Be Careful What You Teach Your Cat

Don't make the same mistake I did.

I taught my daughter's cat, Oreo, a new trick two weeks ago. As I've mentioned before, Oreo loves to play with his plastic fishing pole, the one with feathers at the end of the plastic string. He'll race around and around in circles chasing after that thing as you swing it around just above the carpet. He'll chase it until he falls over, if you let him.

He adores that fishing pole. I step from my bedroom door while it's still dark in the morning and here comes Oreo meowing with those silly feathers in his mouth, wanting to play. Throughout the day he stares at you, not blinking, until you get up and swing that fishing pole around for him. It's eerie. He is eerie.

Well, I thought it would be cute to teach Oreo to nibble on my toes whenever he wanted me to get up from a chair and play Fishing Pole Tag with him.

Never teach a cat a 'cute trick.'

Now, whenever Oreo sees my still, sock-clad foot, he sneaks up on me and starts chewing on my toes.

At first it was cute. Even hilarious, according to Tom.

But now? Sigh. I can't even have an uninterrupted morning quiet time. Now I must always pay attention as to where my feet are located while sitting in my chair. I must tuck my feet beneath my robe and sit on them or the darn cat will nibble on my toes and I will be forced to get up and play Fishing Pole Tag yet again.

It took consistency to teach Oreo a new trick. And now that he has learned it, I'm obligated to follow through out of my sense of integrity. After all, I did teach him this new trick. I did reward him over and over for toe-nibbling.

This all reminds me of what good ol' Doctor Phil constantly drawls:

"We teach people how to treat us."

Boy, is that true.

Be careful what you teach not only your cat, but your kids. Your spouse. Your in-laws. Your friends.

Teach them that you are a people-pleasing, never-say-no person and they just may never forget it.






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