I had my afternoon visit with Zip; the wind was blowing, and the temperature was dropping. We were happy to see one another and sat together to look out at the world in wonder. Zip’s favorite spot is on my shoulder or right under my neck.
I’m training him not to dig his claws into me when he is happy; I do this by flicking his nose or hitting him with my Iphone. So far, it’s working well. I see that cats can be trained; it’s just not as easy as it is with some dogs.
When I sit in the chair, Zip hops up, sticks his head under my jaw, and his body on my shoulder or cherries.
He is very soft, and purrs once scratched and talked to. I think Zip is an ADD cat. He is on my shoulder, his attention span is about 15 minutes, and then he hops off to investigate something. But he can be very loving.
Sometimes he comes back, sometimes at night. I am grateful for him. Then Maria and I went walking together around the farm.
Zip likes to get close sometimes and rest his head on my chin. It made me uncomfortable at first, but not anymore. I love the sound of his purring. Maria took the photos of me and Zip.
I was sitting with Zip and Maria when the sun came out and lit up the farm and sky. The Hydrangea bushes are beautiful way beyond their time.
I love landscapes and finally have a camera with a wide enough lens to capture them.
I rarely catch this perspective, our Pole Barn and barn looming over the hillside. It is beautiful and often sends shivers up and down my spine.
Zip and the hens have worked things out. They wander all over the backyard again, and he leaves them alone. Turns out he doesn’t like mealworms.
Socks likes to follow us on our walks around the farm. So do Zinnia and Fate. Sometimes, they find themselves together,r and everyone is calm and at ease. The Peaceable Kingdom comes to life. Fate pretends she is doing something useful; Zinnia loves running around and jumping in the water.
I’ll be signing off now, time for me to make my seafood dinner of lobster tails, salad, and crab claws.
Then, some reading and maybe watching a mystery with Maria. I’m exploring two new ones from Brit Box, Doctor Clark and Hope Street. Both seem serious and comparataively light. Doctor Drake is from Australia.
If you are able to train Zip to not knead you with his claws……..I’ll be impressed! Have never been able (myself) to train a cat away from that behavior. I will follow Zip’s (and your) journey on that!
Susan M
These landscapes always make my day. Wow .
I agree.
Kneading is a behavior that indicates that they are happy and content. (Associating this with kneading on their mother’s breast when nursing.) I know it is not pleasant to feel his claws, but he isn’t doing it to hurt you, quite the opposite! Please don’t use punishment like hitting him with your phone to “correct” this. It will only serve to make him afraid of you if you do this often enough. You guys have such a good relationship with Zip right now.
I had the same connection with a cat not long ago, his name was Skater, My Son loved Skating at the time. Anyway, Skater would lay on my chest under my chin, and it was a wonderful feeling. Unfortunately he became real sick one day and died the next morning. We think he must of ate something like food poisoning. Treasure Zip while you can.