I’ve seen all the memes about dogs loving pandemic and cats not so much. This was true at our house for the first couple of months. Guinevere is SO happy to have YA and I at home all day long. More treats, more snuggling, pretty much more of everything she loves. Even more toys have been part of sheltering-in-place.
At first, Nimue wasn’t so sure about having us around so much. Then in April she had some surgery that had a good result (not cancerous) but had a long, hard recovery involving the cone of shame and the dog kennel for almost two full weeks. I thought she would never forgive me for that; the stink eye that she would give me from the dog kennel was really scary. Then about a week after she was freed from her cone/kennel disgrace, she started wanting more cuddling. And as the months have gone by, that has continued – whether or not I have any treats nearby.
She has even taken to hanging around wherever I am hanging around. The header photo is how she helps me in the kitchen. Here is her helping me straighten up in the dining room.
As I type, she’s snoozing on top of the radiator – about six feet away, so she is responsibly social distancing.
Do you know anyone enjoying pandemic more than they should?
Trail Baboon 
Donald J. Trump
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I bet no one, except maybe Mike Lindell, wants to pet him.
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Ha ha
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Our daughter’s two cats are overjoyed. Daughter works from home doing telehealth mental health therapy. Her youngest cat, a handsome tuxedo boy, is the sort of cat that glues himself to her. He can’t get close enough in his opinion. The other cat also snuggles. They will have a tough time when she can work from the office again.
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My sister has three cats. During the pandemic she has been working from a temporary office set up in her basement. The oldest cat is her constant companion – sleeping on her lap or trying to type on the keyboard. She will be very unhappy when my sister eventually goes back to her real office. My niece got a brother/sister combo last summer. They are now 9 months old. The boy has always been and remains very cuddly. He spends much of the work day on her desk. She recently set up a larger computer desk, partly to accommodate the cat. Now he can lay on it without covering up part of the keyboard. He will be another unhappy camper when she can return to the workplace.
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There are some aspects of this thing that I’ve come to like, I’m afraid. Not having to go out after supper in the cold, dark months comes to mind. But also, there are some meetings that didn’t ever last long, just needed a consensus or something, and these may well continue on Zoom. It’s also gotten us to do Facetime with faraway family members.
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I am enjoying the pandemic more than I should. Yes, I miss my daughter and her family. But I saw them infrequently before the virus was an issue. As someone whose scope of activities is limited by lack of money and several health issues, I haven’t lost much that I can blame on the virus. Now that I’m being forced to live almost exclusively behind my apartment door I’m almost shocked at how well that suits me. I am an introvert who has been ordered to amuse himself. I no longer feel guilty about doing pretty much what I always wanted to do
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Like one of the desert fathers or a professional hermit!
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I kind of missing having cats around. Kind of.
Of our three dogs, I think maybe Allie does enjoy us around because at least we can let her in and out at her every desire. Bailey, the outside dog just misses us being outside more in the winter. Home or away isn’t such a big deal, but she so wants to be a people dog and that’s just not what her job is.
And Humphrey; he doesn’t snuggle in the first place. He will come and lay down in the office with us, and Allie too, but beyond that? I think we’re cramping his style.
Daughter – she’s living the dream! We don’t wake her up for work, we don’t make her go to bed because she *has* to go to work. Between us in the office or her in her room, she’s got the house to herself and she’s loving it. Going back to the real world will be hard on her and I. My schedule has certainly slipped too. And I don’t mind not having all the evening rehearsals and late nights.
The WFMC (World Famous Mayo Clinic) has decided people can work remotely permanently now if they want. Kelly is 90% OK with that. Just a few things she misses from being there. And she just got a stand up desk at home and is LOVING that. Had one at work and calls it a game-changer.
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When our building got remodeled a couple of years ago we got desks that you could raise or lower at will. A handful of people really embraced the standup desk. I wanted to embrace it and I even bought a spongy mat to stand on but no matter how hard I try I can’t concentrate standing up because part of my brain is thinking about the fact that I’m standing up.
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I have a standing desk for home – got it last spring after the announcement came that it would at least be fall (now next summer) before they think about letting us back to the office in any numbers. Partly it was that I needed something other than the dining room table as a desk, partly it was realizing that clicking a button to go to my next meeting meant that I spent 90% of my day sitting. I stand part of the day and sit part of the day – my desk is not fancy enough to raise and lower so I have a tall stool for when I want to sit (and upended yoga blocks for my feet since otherwise the floor is too far away when I am on the stool). I didn’t make use of the shared standing desk much when I could be in the office – might use it more when I, eventually, get back there.
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Rise and Shine Baboons,
That picture with the cat in the drawer is just great. It is just so cat-like that Nimue feels every right to make this piece of the kitchen her own. VS, you could probably sell that photo to a stock photo stash somewhere.
I have not taken to the pandemic, and at this point everyone I know and clients are developing all kinds of problems due to the social isolation involved. The phobias that are developing about leaving the house will become a crisis by next fall when we can mostly resume activities. Clients who are parents, and whose kids have gone back to school in the past two weeks, are getting anxious, tired, overwhelmed kids who act out at home, as well.
My dog does like having us around so much. She is becoming an expert begger/nagger. Bootsy is quiet, but when she wants a walk or a treat, at her whim of course, she sits herself down in front of me and stares until she gets the walk, treat, or pet that she wants.
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Sounds like she is training you well.
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My two dogs are delighted that Daughter and I are home so much. They have figured out that they can get onto the back of the couch and this gets them at the right height for scritches while I am at my standing desk. The white one has also figured out that she can worm into my lap if I am sitting on the stool there – which makes it hard to type. They will be mighty displeased when I got back to work. Cat also hangs out on the couch but is likely to miss humans during the day less than the dogs.
While I very much like my shorter commute, and also like the excuse to take evening meetings from my house vs. driving anywhere, I miss things like in-person yoga (I have been doing that via Zoom since March), live music and theater in the room where the performers are (went to one socially distanced outdoor concert last summer – it was heavenly – the online stuff scratches the itch, but isn’t quite the same), and the random conversations with co-workers and others as I navigate my days.
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Yeah, I am missing the interaction with students a lot. And hugs from friends would be nice again.
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Hugs are what I probably miss the most. It feels so awkward, when you see someone that you would normally greet with a hug, to just stand there, at least six feet apart, and do nothing.
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I warned a few of my friends that for the first hug they should probably block out at least 10 straight minutes
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Our friend W gives hugs like that any time – or he did last time we checked… I don’t like to think how hug deprivation is affecting him.
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Cats go through a socialization phase when they are kittens, and if they are around people a lot during that phase, they generally develop close bonds with people and remain that way though life. If they go through that phase without a lot of human contact, they tend to be more standoffish. It’s not uncommon, though, for cats to go through a second socialization phase in adulthood if they have an injury or a serious illness. Then they form strong bonds with their caretakers. It sounds like Nimue may be bonding more intensely because of her surgery.
I am a little hesitant to enjoy the pandemic, because it’s been pretty horrendous or a lot of people, and it may yet touch me more personally than it has thus far. But I think eventually I will probably look back on it as a pleasant sort of sabbatical, if all my friends and family come thorough it all right.
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We do not have a cat, but our dog seems to more needy with us both home. She has to be with one or both of us all the time.
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Thanks for adding my link! Loved your review and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
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The Bengal cat is a unique example of the successful crossbreeding of wild and domestic breeds. They are active, playful, and sociable pets. The Bengal breed combines the best features of their ancestors: not only an attractive appearance, but also intelligence, curiosity, activity, and friendliness.Bengal Cat Care
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Possibly the most ignored and understated tip is your pet may need sunscreen just as much as you! Most light haired pets and those with very short haircuts need skin protection against the suns harmful rays. Human labeled sunscreen may not be right for your pet.health issues
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