Here Comes the Kitty...

So, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a dog person. But my husband really likes cats. I've never owned a cat. Since we've moved into a new house we both felt it was time to cave to his desire and get him a furry critter of his own. We went to the animal shelter and picked out a very sweet black tortoise shell cat. We named her Bast. (If you want to know why, look up the name.) She's very friendly...a little too friendly. She quietly follows me around wherever I go, which is sweet, but when I sit down she's all over me. I am slowly training her to sit on her little part of the couch on and not on my lap, but she's driving me crazy. I can't have my computer on my lap because she'll walk all over me.

As I've never owned a cat I'm not sure how "trainable" they actually are, and I've heard mixed reviews. She obviously knows how to use the litter box, but I am pretty sure she's got a cold, as she's all sneezy and runny. Her eyes haven't started to run yet, but when they do I'll be taking her to the vet.

The cat gets along well with the dog, although they aren't friends yet. Hopefully they will be soon. She's still spending time in the spare bathroom while Phil and I are away to work and school. She seems okay with it. Maybe that's why she's a little extra friendly when we come home.

So here's a slight dilemma. I know cats are smart, but how do I train a cat that one piece of furniture is okay to climb on, as is one person, but everyone/thing else is off limits? Wouldn't that just confuse her, or just make it take longer to learn? She got the "stay on the blanket" thing fairly quickly, but who knows how long it's going to stick. Phil and I are having trouble with boundaries. He thinks it's acceptable to allow the cat to be on furniture, just not the counter tops or the kitchen table. I can't stand having cat hair all over me all the time and would prefer the cat to stay off all the furniture. So our compromise is/is going to be that the cat can climb on him on his chair, and onto a designated blanket on the couch, but not me, not the kitchen table, nor the counter tops. So far she hasn't tried the last two, but we haven't had a sit-down dinner there either since we got her yesterday.

One more thing for you cat owners out there...how do I make the little scratching box I got her appealing? As I said I'm pretty sure she has a cold, so she probably can't smell the cat nip on the box, but I don't want her scratching the hell out of the furniture. Plus, when I'm not home I'm not sure where her favorite spot is going to be. As you read, I just got a brand new bedroom set that I'm still all excited about. I don't want it ruined with claw marks. So far we've left her in the bathroom, but later we want to let her roam the house freely when we're not home. Does anyone have any ideas?

I'll be posting pictures soon, but right now I'm at work and don't have any...hehe. Later!!