Today is Swiffer Saturday and as a result a big day for Honey. The rest of the apartment got it's clean-up last night, but today it was the bedroom and under the bed, Honey's safety zone.
It was destined to be a mostly miserable day for my little creature. Before I even got up I heard Honey elsewhere in the apartment unsuccessfully horking up a storm; this has been her first hork session during my presence and as these things go I can expect a streak of it until she's successful.
With that over, our mornings began with the same routine. Food, petting and getting ready for the day. Then it was time to pull out the tool of terror. Honey saw me bring it into the room and she immediately became timid and then terrified when it invaded her space.
She took off to the living room with deep low cries that one usually only hears during trips to the vet. I moved around the apartment and finished the bedroom. At some point she bolted to a new hiding place, under my bathtub. It is one of those old tubs up on tub feet and she nestled into the corner. The place is nasty, with cobwebs, old tile and other stuff. I did not want her there, ever. The broom came out and she bolted back to the livingroom and to her cat bed.
This was not only acceptable to me, but desired. For a long time she stayed there as I move around the apartment, worked on the computer, and talked to her. Hypervigilant as always, Honey kept a close eye on me, but also seemed to act relatively safe. I managed to get the photo of her seen here; she has an extra white streak above her forehead from a trail of dust she picked up from under the tub.
While she was in her cat bed I made an I-am-god decision and moved her food out to the kitchen and put an under the bed storage bin back under the bed along with a mat. I say to Honey things are going to be different around here. It's time to start coping with the larger world of the apartment with me in it.
After a time she headed back under the bed and has been very distressed about the storage bin, but she has allowed me to comfort her and she's come out to eat from the food bowl I moved back near the bed. We've had a challenging day today.
2 comments:
Awww! Honey! I say it's all progress. Heck, I can't get Shiba to get within 5-feet of the cat bed I got for her. Not since she was a kitten. Nope. It's not a repository for all the cat toys she refuses to play with. Trust me. If you leave the food and water in the kitchen .. she will go to it. She'll wait until she thinks you aren't looking - or you leave for work - but she will. Shiba eats when I'm not home, or in the middle of the night. But, it's all good! *high fives*
My mom's cat sounds alot like Honey. How old is Honey? Have you talked to the vet about how scared she is? Maybe he can give her something that will help. And, by the way, I LOVE the old claw footed bathtubs!! Wish I had one.
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