Friday, January 24, 2020

The Brains of the Family

My senior cat, Josie, is a most intelligent feline. When she is about to be ill, my Chubs, unlike most of her race, who seem to hurry toward the nearest rug-covered or carpeted floor (or failing that, clothes, bed-linen or drapes) in order to vomit or regurgitate, will hasten instead toward the bathroom or storeroom. There, the floor is bare, and easier to clean afterward. She learned this, no doubt, from continually being placed in the bathroom immediately before or after upchucking.

But the Great White shows she is smart in another way. When I come home to the Cosy Apartment, I often bring groceries or other bulky items (such as bags of cat-litter or food). When I open the front door, I sometimes keep it open while I bring in the loot. This is, of course, not to be done with many cats - certainly not ones whose personality and habits I don’t know. I will do it with mine because I know none is a ‘door-dasher’ and because, as an apartment, I have an ‘airlock’ - my front door lets out into a corridor, and not the outside.

That notwithstanding, Josie has developed a curiosity for the great outdoors, which to her is the corridor beyond the front door. I cannot guard against that interest and bring in supplies simultaneously. So I have been putting Josie into the boot-closet just inside the hall, and closing the front door on her, since the closet itself is doorless. Now, she understands what she must do when I come home (and I’m sure she understands why, too.) When I tell her to ‘come on’, she knows to go into her little jail for a minute, out of the way, out of harm, while I bring in what needs to be  brought in. I no longer must shepherd her in myself; she does it on her own.

My senior cat, Josie, is a most intelligent feline.





14 comments:

  1. Cats are often too smart for our own good. :)

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  2. :) good job Josie !!

    sauce used to be able to "shut the door". when I would come inside and pick him up, I could leave the door ajar a bit and say: "shut the door" and he would reach out and...shut the door

    tuna and mackerull and dude on the other ...paw.... could care less what I say, dash OUT the door, { access to the garage } then fuss so loud you can hear them in the next county if said door isn't open "wide enough" for them to get back through and inside ~~~~~~~~~~~

    ☺☺♥♥

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    1. That Sauce was a smart fellow. I should teach Josie that trick.

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  3. That is sweet and so intelligent of her. Made my afternoon to read it. :-)

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  4. Aww clever girl. Often when I get home Miss Pops has heard me come down the stairs, and has positioned herself with her face right up against the door calling out to me. Maybe it is not a run away thing with Josie, but just a wanting to greet you thing.

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  5. Josie is certainly one intelligent cat. Do you think she could train my Joey? I think he has a crush on my neighbor's cat. As soon as I open the front door, Joey makes a "jail break" and goes right down the hall and stands in front of my neighbor's door.

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  6. I wish my cats were that smart. They always yack on the rug or my slippers.

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  7. What a smarty and a quick learner! Josie could almost be human, couldn't she? She needs to teach those boys a thing or two!

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  8. Josie is very smart. Cats can learn things very quickly...when it suits them!

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  9. Josie IS very clever! Nicki was smart enough, I'm sure, but quite unwilling to do anything like that. I often would confine him to the basement while hauling a huge load into the house, or in good weather, put him out back in the garden. He never would have voluntarily confined himself. LOL. So Josie definitely is to be congratulated for being both clever and agreeable and willing!

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  10. Cute paw sticking out there waiting for you to finish your job packing in the supplies. Precious is just the opposite. She runs for the
    bedroom at the sound of the inner garage door opening. However she
    does like a peek into the cold dark garage when I give her a moment.

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  11. Not quite smart enough to figure out she could open the door by pushing on it...but she's a very good cat!

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  12. Who trained whom in this scenario, hmm?

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