So I think the cat is trying to eat me.
Ashland has always been a little bitey. When petting her, you’d have to make sure to keep your hand closer to her head region, lest she whip around and bite you. Not a mean bite or anything. We think it’s some sort of reflex. Cricket, the other cat, has a weird reflex like that–when you pet a certain part on her back, she licks you. Much better than the biting thing.
But back to the eating-me-thing. When I’m sleeping, Ashland likes to come into my room and meow in my face until I wake up and pet her. I’ll either pet her for a few seconds before falling back asleep or ignore her entirely, depending on my annoyance level. A few nights ago, I ignored her and felt her bite my hand. “Be nice,” I groggily admonished. Suddenly she sprang forward and seriously bit my hand. Like, I have tooth marks. She was promptly removed from my room. The next night, I was awoken by her attacking my thumb. This bite was even worse than the first. Not the best way to wake up–a small furry creature trying to make off with your thumbs.
I would sleep with my door closed but my room turns into the frozen tundra when you close the door. I close it when I’m at work, and I swear I came home one day and saw my breath in there. So it looks like I’m going to either lose my fingers to my cat or to frostbite. I don’t know which route would be better. Probably the cat.
I asked Google what to do to stop Ashland from biting. Here were some suggestions (though I’m not sure how helpful they are):
–Ignore the cat after it bites. (But she’s biting me because I’m ignoring her.)
–Keep a pocket full of furry little mice or balls to provide a biting alternative. (I don’t really relish the idea of walking around with cat toys in my pockets all the time. It gets me one step closer to being that “crazy cat lady.”)
–Spray the cat with a water bottle or clap your hands loudly. Cats hate being surprised. (The spraying water thing doesn’t work on her. She runs from the bottle and you end up getting more on the floor than on her. I suppose I could try the clapping, but I don’t see that working either. She’d be more curious about the sound and come over to sniff my hands–the very thing I would be trying to get away from her.)
–Hiss at the cat when it bites you. (Looks like I’ll have to go with the hissing idea. If anything, it could be funny to see her reaction, and then I wouldn’t be as angry that she had just bitten me.)
I’ll let you know if it works. Assuming I still have fingers.
And all Daddy can do is laugh.
(And for the record everyone: Daddy has naught a tooth mark on his own hands… This "game" seems to only be played with Teri).
Let me know how it goes.
Batman does the same thing!
Where the hell have you been? Let's hang out this weekend! What are you up to?
so, how'd the hissing work out?
now that i have an actual plan of attack, ashland hasn't tried to bite me. of course. she's probably waiting for me to forget my masterplan.