I tried to helpfully point it out and he kept staring at my finger.

On the one hand, I hope it wears off soon. On the other, if not - well, at least we won’t have to worry so much about him opening cabinets and drawers...

Comments

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Cats always look at the tip of your finger. I think they lack "object abstraction" or some other fancy term.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Harri is actually the only cat I've know who actually does look where you're pointing instead of at your finger. Never ceases to amaze me.

Of course, he also knows that when I call him with "Harri, spider!" he knows there's an evil creature with too many legs that he needs to vanquish for his mommy...and he knows I'll be pointing it out to him.

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

I'll have to try that. We're also trying to teach him "high five!"

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Well, he also knows "lie down" (which he does under protest, but he does it, and it's actually at mad useful thing), "get down," "get out" and "get back in the house," "crunchies" and "treat," and his name (if you say something that only sounds like "Harri" he won't turn his head...and if I call Patrick, Harri won't come).

Once, I was sitting on the floor doing something and he was pestering me. Finally, I said, "Harri...go and lie down on the bed" in the Commander-Mommy voice...and he backtalked me as only a Siamese can. I repeated my request...he backtalked again, and then he hopped up on the bed and flopped down.

I swear, this really happened...but then, you know what I mean. You've met Harri...

[goldenstag.livejournal.com]

I've sometimes watched our cats look at the finger, then vaguely in the direction being pointed to, but they almost always return to the finger. (Food? What? WHAT?)

[rustmon.livejournal.com]

god, I thought that said 'Scoooooooooooooooper Genius!'

it's a morning...

[falzalot.livejournal.com]

heh. Me too. I wondered if he'd started cleaning his own cat box. :->

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Well, that would be way cool. He is neurotic about the litterbox (must go investigate and mark after it's cleaned) but no, we have to do it.

I must say...

[strmonkey.livejournal.com]

That is amazing!! Tarik's cat gets lost/stuck in the hallway. Her "panic" meow is rather scary too. But her tricks include tail up, smell my finger, and ears up. Other than that her two brain cells will start to burn up and you don't know what she will do after that.

Re: I must say...

[scendan.livejournal.com]

Poor Meep. ;) She's the Rodney Dangerfield of kitties. Once, when she was very young, she got her head stuck in a plastic bag she got out of the garbage. I kept hearing this weird crinkling sound, and came out to investigate. There she was, crouched like a gargoyle on the arm of the sofa, head shoved into the bag so deeply her nostrils were causing it to adhere on every inhale.

Was she scraping at it? No. Was she fighting it? NO. She was crouching there, waiting to die of carbon dioxide poisoning.

I removed the bag, patted her, and pitied her.

Re: I must say...

[farmount.livejournal.com]

*laughter*

I met the second Meep I have ever met yesterday -- lovely grey and white male who had an interesting castration surgery since his testicles were in the abdomen rather than where they should be.

Apropos of nothing, perhaps, but cat stuff nonetheless.

[scendan.livejournal.com]

I consider Pippa pretty intelligent, but she has never figured out that a pointing finger means "LOOK OVER THERE" rather than, "HEY, LOOK AT MY FINGER!"