Who has thumbs and is not a butler?
Me. No matter what the cat says.
While our critters all have their mischief, the cat is absolutely the one with the most conspiracies. In today's episode of cat shenanigans: I think my cat is trying to boss me around and give me busy work.
Am I into this? No. Will I cooperate? Also no. It's my house. No matter what she says.
Last year I found these FluentPet buttons. You can record words on them that will play back when they're pushed. I think the concept came from using buttons to communicate with nonverbal people and someone wondered if dogs could be taught to do some version of it. There's a whole thing with a Goldendoodle of all things that can talk with all these recorded buttons (I would have expected a Border Collie, but maybe I'm biased). I'm pretty sure some of my family thinks I'm crazy for getting these, but I was curious.
The concept seemed interesting and fun, and I thought it could be useful for some clients if it worked. It’s for science. Some dogs are really mentally high maintenance. I'll admit this could be part of a pattern where I sort of justify things I find interesting that I normally wouldn't do in the name of professional development. Anyway, I thought this would be kind of fun to try with my dogs. Some of you have met Nellie the Border Collie, and Wanda the Border Collie/Heeler mix. Wanda has a very expressive, intense face. She has an intense personality too. She is pretty much going Mach 10 or vibrating in her attempt to hold it in most of the time.
Wanda looks like she has something really important to say a lot of the time, but her signals all are subtle and all look the same. "My bladder is about to explode on your floor" looks the same as "We haven't snuggled in the last 5 minutes" and "I'm hungry and it's time to eat." I really would love to know what she's saying, especially when it concerns her bladder, and that made the buttons seem really intriguing.
Now, I did not have lofty expectations of having their next featured fido or anything. My dogs are quite photogenic if I don't say so myself, but I'm certain I don't spend enough time doing this for that. The results have been almost an ironic twist of fate.
For a long time, Wanda WOULD NOT use the buttons. I don't know why. Just recently after over a year of working on this, she started to look at and sometimes jump on the buttons. I can sort of draw her onto the right ones sometimes. This is a big deal. Nellie does a pretty good job when prompted, although she kind of rips and tears at them with enthusiasm most of the time. I'm not sure how to quell that. Do you know who is quite skilled with them? The cat.
Bessie will frequently just saunter in the general area, sit down on a button that is too perfect to be accidental, and oscillate between staring at you judgmentally and cleaning herself. Sometimes she hits more buttons as she cleans and stretches herself over them--it seems intentionally, who knows? She's pretty nonchalant about everything but the judgement. It reminds me of the swoony Victorian socialite on the clawfoot couch casually ringing her bell for grapes.
Except I’m not a butler, I help pay the mortgage.
Recently I introduced a few new buttons, in part hoping to pique Wanda's interest. I know you're supposed to start with just a few and not overwhelm them, but I was desperate and she's finicky. She totally could be the like the kid that will not speak until she can spit out full sentences or walk until she can run. I think maybe they did help our progress.
One of the new buttons was "Water." This in part was for the cat, who will often dump over the water dish if it's not full enough to take her weight on the side. Or if she feels like it, I'm pretty sure. I introduced the button to her once. I didn't even do it correctly. I have done all the things wrong according to the website with training the cat because I still have doubts that enabling her to put words to her judgmental stares is a good idea.
Actually, that's the closest and only thing I have done that could be construed as trying to train her. The only reason this cat even has her own button is so Nellie can tattle on her without being so shrill. My only goal relative to this cat was buttons for "cat-bad" to be used by the dogs. Well, dog. Let's be honest: she and Wanda groom each other, there's a possibility of collusion.
The very next day she used the "Water" button. Correctly. So I filled the dish. "This is good," I thought.
Later after the 4th time letting her back in the house after she asked to be let outside, I told her she was done. I'm not her butler. So she hit the "Hungry" button. No dice, ma’am. It's 3pm. That never works. Also, I never taught her that button in any way, shape, or form? So she started hitting the "Water" button several times. Then she tried a few more.
I'm pretty sure this cat just wants to order me around. She was trying to give me busy work. I've watched the cat call the dog to her with the buttons, it’s possible.
Typical. In an effort to speak with and understand the dogs, I unintentionally empower the cat to make another play at ruling the house without paying the mortgage.
Tails From the Front Porch
Over at Bar-D-Bar Wordsmithing, I’ve written on unity over the last month or so. Unity between believers is a huge underlying theme of the New Testament. Even though it’s something I think we all want deep down, it’s a real ongoing challenge to actually accomplish. Most of the worthwhile things God asks us to do are, though. Check out the links for some thoughts on unity.
That is hilarious!! :)