Thanks to D and iMeri for this one!

I am a geek. A hardcore Geek.

The principal is simple: My cat gets a little EM jigger (The scientific term) for her collar. The cat flap opens for her and not for any other cat.

There’s another cat that jumps down into the yard, and I don’t want him getting into the house and spraying the place; nor do I want him eating my cat’s food.

Short of staying home, with broom at-the-ready, this was the next best thing!

I am a proud parent… Wel, cat-owner.

My kittycat, Kiara, inherited from a former housemate “P”, has always been somewhat recalcitrant regarding the use of the indoor toilet facilities, preferring on all counts to relieve herself against a wall.

This led to some unpleasantness in the past, as you can potentially imagine.

Since I’ve moved, the theory ran that this would continue unless drastic action was taken.

With the help of iMeri, a plan was concocted, which was this:

Ingredients

- Ten parts clay-based litter

- One part dirt

- One wet area that can be closed-off totally (bathroom for preference)

- One Weekend newspaper

- One Recalcitrant un-housetrained cat in a cat box

- Two rubber(ish) door wedges of any colour

Instructions

1. Add both ingredients and mix well in one litter tray.

2. Lay down plenty of newspaper in the room-of-choice.

3. Put cat food and water at the furthest point from the litter as possible with regard to the architectural layout.

4. Make sure the wedges are on-hand and enter room carrying cat box (inside which is said cat).

5. Place cat box down and wedge door shut.

6. Open Cat box and let cat out.

7. Give her a pat, let her know everything is okay and exit stage-left (wedging the door behind self).

8. Wait.

I let her out two days afterwards to see how she’d fare. On the whole she went okay until she did her usual trick in the corner of the loungeroom. After having her face rubbed in it and then dumped unceremoniously into the litter tray (then the door being closed after he afterwards) she appeared to quiet down.

And then yesterday I saw her do her business in the litter tray and she was lavished with praise.

Okay, so it’s not quite the joy a parent would have when their kid finally works-out how to use the toilet rather than nappies, but it’s fairly close, surely?

It’s a cool wet and dark day today, just the sort of day that it’s great to be at home.

However, I’m at work with a somewhat wet skirt front and things to do here. Life’s like that unfortunately.

Still, I had a good breakfast, thanks to a transfer of funds from my backup bank account, and hopefully am getting paid tomorrow (it is Thursday?).

It’s funny that when I was younger I used to hate it when it rained, mainly because I hated being stuck at home. Now I like my home, it’s quite nice actually to be able to just chill inside with the pained bleating of my cat in the background (as she’s locked in the bathroom as she (a) doesn’t get the idea of the cat litter, (b) because I’ve just moved house and has to remain in there for 2 weeks — apparently — so she becomes attuned to the house she’s now living in and doesn’t do a runner or get lost, and finally (c) because she has a habit of weeing against walls when she’s inside on her own because of the issue listed above in (a).).

Got that now?

It’s all over.

The move is complete – faster than expected (thanks to The Great Purge of ‘07-’08) and the boxes are 99% unpacked and away.

There’s a stack of computer stuff in the first bedroom, hidden quite well by two of the wooden polling booths  I got last year (they turned-out to be very useful indeed). The front bedroom is a nice peaceful space now, the main bedroom is pretty tidy (needs a couple of new items, but will be fine for this week), and the lounge, kitchen and bathroom are well organised.

And even Kiara the kitty seems — on the whole — okay. I let her into the kitchen and lounge today, but put her back in the bathroom as she was about to pee in a corner. She’ll have to go in the bathroom like the rest of us, at least for the next 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, my finances are at empty until payday on Friday. I have to hope that the pay will hit my account on Friday… otherwise it’s going to be a long, lean weekend!

Isn’t technology wonderful?

Here I am, I’ve just watched Yet Another Doctor Who episode, with a PC on one side (which I’m backing-up, then going to reformat – Muahahaaaa, take THAT Microsoft – for a friend) a Mac on the other, a cat on the chair beside me (all right, he’s not technology, but it’s a nice touch) and to add to the mix, I’ve just been told via a BBC announcement over the end of the episode that I can hear writer Mark Gatisss right now on BBC3 and the champagne lifestyle awaits on The National Lottery Jetset.

Just like being there, ey?