Last night, I ... I ...
I bought some air. In a can.
I KNOW. I am old enough to remember when bottled water first became popular, and I would laugh at the idea that people would PAY for WATER. What's next, buying AIR?
Yeah. Last night I bought some air.
I can explain!
You see, the kittens are being kept in the spare bedroom. I put a screen door on the frame so that I could check in on them, and I put a latch on the door so they could not get out. But it got so every time I came to the door, they would charge it, and when I OPENED the door, they'd all go flying out into the rest of the house, which is really not good since they are supposed to be in quarantine until all their leukemia tests come back negative.
So! I'd have three manic kittens tearing around the house, and I'd pick up one and plop it back in the room, then pick up ANOTHER and open the door to put IT back in the room and Kitten #1 would go flying out again, and ... yeah. A regular three-kitten circus.
I thought about squirting them with a water pistol when they charged the door, but the idea of cleaning up wet carpeting several times a day didn't really appeal to me. And I didn't want the kittens getting wet and possibly cold. And then I remember reading somewhere about somebody who used a can of compressed air - the stuff you use to clean computer keyboards - and spraying the kittens with air to discourage them.
So! After work I stopped and bought a can of air (sob), and went home, and went to the kitten room, and when they charged the door I gave 'em the old air. Psssssst! Psssssst!
Well. Samson and Delilah just stood there, stunned, for a second, and then flew under the bed. Dumplin, bless his heart, stood his ground, all, "aaahhhhh! A refreshing breeze!" So I psssst'd him again, and this time he scooted.
Success! But then I felt like an axe murderer, because when I went in the room, the kittens were all, "What WAS that? Why did you DO that to us? You SCARED us!"
So, I guess I'd have to call it a qualified victory. Yes, it gets them away from the door, but it also scares the shit out of them.
Plus? The air? Is, like, SEVEN BUCKS A CAN. For AIR.
Whoever thought of THAT is making a fortune.
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9 comments:
After you use the compressed air several times, they'll usually start to react to the sight of the can so that all you'll have to do is show it to them and they'll back off. The can of air next to my bed (for those middle of the night cat fights - mama likes her sleep) has lasted for at least three years now.
Also, they'll forgive you. Eventually. :)
Oh my gosh, Robyn, I am so glad to know that I'm not scarring them for life or anything. I felt AWFUL when I went in that room last night and they were SCARED of me. I mean, they got over it right away, but still ...
Now. Here's a question for ya: The two older cats have tested negative for leukemia. The younger one has not yet been tested. Isn't rather ... odd ... that the rescue group would put negatives in with an untested? I don't want to piss anybody off by asking, but man, I sure am wondering.
That is a good idea! Expensive but a good idea!
Birdie, as I found out last night, after the first couple of times of spraying them with the can, now I just have to make the "psssst! pssst!" sound, and they back off.
I feel kind of stupid going "pssst! pssst!", but hey, whatever works.
Yeah, it's really odd that they'd put an untested kitten in with two who've been tested. Unless the other two have already had their vaccinations? Even then, it's a risk I wouldn't want to take!
Robyn, the other two have been tested but as far as I know they have not been vaccinated. I talked to the foster coordinator today and she said she would call the vet to have the little one tested, but it still seems dicey that they'd put them together. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Hahahaha! I know, I feel the same way. Did they card you? I always get carded when I buy compressed air - because teenagers use it to... um, I don't really know what they do with it but apparently they're not using it to clean out their keyboards. Ugh!
I love Dumplin. Very much.
Laylabean, no, I didn't get carded, but that would have been funny! Oh, and they huff it to get high. (I only know this because many years ago, I caught my paperboy huffing spray paint in my backyard.) (!)
And Becs, I love Dumplin too. As soon as I go into the kitten room, he climbs up on my lap and starts purring and purring. He's a teeny sweetie.
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