Clemens is Cool!

Dexter told Delilah not to be so afraid. She has been hiding most of the time since they arrived yesterday and it just isn't necessary. Not only are they safe, but the boy, Clemens, is cool.

Dexter told Delilah that he thinks Clemens is SO cool, that he gave him a welcome by licking his hair. It was painted with a red stripe and a black stripe for the German Football team (for luck).

Get Ready - The Germans are coming.

Dexter told Delilah that he has been studying German all week because the German visitors are coming today, but German is hard and all this studying has exhausted him. He also has been doing some extra grooming so that he will look really good when they come.

Dexter told Delilah that he would help her with her grooming as well. He wants to be sure she looks her best for the visitors. Delilah wasn't too happy with the advice because she doesn't like visitors and plans to stay well hidden while they are here.
Dexter told her she had to be clean anyway and gave her a vigorous bath which she didn't like very much.

Is this seat taken?

Dexter told Delilah that the big chair in the family room is reserved for him. No one else is allowed to sit in this chair. The only exception is that Dad can sit with him if Dexter can sit on his lap and take a nap.

Dexter told Delilah that this chair is perfect for him because he can see the TV and the kitchen at the same time. Plus he can see the front door too in case someone comes to visit. He said he likes to know what is going on at all times and this chair lets him do that while napping.

He did also tell Delilah that if she is really good, he might let her try napping on this chair with him, but not not today.

Study for your C.A.T exams

(Delilah is a quick study in both stretching and cuteness)

Dexter told Delilah that he wants to make sure she is learning her cat skills by giving her some remedial 1-on-1 coaching. He has coached her on the two most important kitten level skills: stretching and cuteness. He said that a hour of coaching every other day should help her perfect these vital basics.

After she passes her C.A.T. (Cat Aptitude Test) exams, she can take some of the more advanced skills classes such as mouse "Hunting 101", "Graceful Leaping for Felines" and and "The Finicky Feline" all day seminar.

Stick with Me Whiska-teer

Dexter told Delilah that he wants to make a pact with her. They will become the Two Whiska-teers. He wants them to agree to always be there for each other and help each other get out of any scrapes or predicaments. He added that they will share everything from toys to food to time on Daddy's lap.

Delilah told Dexter that she adores him and will do whatever he wants even if it means letting him eat the best treats first.

Dexter told Delilah that they should shake "paws" to seal the deal and she agreed. Negotiations had worn them out, so afterwards the Two Whiska-teers took a cat nap together.

Dexter say "Never Let them know you made a mistake"

Dexter told Delilah that a cat never admits that what just happened was a mistake. She needs to remember that a cat always pretends that they meant to do whatever just happened.

Today for example, Mom was getting the house ready for their German guests next weekend and had the ladder out. Dexter explained he was showing Delilah how he knew how to climb the ladder and his Mom thought it was so cute. She also told him not to climb past the first step.

Dexter thought that since he has big feet (with big claws) he could grip the step and jump. It was a tricky task however and he ended up underneath the ladder.
Dexter told Delilah that he just pretended that he had deliberately jumped under the ladder. He nonchalantly gave his paw a few lazy licks and then stretched out and looked as cute as possible. "In fact it is rather exciting to lay on your back and look up at the ladder" he added.

Don't forget to wash behind your ears

Dexter told Delilah that bathing is a very important to a cat. In fact, after eating and sleeping, it is the most important thing in life. He was giving her bathing lessons the other day and Delilah was a very quick learner. In fact, she even practiced on Dexter too.

By the end of the lesson, Dexter told Delilah that she was doing a very good job, but she needs to remember to to clean behind her ears, and the tip of her tail. It is also critical to keep her whiskers free from cobwebs. He noticed recently that after their hunting expeditions in the basement, she had cobwebs on her whiskers all day long.

Be sure to read the label

Dexter told Delilah that it is important to eat a healthy diet. Unfortunately, this can be quite difficult because Mom and Dad insist on feeding us boring, tasteless pates every single day. He says that their diet should be well rounded and include lots of tasty dry food, yogurt and anything that you find lying around on the floor. Live spiders and crickets are great because you can play with them first.

Dexter warned Delilah that when it comes to people-food, if Mom and Dad try to keep you from eating it, it means that is is really, really good and you will have to work hard trying to beg, borrow or steal some.

He also advised her that whenever she gets the chance to try something new, she should give it a good sniff and push it around with her paw to see how it feels. If it smells good and feels good, she will probably want to give it a lick, but always read the label first. You never know what might be inside. If the label says "pill pockets", it is a trick - don't fall for it! Inside this tasty morsel will be a nasty pill. He told Delilah that when she is a bit older and more experienced, he will teach her how to eat the treat and leave the pill behind.

Happy Father's Day to Dexter's Dad

Dexter told Delilah that they should make sure to make Dad's day special today. He says they need to thank him for cleaning the cat box every day, playing every day and feeding them.

His idea is to find Dad and snuggle with him and give him some kisses. In fact, when snuggling, Dad's arm makes a great pillow. He said he loves the way he can rest his chin on Dad's furry arm and relax. Dad will usually stroke you and it just feels heavenly and makes your purr up a storm. It is just like getting a massage. Dexter says that it may not be as comfortable for Delilah yet because she is still so small, but when she is older she will want to try this.

So for Fathers' Day, Dexter suggests that this year, Delilah climb up on Dad's chest and lick his chin to wish him a happy Day.

Look what I discovered!

Dexter told Delilah that he just discovered something really fun to watch. If you go in the bathroom and wait until someone has been sitting on the seat and they get up, quickly jump up and look inside the seat. He says it is so much fun to watch the water inside spinning in circles and disappearing like magic. After the water disappears, it comes back slowly from some hidden place and suddenly it is all back just as it started.

Delilah followed his advice and agreed that this magic seat is soooooo coooool! MEOW!

Be Brave

Dexter told Delilah that she needs to learn how to be a watch cat like him. He spends hours and hours sitting on windowsills keeping watch, but he has noticed that Delilah tends to be a bit timid and if she hears a noise outside, instead of checking on it, she runs and hides in the basement.

Dexter says this is not a good thing and she needs to get a bit braver so he has been giving her Watch Cat lessons. Here you can see him giving her a lesson. Dexter told her she did really well, so well that it is hard to tell which cat is which.

Twinkle Paws Dexter

Dexter told Delilah that she needs to get a hobby. It really helps to pass the time while Mom and Dad are at work all day. He explained that one day he was in the play room down in the basement and he tried to walk on the keyboard. Someone had left it turned on. At first he was terrified when it made wild noises as he stepped on the keys, but it piqued his interest. Later he went back and experimented by touching one key at a time with his paw. One thing led to another and now he plays when he get the urge. Recently he explained, he has been looking at the sheet music trying to figure out how to read it, but so far he has had no luck.

There are some drums near the piano and Dexter had encouraged Delilah to learn to play the drums so they can do a duet someday.

A bit of pampering is a necessity

Dexter told Delilah that a cat's life can be quite exhausting. Between begging for food, eating, tail chasing, bird watching, spider hunting, playing hide and seek, and carrying toy mice up and down the stairs a cat's life is non-stop It is really important to remember to take the time occasionally to pamper yourself with a spa day. Find a nice comfortable place to relax with a fluffy towel to rest your head on. If you do this in the bathroom you can find lots of great smelling creams, lotions and powders to sniff and investigate. When you are completely relaxed from these relaxing smells (lavender is the best for relaxing), get your Mom or Dad to brush your hair or give you a nice shoulder massage. In no time at all you will be purring up a storm and rolling around like you are on catnip.

You can't make me

Dexter told Delilah that he knows a really fun game to play with your parents. He calls it "Shutter Dodge " To play you need to wait until you see the camera come out. Just when your Mom or Dad presses the shutter button, do one of the following things: make a funny face, blink, turn around and show them your other end, decide to take a bath or stick your tongue out.

This game can last for a long time because they don't like to give up until they get a good photo. If you get tired, just plop down and go to sleep and let them take a picture of you sleeping.

Quick, run, they're coming!

Dexter told Delilah that she needs to be fast on her feet if she is going to do things she isn't supposed to do. He, for example, sees no reason why he shouldn't explore the counter or the stove, but for some reason Mom and Dad get really angry when he does this.

He explained that you don't have to stop doing what you are doing when they first see you. First they will yell at you to get down but you should just give them an innocent look and continue to explore. When they start walking toward you, watch to see if they are serious or just trying to psych you out. If they are serious, you'd better be quick and leave the scene of the crime immediately.

It is best to do your exploring when they are not at home, but if you want to get them to come into the kitchen to feed you, you can use this as a tool. When you jump down, run to your bowl and cry. They are sure to get the message.

Cat Chores

Dexter told Delilah that life is not just fun and games. He explained that cats have chores to do just like humans do. He said that one of his favorite chores is to wash Dad's forearms. It is a daily job and is so much fun it doesn't feel like work.

He gave her instructions on how to do this job, so that she can be his backup when he is unavailable. He explained that first you have to get a good grip on the arm. If you lie on your back it can help because then you can hold on with all 4 paws. This steadies the arm and allows for very vigorous licking. It also helps if you have a long tongue like Dexter's. Delilah's is a bit short and it will be much harder for her.

He explained further that you must always lick in the opposite direction of the hair growth. You don't want to slick the hairs down, you are aiming fluff them up. One nice bonus is that after Dad plays tennis, he tastes nice and salty.

If you need Dad to move his arm so that you can get at one of those hard-to-reach spots, just use your back feet to give the arm a few well-placed kicks. It works every time.

Scrabble keeps your mind agile

Dexter told Delilah that she has been spending too much time running about the house like a Tasmanian Devil and not enough time building up her brain muscles. His advice to her is to take up Scrabble like he has. Not only is the game very stimulating, the game board is especially comfortable too.

Picking up those tiny letter tiles with your teeth is not the easiest thing to do, but the reaction of Mom and Dad when he does it is worth the effort. He is hoping to get a cat language dictionary for Christmas next year. Not because he needs it, but he needs a way to prove to his teammates that "mioooow" , "hssss" and "phftt" are indeed actual cat words.

He is thinking of taking up Sodoku soon as well.

Lime Yogurt is the best flavor

Dexter told Delilah that he thinks lime flavored yogurt is the best. Whenever his Dad has one, he is allowed to "lick the bowl." In fact he has become quite addicted to the delicious, creamy lime flavor. "It's better than mouse" he told Delilah between licks.

His Mom is surprised that he likes it because all the cat books say that cats are not supposed to like citrus flavors. Dexter thinks this is ridiculous. He told Delilah that if you want to know what cats do and don't like, you need to read something that a cat wrote (like this blog) and not some hoity-toity book written by some human.

Dexter did have one warning for Delilah however. Those yogurt pots are kind of deep and your tongue can get very tired trying to reach the bottom. It takes months of practice, but is worth it.