Wednesday Survival Guide

Feeding

She eats two meals per day, 12 hours apart. I typically feed her at 8:30, but this could be done anywhere between 7-10. Each meal consists of 1 heaping spoonful of dry food and 1/3 can (1 heaping spoonful) of wet food. Open cans need to be stored in the fridge. If the food is cold, I like to mix a spoonful of hot water in with it to warm it up a little when serving, but this is entirely optional.

Treats

I've provided some wet treats for her in case you need to coax her out of a troublesome situation, or as a reward for getting through something uncomfortable or scary (ex: having to give her a bath or convincing her to come back inside if she gets out). Please don't feed her the whole tube in one go if you can help it, try to only give her 1/3 of it at a time. Once opened, it should be refrigerated.

Playtime

I've provided a small selection of her favourite toys. She will generally only pay much attention to the ball when she's having zoomies. Please don't leave the dangly toys (rainbow or worm) out when you're not actively playing with her or she will destroy and/or get bored of them. When she's in the right mood, she enjoys playing hide and seek/tag, but I'm not sure if she'll try to do that while she's with you.

Please don't use your hands to play with her, or she'll get in the habit of being aggressive towards hands. Always use a toy.

I've included a catnip toy for her, but please only use this once or twice, otherwise she'll build up a tolerance to the catnip.

Miscellaneous

She loves to catch and chew dangly things, or anything that resembles a string, really. Zippers, shoelaces, yarn, cables, etc., she'll go for them all. I've had her try to climb up my leg a couple of times to get at the drawstring on my sweatpants or sweater. When she does this I try to put them out of her reach or distract her with an appropriate toy. I've provided some protective tubing that you can cut to size and wrap around any cables she seems to be going after.

She enjoys and will ask for chin and belly rubs, but only if she's in the right mood. She often uses the same body language (rolling on her back and meowing) to beg for things, whether it's pets, food or playtime, so the best way to determine safety is to check her tail. If her tail isn't moving and she's in snuggle mode, it's probably fine. If her tail is moving, I generally avoid her belly. She's pretty gentle and will usually try to push your hands away if she's not enjoying contact before she goes for claws or teeth.

Cats will sometimes mouth (gently bite) people out of affection (if this is the case it will generally be followed by a quick lick), but I still try not to allow it. If she ever uses her mouth to interact with you, simply remove yourself from her space and wait a few seconds before trying a toy instead.

Your favourite things are her favourite things, especially when she wants attention. If she tries to sit on your keyboard, just put her on your lap or gently push her away.