Copy Cat

Since we raised our cat Zora from a kitten, we like to joke that she’s taken on some of our introverted personality quirks, like needing her quiet time, and hiding when guests come over. Of course, those behaviors may be de rigueur for cats (which is why we’re both cat people), but we still find it amusing when we see some parallel between her reactions and ours. One good example of this is our mutual aversion to loud noises.

Just as Joe and I cringe when a wailing ambulance drives by, or a loudspeaker blares in our ears, there are some noises that Zora cannot tolerate at all. We found this out soon after we moved to our apartment in Paris, when a new bathroom layout tempted Zora to set up shop beneath a cozy radiator. Her new favorite hiding spot kept her out of sight so well that when one of us went to take a shower, we would forget she was in the room. That is, until she suddenly started loudly begging (after the shower was on, of course) to be let out of this room with the horrible noise maker. Because there are few things more annoying than having to step out of a hot shower dripping wet just to placate a complaining cat, we soon learned that it was best to check for her presence before starting the shower.

However, we found that it wasn’t always easy to dislodge her from her beloved hideout when the time came for showering. We hit upon a solution when I remembered that Zora always left the room quickly whenever I used my hair dryer. The next time I went for a shower, I plugged in the dryer and turned it on briefly. Zora was out of the room like a shot, and we had found our evacuation method. After months of experimentation, we’ve now gotten to the point that we only have to SHOW her the hair dryer and she will clear out. While it’s not a trick worthy of the talk show circuit, it is some consolation that we’re not the only ones being trained in this relationship.