Trygg, FfD. (Felidae felis domesticus)

Things have been relatively uneventful. Trygg is serious about getting his G.E.D. However, it’s more than that. This effort is spring boarding him to further his education in other areas.

The other day, Trygg was working hard on his vocabulary. (I think his having heard Gloria Borger use the word “prebuttal” motivated him.)

“How are you doing with your vocabulary list?”

“Veni vidi vici.”

(Veni, vidi, vici?)

“You’re studying Latin?”

“Felidae, felis, domesticus.” Trygg holds up, Latin Made Simple. “Of course, there is nothing simple about Latin, he explains.

“Then, why Latin?”

“It is the basis for the five romance languages. French, Spanish, Romanian, Italian, Portuguese.”

“Keep up the good work.”

I have an uneasy feeling about this. Trygg seems to be overly sensitive about missing an education. He told me he wanted to be the first kitten in his family to graduate from High School. 

He is good at Scrabble, and I remind him of that.

“It is not about becoming pedantic. It’s about becoming a more cultured and refined cat.”

At this point I realise I will have to do something in the way of positive feedback. Positive reinforcement. Just buying him a leather-bound notebook and a nice pen won’t do it.

I decide to buy him something nice. Something special. Something wrapped in paper and a ribbon.

When I arrive home, I give to Trygg. He looks at it with suspicion.

“Is something wrong?”

“Why did you buy this for me? Is this some sort of palliative? Something to ameliorate my negative feelings about my education?

“Positive reinforcement of negative behaviour is a disincentive to motivation.”

That quieted him down for a moment. He opened the gift. He smiled.

Trygg got up, put the CD of The Brandenburg Concertos into the slot of our laptop, and listened quietly to the music. Then he came over and gave me a hug.

“I’m sorry I was so abrasive.”

“I want what’s best for you, Trygg.”

Trygg put his books away and began folding the napkins. I go to start dinner. After dinner, Trygg begins playing with the wrapping paper and ribbons. No matter how far he is planning to go in life, he is still my Trygg.

Even the cat winks =^.~=

Regards,

Slim

Mail slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright © 2011 Robert Asken
All rights reserved.

Trygg's Secret Social Life

Yesterday was a quiet Sunday. (Once my wife and I reconciled ourselves to Trygg's schedule.)

I don't have a problem with Trygg getting up early. Okay, very early. My wife, however, is seldom amused.

None-the-less, as a gracious turn, my wife put on the coffee and let me go back to sleep for another hour. I went for the papers, Trygg made his own breakfast, and all was quiet.

Outside, Pood and Friend were lying alternately on the picnic table or in the grass. Buddy's two spent the day. The boy in the grass, the little one under the bush. Cali came by for breakfast, but left early.

Now, the Penguin was by very early. Or very late. It all depends on how you define 3:30. I still don't know if Trygg considers that 3:30 am or 3:30 pm. He would, however, have to wait. Trygg wasn't about, and I am not running a diner. I told Trygg to pass the word on to his friends.

Now, it is usually considered rude to abandon your guests, but as the patio looked like a Frat-house the morning after, everyone sleeping about, I guess Trygg disappearing wasn't the worst thing. He ate about 1:30 then left. (In the afternoon.) The problem was, he didn't come back for supper. Or later that evening. And my wife was very upset.

We decided to go to bed about 10 but my wife decided to stay up another half an hour. When my wife came to bed, still no Trygg.

I didn't say anything to my wife, but I saw that when Trygg left, he didn't take his wallet or his cell phone. Now, I know if he wants to call me, he can always borrow someone's phone, but what if everyone decided to chip in for something? In addition to his allowance, I usually make sure that he has a few extra dollars for emergencies.

Trygg didn't come home til about 6 this morning. My wife was happy to see him. He knew I was miffed. Neither of us discussed the matter.

I don't know what I'm going home to, but I do expect an explanation. We're having sausage and mash with peas. If he has any sense, he'll come clean.

The only thing my wife said was that he must have slept somewhere because usually when he's gone a long time, the first thing he does is jump onto the bed and go to sleep. This morning he ate and went back out.

There will be a discussion.

Even the cat winks =^.~=

Regards,

Slim


Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview

slimfairview@yahoo.com

Trygg Likes Miranda. How do I know?

Miranda has a cat. How do I know this? I am watching Sex and the City. Why? This is what happened.

I'm channel surfing. It is my night for the remote. Trygg walks by. He sees me pass Sex and the City. He asks me for the remote. We both know it's my night for the remote. However, he let me have one of his nights last week so I can hardly say, no. I give him the remote.

He clicks back to Sex and the City. He thought it was Sex and the Kitty. Still, that is not what really caught his attention. What really caught his attention was the fact that Miranda has a cat lying in her bed. Trygg is very big on the issue of cats in the media. Specially on television.
As Trygg put it:

"Did you ever see a sofa in a movie theatre?"

"No."

"That's why you never see cats in movie theatres."

We watch Sex and the City. Carrie walks her boyfriend's dog. Trygg gives me back the remote. I start to set up the coffee for the morning. Trygg sees me starting to turn out the lights and knows that bedtime is scant seconds away. He sits by the door to go out. Very nonchalant. He doesn't really expect this trick to work. It doesn't. Off we go, to bed. And to sleep. Me, straight away. Trygg, goes to lie on the back of the sofa. I don't really know what time he went to bed.

This morning, Trygg sees me watching football. Wolverhampton v. Everton. Trygg is still feeling guilty about what happened two weeks ago. I'm a Wolverhampton supporter. Trygg is an Arsenal supporter. My team is in the bottom three. Trygg's team is in the top three.

Bragging rights are one thing. Trygg was a bit mean spirited about it. What bothers him the most is that I decided to just man up and take it. That made Trygg feel worse. Then I felt guilty because I knew that it would. Detente.

This morning he comes in and sits beside me on the sofa. The Wolves--0, lose to Everton--3.

Trygg is rooting for the Wolves. I don't say a word. He looks up at me, and pokes me.

"What?"

"I'm rooting for the Wolves."

"Why?"

"The Wolves are in gold.

"And?"

"Well, after all, I am a "golden" Tabby." (Officially, he's an orange Tabby. Still, his words, not mine. And I do appreciate the sentiment.)

My Wolves lose. Trygg is sympathetic. I get up to get dressed to leave. By the time I leave Trygg is already gone. Even the cat winks =^.~=

Regards,

Slim


Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview

Trygg Shows His True Character

At 8:30 this morning I am sitting on the kitchen floor playing with Trygg. Sounds okay. Here's the rest of the story.

Last night we went to bed early. Trygg decides to sleep on the bed. (Not his.) He is on my wife's side. My wife doesn't want to move because she is afraid she will wake him up. Good idea, except that she forgot to tell Trygg.

1:30 am (Another time that comes twice a day.) Trygg wakes up. He wakes me up. He wants to go out. I let him out and go back to sleep.

What happens between 1:30 and 5:30 is vague. He was in and out. My wife and I took turns. The last thing I remember is my wife telling me to turn off the alarm when got back to bed at 5:30. I go to turn off the alarm. Trygg already switched it off.

My wife got up next. She started the coffee. She came back to report that Trygg wanted to be petted while he was eating. My wife points out that this is a relatively new problem. I think Trygg is starting to feel insecure about something. After all, this is about the time of year just before we first saw him skulking about. It would be a couple of months before he felt comfortable enough to come close enough for us to feed him.

He is out again. Then he comes back. I'm finishing my coffee and two English muffins. I put my things in the sink. I go to shave.

Trygg comes to watch me shave. I don't see him. My wife comes in to tell me he's been sitting there watching me. I follow him out. He leads me to the kitchen. He eats his dry food, he eats his canned food. I sit on the floor to pet him. He starts rolling around like he's having a deep rub massage.

I ask my wife to get Trygg's toy. This is when I remembered how Trygg revealed his true character.

After he started living with us I made him a toy. I sprinkled some catnip on a napkin, rolled it up, and tied it into a knot. Sometimes we play with it together. Sometimes he plays with it by himself. He seems to have a great imagination. He just never tells me what he imagines this toy to be. But I digress.

After Trygg and I played with the toy the first couple of times, he came to me and said,

"Do you know what I really like about you?"

"What?"

"This." He holds up the toy.

"It's nothing special, Trygg."

"It is to me. You see, anyone else would have just gone to the cheap store and bought a toy with no thought. Other people would have filled the place with a lot of fancy stuff. But not you. You took the time and trouble to make something special for me. You put thought into it. And you take the time to play with me. That means a lot to a cat. A lot."

I started to get misty. So much for the aloof cat thing. Trygg really opened up. He not only appreciates the toy, he actually opened up to share his feelings with me.

The bonding time this morning was special for both of us. I went off to shower and get dressed. Trygg started to lick himself clean. By the time I was ready to leave, he was already out with his friends. He'd put his toy away. I left for work. Even the cat winks =^.~=

Regards,

Slim

Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview