Throwing in the towel

Pippin, our cat, needed to take some tablets recently. He had to take one in the morning and one in the evening for a week. The biped would put him on the table and open his mouth and pop the tablet in and hold him until he swallowed it. Pippin was very good about this for three days.

Pippin on the terrace at home

But on the fourth day he decided he was feeling better and didn’t need to take any more medication. When the biped put him on the table and opened his mouth, he put a front paw up with all the claws out so that the biped couldn’t get the tablet to his mouth. She pushed his paw down and tried again. One of his back paws came round with all the claws out! It’s amazing how flexible a cat’s legs are!

The biped spoke to Pippin and told him that he really needed to take the tablet, but as soon as Pippin saw it getting near his mouth, he put a different paw up with the claws out. I’d never seen Pippin being so difficult and stubborn! The biped released him and put the tablet down. Pippin jumped down from the table and looked very pleased with himself.

The biped walked across the room to where she had left a folded towel. She opened out the towel and started walking back towards the table. Pippin saw what she was doing and miaowed and jumped back up on the table and ate the tablet that was there. The biped looked surprised. She picked up the jar of cat treats and gave Pippin one. She also stroked him and told him what a good boy he is. He purred and climbed into her arms for a cuddle.

I found this a bit puzzling. I had seen Mulberry, our other cat, being wrapped up in a towel occasionally. This used to happen if he was struggling and refusing to take a tablet. The biped would pop him in the middle of a towel and a few seconds later the towel was securely round him with just his head poking out. It always seemed to calm him down and he couldn’t move his legs and scratch. I had never seen this done to Pippin, he was always well-behaved.

When it was time for Pippin’s next tablet, the biped put the towel on the table and got a tablet out. She picked Pippin up and put him on the table. As soon as she picked up the tablet, Pippin reached his head forward and took the tablet from her and ate it. She told him what a clever boy he is and gave him a treat and a cuddle.

I asked Pippin why he had changed his mind about taking the tablets. He said, “No cat can win against the towel! Haven’t you heard me telling Mulberry to just give in and get it over with, when he was wrapped in the towel?”

I said, “Yes, but you weren’t wrapped up in the towel!”

Pippin said, “No, she used to wrap me in the towel when I was young and she was obviously planning to wrap me up in it. She seemed determined that I take the tablet and she wouldn’t make me take it if I didn’t need to, so I thought I might as well get it over with.”

Pippin can be very stubborn, but he’s also very wise!

See you next Wednesday!