[ Loiosh, an orange tabby, is standing on a purple shelf. He’s staring at the camera, expression urgent, eyes VERY wide. ]
The mistake wasn’t the milk-flavored, safe-for-cats treats.
The mistake wasn’t even admitting said treats were upstairs & thus accessible.
The mistake was teaching Loiosh that if he jumped up onto the shelf that held the cat food & meds & stuff, he’d get some treats.
… I know. I know.
[ He’s standing on the same shelf, but this time he’s made himself very long so that he can peek up onto the shelf above the one he’s on. ]
I did try explaining to him that I meant ‘when I’m awake’. I tried moving everything on that shelf up one, & putting a cat bed on the bottom shelf where the food used to be (he’s fond of that part). That’s the one he’s standing on in these pictures. The treats are on the shelf above that one. The one he’s eyeing so closely. I could almost see the physics calculations going on.
My boy is determined, though, & he knows what will get my attention, which results in cans of cat food on the ground. Precipitously. They make a VIGOROUS thunk when they hit. Also he stares at me, pointedly, after each THUNK.
He also tried some less-corporeal methods of attaining treats.
[ He’s sitting on a set of black shelves right next to the purple shelves. He’s staring, focused, from about an inch away, right at the purple side of the shelves. ]
That is, of course, the shelves the treats were on. Not sure if he was trying to phase his way through the board, or beckon the treats to himself with the Force, or what, but he was VERY DETERMINED about it. For about an hour straight, idk, what even is this child.
Anyway I eventually hit upon a solution. Or, possibly, gave up. It’s hard to say which is this, really.
[ The purple shelves, seen from the front. The bottom shelf holds a cat bed and a pair of shorts. The shelf above it has two pillows wedged into the space, completely and thoroughly blocking it off. ]
Probably it’s giving up, but at least when I give up, I give up comprehensively.
