Never before do I remember having a cat, or temporarily taking care of a cat, that stunk as bad as Simone does. Not Sasha, Not Shadow, not Shiny, and not the cat that belonged to a friend of Tom’s that we took in temporarily when we lived in Arizona so that it could lose weight. It was an older couple with several cats and this one was a fatty. The only time I remember it getting smelly was when they were in the process of taking a dump. But Simone smells a lot of the time; even after the box has been cleaned. We’ve been using that clumping litter and then the Cat Genie, which is supposed to seal the poop in an airtight container. 

The day I can figure out how to keep this cat calm for more than 20 minutes at a time will be the day I can figure out why the Prozac thought I was a kid (it’s usually only young people that it backfires on in the way it did with me) and why I have a part Bostonian accent even though I’m from western MA. Sometimes I wish we’d gotten a shy, quiet cat who preferred to be independent and left alone most of the time and wasn’t so damn vocal. Actually, it isn’t her energy I have a problem with. I don’t care if she wants to run up and down the place. It’s her getting underfoot and whining that gets to me at times. She does a better job of inconveniencing and distracting me than anything else, but we do have our fun, cuddly moments. 

Tom read some tips and pointers on over-meowing (not that she’s always meowing a lot) and they say that if it gets to be too much, the best way to condition them is to softly say, “Be quiet.” If that doesn’t work you want to clap loudly. If that still doesn’t hit home, then it’s time to break out the number one recommended weapon – the spray bottle. 

I got a kick out of it earlier when Tom told me that he hisses at her when she starts to bite his legs or feet and she stops instantly, LOL. Gotta try that myself next time. 

When he is really tired he does not like her in the bedroom at night, which means that if she gets too underfoot when I’m up late I can still remove her by putting her in the laundry room, but she will meow and meow like crazy at the door. On nights that he doesn’t mind her joining him, even though he knows he’s likely to be woken up a few times along the way by her, I can close the laundry room door and she will remain quiet. 

Life with Simone is both fun and crazy. Sometimes she’s cuddling with me and purring away and other times she’s driving me batty and I feel like I have a kid. Well, sometimes I miss being childless, as we all need a little alone time here and there. In fact, I’m taking some right now just so I can write this entry in peace. I am only able to do things when she’s sleeping, and this cat is too young to be sleeping all that much. 

I am now sitting in my new chair and have given him my old chair. It will take a little getting used to but I think I like it. I like how it’s lighter, quieter (the other one makes a popping sound and you swear it just broke), and it rocks back and forth. On the downside, the material is a bit rough, and because I am short my elbows hit the armrests. 

It was funny in the store when Tom had a scab on his leg that was bleeding a bit, and after I gave him a tissue to wipe it with I said, “I’m not taking that back.” This was when we were checking out the chairs. I looked at a nearby desk and I jokingly said, “Why don’t you put it in that drawer?” LOL