Positive Reinforcement, Kitten Style

For more than 30 years, we have hosted a series of cats.  The first visitors - three siblings - were kittens probably about 2 months old.  From them I learned "Never leave the toilet lid up"  "Always turn pot handles away from the floor" and to store my watch and ring in a lidded box.

Kittens notice anything sparkly and go directly to it, play with it after which time, they run off and hide it.  Eventually you will find it again.

Yesterday morning I was in a hurry.  Opened the box, put on my ring and hid my watch (a rather nice Emporio Armani) under a napkin on the dining room table.  "Should be safe enough," I thought.  "None of it was visible" and sailed off down the stairs to shower.

I had stepped out of the shower and was drying off when Richie walked in to the bathroom and silently extended his open hand to me.  Nestled in his palm were the watch and the back to the watch which was, incidentally, quite dead.

Fred.  There was no question that he had done it.  The other two cats are too old, too fat and too well-trained to get up on the dining room table.

We took the watch into the jewelry store and will get it back after 3 p.m. today.  I can't wait - I live by the clock, not the sword..

You and I both know that Fred will not contribute a dime to pay for the damage.  He's a hopeless deadbeat.  But he did reinforce the fact that I can't leave anything glittery in plain view.  I just can't quite bring myself to thank him for it

Others will always have Paris.  We'll always have cats.

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I've got my watch back!  Yes!  And Seymour Jewelers,  Hermosa Ave, Hermosa Beach very graciously did this:  as I fished around in my purse for $15, I pulled out a $10 and then a $5 and the clerk pushed the $5 back saying with a wink, "That's okay" and, of course, I protested - they did a job; they get the money, but she insisted.

I looked at her and said, "Is this out of pity because I have a rotten, deadbeat kitten? " and she laughed.  But I bet it was...