Guard Your Cash
We have a two-year-old Yorkie and a couple of older cats. Even though Jasper, the Yorkie, is the new comer to the family, and also the smaller of them all, he has some how gained the mastery over them. Yorkies are usually a big-hearted breed. They have a self-image that is much greater than their physical size. Jasper is an alpha male, and he has the attitude to back up his self-image. The cats have given in to this arrangement and submit to his authority. I think they view him as the male lion in the den.
There are certain things the cats do annoy my wife and me. I have one cat, Jezebel, which loves to pick at the legs on our piano bench. I have another cat, Toby that periodically tries to sample leftovers from the trashcan in the cabinets under the sink. We’ve put some small bungee cords on the knobs to hold them closed, but he still tries. You can hear the cabinet doors springing back as he tries to open them. Toby’s also gotten into the habit of going to the screen on the window adjacent to the front door and picking at it when he wants to come in. Another one that bugs me is that both cats will jump up on the counters in the kitchen and walk along the top space above the cabinets.
I get on to them when they do all these things. Usually, I will just yell at them, but I have been known to throw a couch pillow their way, and in some extreme cases, have gotten up from my chair. Well, Jasper has picked up on our disapproval of such cat behavior and has taken it upon himself to keep his harem in check. Now, as soon as he hears the sound of the cats picking at the screen, or sharpening their claws on the furniture, he’ll jump down from his perch and chase them down. When the cats jump up on the counters, he’s on it, barking his commands until they get down. It’s become quite convenient. If he’s snoozing, or not paying attention, and one them jumps up on the counters, all we have to say is “Tell Toby get down!” and then he snaps to it. He’s like our little cat herder.
Jasper has a lot of toys, some of which we don’t let him play with all the time. During these times we put them up on the counter in the kitchen. Well, one day I was in the bedroom, and he came wandering back there with one of those toys. I thought it was strange, but figured that one of the cats had knocked it off on to the floor – surely he hasn’t trained them to get his toys down – has he? A few days later, I was in the kitchen eating breakfast when I caught something odd out of the corner of my eye. There, up on the cabinet was our dog, walking around like he had good sense. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He hadn’t taught the cats to get his toys, but rather, they taught him how to get on the counter tops.
We thought it was funny. We thought it was cute. I sat and watched him one day so I could get how he was doing it on video. He was jumping up on to a chest by the door, and then jumping up from the chest to the counters. Well, we obviously had to move the toys to another counter, one that he couldn’t find a path to. Luckily, he could only walk on about three feet of counter top; the dish drainer had him cut off from the rest. So, we just cleared that area from anything interesting to him and after a while he got bored with it all – we thought. One day my wife came into the kitchen and noticed a couple of twenty-dollar bills shredded about the area. She had come in earlier from shopping that day and put her purse up on “his” part of the counter. Apparently, her style in purses sparked his interest and decided he would check it out. So, I guess he hopped up there, stuck his little snout in, and pulled out a mouthful of cash. Unfortunately, Jasper doesn’t understand the value of a dollar and started treating it like he does any other paper product he finds – with a vengeance. My wife talked to the bank and they said as long as we could find the part with the serial number in tact then they could replace the money. They also said that thousands go to the dogs the same way every year.
So watch your pets and whom they hang around with. You never know what skills they’re teaching each other or what they’re planning together. I’ve seen the cat toss, from unreal heights, a Ziploc bag full of cake to the dog, so he could rip it open. We caught them just in time to save most it. They can acquire skills you wouldn’t believe. They may appear cute at first, but be on your guard. They could be polishing those cute little moves for their next heist. It may be a small caper, like a napkin, a chicken bone, or a fuzzy sock. However, it could be for the major score; the raw steak waiting on the grill, or that really good tasting “green paper” lying down inside your purse.
John Currie
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