Happy holidays, everyone! We are a day late on publishing my most recent story on account of the holiday season, so thank you for your patience. From all of us at Catster, we hope you had a wonderful long weekend with family, friends, and cats. 

Transitioning from commuting to working at home was a welcome change, and although it has disadvantages, I get to spend more time with Olga. Before I worked remotely full-time, it irritated me when a news story featured a visit to a corporate office that allowed employees to bring their dogs. It showed happy workers who paused to rub their pups’ bellies before getting back to work on their keyboards.

I’m not opposed to the practice, and I think it’s great for dog owners, but what about the employees with felines, birds, reptiles, or rodents? They have to watch their coworkers play with their pets while they wonder if their jobs would be better if their employer allowed all species to hang out in the office.

If they have practical minds, they’ll realize that dogs, even well-behaved ones, cannot coexist peacefully with every animal. Adding cats to the office would be problematic, and once there are parrots, guinea pigs, and iguanas roaming around the cubicles, the company’s productivity levels are likely to fall.

Disrupting Olga’s Routine

Since I work at home, I no longer think about how Olga would react to an office environment or how unfair it is for a hard-working employee to be forbidden from bringing their pet rat named Ben to the office. Like me, Olga’s life changed significantly when I changed my routine.

She spends most of the day sleeping nearby when I’m working, but when I went from working part-time to full-time at home, she saw an opportunity that didn’t exist before. Dinnertime used to be after 5:00 PM and sometimes was as late as 5:30 PM for Olga, but since I’m at home all day now, she starts begging for food around 3:00 PM.

The Begging Intensifies

Although I feed her before dawn every day, she sometimes begs me for food earlier than usual. It starts with a subtle stare when she’s sitting on the windowsill. I ignore her and concentrate on my work, but she grunts and looks excited if I make eye contact.

She doesn’t emit a meow (she saves that for later), but the grunt, which sounds like Err, shows she’ll eventually push it to the next level if I continue to ignore her. She’ll move to the floor next to my chair and remain in the same spot until I finish work and follow her into the kitchen. She stares at me constantly and only breaks her gaze when she needs to groom her claws or scratch an itch.

How I React to the Begging

It may be a cruel comparison in some respects, but like Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction, Olga “will not be ignored.” Avoiding her glance and returning her to the floor when she jumps in my lap or on my back is all I can do when she begs for food.

Closing the door doesn’t work since she’ll scratch up the carpet or ram the door with her 10.4-pound body. She can also open the door by standing on her hind legs, grabbing the latch, and pushing forward. Although I’m used to ignoring her pleas until dinnertime, sometimes, I give in and feed her early.

Working at home with a clever cat isn’t ideal for everyone, but I enjoy it, and although she is undoubtedly irritated when I disregard her pleas for early meals, she is probably happy her waiter is always nearby.

The post Working at Home With a Cat: Olga’s Pressure for an Early Dinner by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Due to their climbing and balancing skills, cats can explore several areas in their homes off-limits to canines. Dogs are undoubtedly irritated when they see their feline roommates casually strolling along on the countertops in the kitchen, but I’ve never allowed cats, dogs, or birds to access areas where I prepare food.

Unlike my previous cat, Olga hasn’t tried to leap on the counter, and luckily, she’s not as agile as a Siamese. However, she gets excited before mealtime, and when I’m opening a can of food or pouring kibble into a bowl, she stands on her hind legs with her front claws beneath the lip of the countertop and walks back and forth. She’s a quiet cat, but she belts out her cutest meows to encourage me to move faster with the food.

Playful Behavior

I haven’t trained Olga to stop scooting around with her claws on the counter’s edge because it cracks me up. She looks hilarious, and it’s one of the few times, except for car rides to the vet’s office, when I hear her voice.
After placing her food bowl on the floor, I always sanitize the counter. Since her claws only touch the bottom edge, they’re less likely to contaminate my food, but I don’t like taking chances regarding food safety.

Indoor Cats vs Outdoor Cats

Indoor cats like Olga don’t typically encounter decaying carcasses, fertilizer, pesticides, or feces from wild or stray animals in their homes. Some owners may think keeping their cats indoors makes them less likely to contaminate their kitchen when they jump on the counters.

Although that makes sense, indoor cats spend plenty of time in the litter box. After Olga digs around and covers up her waste, the last place I want her to jump is a clean counter I use to prepare food.

Safety Considerations

I have friends who allow their cats to eat and play on the countertop, but I think it’s a bad idea for several reasons. Besides the possibility of me getting sick from the litter box’s bacteria, I’m afraid Olga will get hurt if she jumps on the counter and lands on a chef’s knife or serrated bread knife. I don’t eat out often and usually make dinner at home, so I prep food on the counter every day.

Although I let her near the counter when I’m preparing her food, I keep her away when chopping vegetables, making dough, or working with ingredients like onions and garlic. Olga isn’t a picky eater, but since onions, garlic, and any species from the Allium family are toxic to felines, I keep her away from the kitchen when I’m prepping them.

Sometimes, the aromas from cooking are too much for her to ignore, and she runs into the kitchen and begs for a bite. It’s hard to resist the pleas of a primarily silent cat, but I say, “No!” and she walks away reluctantly. If your cat plays on the countertops, I suggest training them to explore other areas of your home.

The kitchen is dangerous, even for humans, and your gourmet meal will delight your family and friends even more when prepared in a sanitary environment.

The post Cats and Countertops: What Olga Gets Away With by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Russian Blues aren’t usually considered clingy cats, and during her adolescent years, Olga enjoyed her alone time more. However, even as a kitten, she didn’t like it when I left for work. I made the mistake of saying goodbye and rubbing her head, which would result in her latching onto my arm and biting me. I thought it was funny and endearing, but I ended the practice when I noticed several tiny holes in the sleeves of my winter jacket.

Now, I say goodbye from a distance, but sometimes, she chases me to the door and tries to hit me on the leg. Since I work from home now, Olga becomes more upset when I leave. In the morning, after eating breakfast, she wanders into the guest room (her room) and sleeps under the couch. After two hours, she comes into my office, meows, and jumps in my lap to take a nap.

She naps for a few minutes and then sleeps on the windowsill or chair near my desk. She likes being in the same room but doesn’t need to be constantly touching me like my previous cat. Leaving her alone for short periods isn’t a problem, but she gets stressed when she knows I’m preparing for a trip.

Preparing for Vacations

Besides the vacuum cleaner, the suitcase is one of the objects most despised by felines. In the past, when I pulled my suitcase out, Olga would run under the bed and hide. I’ve learned that keeping my suitcase in the living room for several days before my trip helps. As you can see from one of the photos, Olga kept her distance when she first saw the suitcase.

After I placed her favorite toys near the suitcase, she relaxed and eventually rubbed her head against it. She didn’t seem stressed when I packed the suitcase a few days before my trip, but she used to get upset when I packed it the night before I left.

Making Time for Olga

If I’m not paying enough attention to Olga, she has several ways of letting me know. She spends most of her day napping, but when she’s ready to play, Olga attacks inanimate objects (or me) if I ignore her. She will run to a window and grab the strings on the blinds or drag one of the paper balls from under the couch and hit it in my direction.

Several months ago, when I was reading a book and ignoring her, she hit me on the head with a paper ball. Usually, she’s not that precise when she dribbles the ball on the floor, but I guess it was a lucky shot. You can’t always stop what you’re doing and play with your cat, but I try to play with her daily, especially when she has a burst of energy.

It makes her happy and keeps my blinds and other belongings from getting destroyed. Although she’s not clingy like a Siamese cat, she’s become more affectionate and needy since I’ve spent more time at home. By setting aside time every day to play with her and being more strategic with my vacation preparations, Olga doesn’t get as stressed or attack me as often.

The post Caring for Clingy Cats: Olga’s Need for Attention (& What I Do About It) by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Although she can tolerate thunderstorms and bad music, Olga isn’t fond of the vacuum cleaner and is not alone. Most cats seem terrified of it. However, over the years, she’s become less fearful of vacuuming and doesn’t hide like she used to. She still cowers under the couch when my neighbors set off fireworks, but the vacuum cleaner isn’t as scary to her. Most cat owners are unlikely to convince their felines to enjoy vacuuming, and until someone invents a silent model, we can only help them tolerate the loud machine.

Olga’s Reaction to Vacuuming as a Young Cat

Olga is seven years old, and when I adopted her, she was still a kitten. It took several years before she could stay in the same room when I was vacuuming, and she used to run as soon as I switched it on. Sometimes, when I turned the vacuum cleaner off to move something, she would swipe at the cord dangling from the outlet.

I don’t think she realized that destroying the cord would damage the machine and prevent it from frightening her, but she hated it so much that she was merely taking out her aggression on the cord. When my Siamese cat tore up the cord, I had to repair my old vacuum with electrical tape.
Homes are full of loud appliances and machines, but the vacuum is particularly annoying to cats. Its motor is louder than most indoor machines, and the suction power is so strong that it blows the curtains around when it passes by.

How I Helped Olga Cope (and Ways You May Be Able to Help a Cat Who’s Scared of the Vacuum)

I discovered that turning the vacuum on in another room was better than starting it near Olga. It’s less threatening to her when the noisy machine isn’t near her when it’s running. I also followed my veterinarian’s advice and left the vacuum cleaner in the living room for a few days instead of storing it in the closet. However, it’s best to ensure the cord is wrapped up and secure, or your cat may try to damage it.
After realizing it wouldn’t come to life and tear around the house, Olga built enough courage to examine it. Now, when I vacuum, she sits on a chair or couch and watches it closely but does not run and hide.

Olga’s Other Fears and How I Try to Help

Olga dislikes the sound of ice cube trays being emptied and the sound of garbage bags when you open them up. I tried a technique I used to get her accustomed to nail trimming, and it seems to have helped. When she becomes anxious or gives me her “I’m annoyed” meow, I say, “It’s okay, Olga,” and if she doesn’t run away, I give her a treat.

Now, I say, “It’s okay,” when she starts to run as I pull out a garbage bag, and she stops. I no longer give her the tasty reward, but she’s less afraid of garbage bags and ice cubes and no longer hides. What you say to your cat to comfort them isn’t important, but using a higher-pitched, positive tone seems to help.

If you have a cat that is scared of the vacuum, or scared of other things, we recommend the following readings to help you and your kitty cope:

• Why Are Cats Scared of Vacuums? 5 Common Reasons
• How to Tell if a Cat Is Scared (4 Signs to Look For)
• How Do I Get My Scared Kitten to Trust Me? 10 Effective Tips

If you have any ways you have helped your cat cope with the vacuum, we’d love if you could share your tips and tricks in the Facebook comment section to help other cat owners and their feline friends.

The post Olga and the Vacuum: How I Helped Her Cope by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Hello. My name is Christopher Bays. I’m a writer and editor with a Russian Blue named Olga, and every week, I’ll provide a new account of my experiences with my favorite four-legged freak. In 2015, my Siamese cat passed away after 19 years, and I hesitated to get a new pet. After living in a quiet house for 6 months, I finally decided to look for another roommate.

My Life With Olga

I went to PetSmart to check out the adoption area set up for the Humane Society. It’s a small room with plexiglass walls, and when I visited, it had 10 cats, and most were kittens. All the cats, except one, were running around and play fighting. An older calico cat seemed to be the instigator, and he hit a gray kitten who wasn’t participating to convince her to join in the fun.
She responded by smacking him in the face and curling back into a ball to go to sleep. At that moment, I fell in love with the cranky Russian Blue kitten. After completing the adoption paperwork, I bought a new carrier, posed for pictures with my new pet (the Humane Society volunteers requested them), and headed home.

It was July, and a summer storm, complete with heavy rain and lightning, didn’t seem to phase Olga. Unlike my Siamese cat, she didn’t make a sound in the carrier on the way home. In fact, she didn’t meow for several days, but sometimes, she looked like she was trying to. She opened her mouth to cry, but no sound came out.

Initially, I was worried she couldn’t speak, but she didn’t stay silent for long. One day, when I tried to pick her up and carry her into the living room, she whined, curled into a ball, and bit my hand. She wasn’t a cuddly cat that started purring as soon as I touched her like my Siamese, and it took several weeks (or possibly longer) for her to get comfortable with being handled and picked up.

When Olga was a kitten, I believed some of the online articles I read about the aloof nature of Russian Blues, but as time passed, I formulated another opinion. Although she has few similarities to Fripp, my Siamese cat, she is incredibly affectionate and spends most of the day in the office with me while I’m working.

However, Olga needs her “alone time,” and every day after she eats breakfast, she wanders into the spare bedroom to meditate. After a few hours, she comes into my office and grunts, signaling she wants to be picked up. If I ignore her, she jumps in my lap or runs to the window by my desk to attack the blinds.

She doesn’t attack the blinds as often as she used to, but as a young cat, blind diving was one of her favorite pastimes. Most cats, especially before their senior years, get bursts of energy at odd times and run around the house like they’re possessed. When young Olga got possessed, she would charge the blinds of my French doors at full speed and leap into them.

The post Introducing the Catsters: Christopher & Olga, His Russian Blue Baby by Christopher Bays appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.