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Did someone call tech support? ;)
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In the winter Thumper sleeps behind mommy's computer, where the fan blows warm air.
 
Adventures with Thumper...

So, our bed has a headboard with a shelf, reading lights and a couple of small cabinets for putting stuff like the TV clicker, glasses. The mattress is on a platform with drawers under, sort of a captain's bed. There's an open space between the sets of drawers and under the headboard. It's Thumpers secret nest to hide in case of "stranger danger." (When the doorbell at the gate rings she runs for her BOL and hides till the all clear.)

Sometimes I sleep on my side with one hand under the pillow and my fingers at the head of the bed. Usually the mattress is snug against the headboard, but I guess it slid out about an inch or so. This morning when the "Thumper alarm" went off and I didn't want to get up at 4:30 to stir her food, I heard her messing around under us, in her nest. Then YEEOWWW!!!

She grabbed my fingers with her claws! She let go when I screamed, luckily she didn't actually scratch me. But now we have a new game, or at least she does. I'm not sure how enthused I am about it though. LOL
 
Adventures with Thumper...

So, our bed has a headboard with a shelf, reading lights and a couple of small cabinets for putting stuff like the TV clicker, glasses. The mattress is on a platform with drawers under, sort of a captain's bed. There's an open space between the sets of drawers and under the headboard. It's Thumpers secret nest to hide in case of "stranger danger." (When the doorbell at the gate rings she runs for her BOL and hides till the all clear.)

Sometimes I sleep on my side with one hand under the pillow and my fingers at the head of the bed. Usually the mattress is snug against the headboard, but I guess it slid out about an inch or so. This morning when the "Thumper alarm" went off and I didn't want to get up at 4:30 to stir her food, I heard her messing around under us, in her nest. Then YEEOWWW!!!

She grabbed my fingers with her claws! She let go when I screamed, luckily she didn't actually scratch me. But now we have a new game, or at least she does. I'm not sure how enthused I am about it though. LOL
We have the "Tiger" alarm!! Tiger goes after the dog's tail, a cat and dog wrestling match then takes place, humans are awake, Pearl gets up and feeds animals! If it's like 3am they just get treats (you know, to reinforce the bad behavior) and Bear and I go outside so he can pee! No animals get breakfast before 5 am, I aim at 5:30!
 
We have the "Tiger" alarm!! Tiger goes after the dog's tail, a cat and dog wrestling match then takes place, humans are awake, Pearl gets up and feeds animals! If it's like 3am they just get treats (you know, to reinforce the bad behavior) and Bear and I go outside so he can pee! No animals get breakfast before 5 am, I aim at 5:30!
Yeah, I created a monster with the catnip treats in the bedroom. Now at 9 pm she is sitting on the bed waiting. Which reminds me I need to hit our dealer, I mean the Dollar store, I'm terrified of what happens if we run out. ;)
 
Yeah, I created a monster with the catnip treats in the bedroom. Now at 9 pm she is sitting on the bed waiting. Which reminds me I need to hit our dealer, I mean the Dollar store, I'm terrified of what happens if we run out. ;)


Plant some, then you'll have fresh available at all times. Beware of 2 things......1. it is of the mint family and can grow & spread like crazy but it is easier to control than mint. and 2. You may have every cat within a mile radius show up looking for their share. :)
 
Plant some, then you'll have fresh available at all times. Beware of 2 things......1. it is of the mint family and can grow & spread like crazy but it is easier to control than mint. and 2. You may have every cat within a mile radius show up looking for their share. :)
It's also a mosquito repellent, keeps ants and spiders away too!! I was reading recently that deer don't like it!! I'm seriously considering planting some!! It's good for dogs too!! Relieves anxiety during thunderstorms!!
 
It's also a mosquito repellent, keeps ants and spiders away too!! I was reading recently that deer don't like it!! I'm seriously considering planting some!! It's good for dogs too!! Relieves anxiety during thunderstorms!!


We had moved some fencing awhile back that opened up the yard for a future project and a few weeks ago I see the cat out there and she'd lean forward putting her nose into this plant and the plant shaking and she did this several times. I thought maybe she had a mouse or bird caught but when I got out there, she was just burying her face into a bush of catnip and shaking it around, then pop back up for a bit before burying in again.

I just shook my head. Cat you are soooo weird
 
OMG - Never a dull moment at Thumper's House.

So last night about 9pm we were going to bed. I opened the window and scared the crap out of a coyote on our back patio, about 5 feet from the window. It knocked over a chair and "screamed" (like a dog when you step on it's paw) then two others just outside the back wall chimed in. It's a little unnerving to hear them so close.

For those who don't know, we live on the edge of kind of a mesa, with a very steep (60 deg) slope behind our house, about 250 ft above houses on the flats below. The HOA landscapers use ropes when they clear brush, it's that steep. There is kind of a coyote run along the top of the bluff on the 5-10 ft outside our back wall, which is waist high wrought iron, so nobody walks off the cliff, but doesn't impact our view. And there's a game reserve right behind our tract, so we get critters cruising through, looking for tasty pets. Also, we had our rear landscape lighting off to repair it today, so it was darker than usual.

At first I thought it was a burglar, all I saw was a blurr as the coyote took off and the chair fell. I thought, "I screwed up this time," being backlit in the window without a means of defense. Then it howled and realizing it was a yote I let out with my viking, "Wookie yell." My wife was standing beside me at that point. I have refined it over the years yelling at bears in the mountains. The yotes must have nearly jumped off the "cliff," they were howling at the bottom in about 3 seconds.

Meanwhile, I looked to see where Thumper was, she had been laying on the bed waiting for her night-night treat. LOL - She was all puffed up, with her back arched, ready to back us up if the big bad yote had attacked! She saw mommy and daddy blocking the window. So I puffed up my chest and arms and let out another "growl" as the alpha male of the "cat pack." Mostly to impress Thumper, so she knows her kitty parents will protect her.

She jumped down by the opening to her "nest"under the bed, then stood looking over the bed watching for threats. I've never seen her so freaked out. It took her a good ten minutes to calm down. A couple of treats got her calmed. She was sniffing the air. I guess she could smell them.

I went to bed, while my wife finished playing on her computer. We could still hear the coyotes in the distance. I must have scared the heck out of them. LOL Usually Thumper sleeps on my side, away from the window (warmer). Last night she sat in the window for about a half hour, then laid down between me and the window. When mommy came to bed, Thumper moved over to between mommy and the window - she was protecting us.

Nobody messes with the "Kitty Gang!"

We had a similar incident last spring. And just a couple weeks ago we had the yote in front. I'm wondering if the yotes are smelling Thumper's scent and coming around to hunt.
 
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