Herding Cats

After talking to a kitty behaviour specialist, I'm working on training Chet, my bellicose boy cat, to respond to me rather than always expect to be responded to. He's a bit of a bitey boy, even though he loves people and enjoys cuddling. The cat lady thinks he's trying to be the top cat in the household, so she's got me clicker/treat training him to come to me when he's called.

So far we've had mixed results. Chet has always known his name; he'll look up if we mention him in casual conversation. He only responds to "Here, Chet!" about half the time, though. The other half of the time he just stares at me like, "You think I'm moving, you're crazy, lady."

However, our other cat, who doesn't really know her name, has quickly learned that "Here, Chet!" means "Mommy's giving out treats!" So she now comes when I call for him, even though I never give her a treat unless he's actually come and has eaten his treat first. (I want him to respond to me, not to the other cat getting a treat.) My husband laughed at me last night when I was calling, "Here, Chet! Here, Chet!" in vain, while Abby ran enthusiastically over to me and waited for her treat.

Darn cats.

My Little Piece of Obamarama

The hubby went to a convenience store trade show for work, and brought me home some Jones "Orange You Glad for Change" Cola. Jones is funny. I'm pretty sure they're the company that produced the "Pink" soda I bought a few years back. The stuff actually tasted like pink!

Poor Canada, we're suffering from major Obama Envy right now. We had an interesting Prime Minister when I first moved up here. Jean Chrétien was a former boxer who, upon discovering a guy lurking in the PM's residence late one night, took him out with a statue to the head. Chrétien's record was mixed... he kept Canada out of Iraq, but he also presided over some major scandals and financial boondoggles. Still, I wonder if Canadians are missing Chrétien a bit. Our current PM, Stephen Harper, is a wolf in sheep's clothing, combining cutthroat politics with an exceedingly bland personal image.

So many Canadians are looking over at the USA, wishing we had an alternative with more colour and more compassion. Unfortunately, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has a personality that's about as compelling as that copy of The New Yorker sitting in a California dentist's office. Though I'd certainly prefer his politics, boy I'd love to have an Obama instead. Guess I'll have to settle for my Jones Cola.