Atilla’s still got talent

Atilla is up to her old tricks again. I know that she likes my baggy, green t-shirt & the navy blue one – she likes to go up the sleeve & come out by my belly. I tend not to wear those t-shirts if I have work to be getting on with.  Yesterday she attempted the same with my light blue top, only this top has 3/4 length sleeves that are not so baggy.

After a little perseverance she managed to squeeze her way in, work her way up to my armpit & then emerge by my belly. Then there was no stopping her…. she wanted to go in again… & again…. & again…. It was like a fairground ride where she was the only one queuing.

I showed her a short cut though, where she could come out on my chest.

Here is a video. It’s a bit long as she decided to retrace her steps at one point.

Busy behind the chair

After being too poorly to chew the back of the Poang chair, Atilla has gradually got back into the swing of chewing it again & is now spending quite some time working hard, moulding the chair to her specific requirements.  She is also back to using the HNS (Hand Navigation System) & pinches the pads of my fingers to let me know which direction she wants to go in & can still pack in a nasty nip if I do not obey.

Atilla rearranging the tea towel:

Sometimes she just likes to sit & rest underneath the tea towel:

Where’s Atilla?

Long time no see!

Atilla was well enough to visit the Poang chair today!  I’m sure the chair gave a sigh of relief to feel her chewing it.

The last couple of days Atilla has been quite lively, in her non-sleeping moments.  She tentatively made her way over to the chair, via a pathway of my palms (bit like a sideways one-potato-two-potato with palms, not clenched fist).  Once there, she rested & got her bearings. 

Since then, she has managed to fly there herself, thundering across from the manor.  It was a pleasure to hear the heavy beating of her wings & feel the turbulence in the air where it was displaced as she bombed her way over.  There was no time for exchanging any pleasantries or long-time-no-see’s, as she immediately commenced her chewing.  “Welcome back Atilla!” the chair seemed to say. 🙂

Video proof:

Curly paper

The simple things in life can be the most effective. 

• Take some plain paper. 
• Curl it. 
• Peg it up.

Watch Cagney chew the paper & stay out of trouble for all of 1 minute 6 seconds….

Watch Atilla chew the paper & Cagney join her in chewing the paper……

End result - no more curly paper

Big for his boots?

Is Bezukhov getting too big for his boots?

Too big for his boots?

The last two evenings he has been wanting to get close to Atilla.  This evening, having all spent a trouble-free day locked up in the Manor (thanks to PuddingCam staying online I know this is true) they, read Bezukhov, went a bit mad when let out.

Atilla, as usual, made straight for the Poang chair & ducked under the tea towel to begin chewing.  Interestingly, Bezukhov decided he wanted to sit next to Atilla on the ladder & would not let Cagney sit there.  Of course it was Cagney’s right, as Atilla’s boyfriend, to sit there, so there was a lot of chasing but Bezuky managed to seize the ladder position.

I wanna sit next to her!

However, he then tried to engage with Atilla by pecking at the tea towel & trying to peer underneath it.  Atilla was not impressed & would bang the tea towel back or lunge at him or simply ignore him.  Meanwhile, Cagney was clinging onto the back of the chair to feed Atilla under the cover (to show his rightful position). 

At one point, Bezukhov dared to nip under the tea towel with Atilla!  Sharp intake of breath!  I quickly put my hand there in case he needed a quick getaway & indeed he did & emerged with wide-eyes, very much like he had seen a ghost.  He did not go under that cover again.

Dare I touch her tea towel?

When Atilla stopped chewing & wanted to stretch her wings, both toyboys crowded around her, wanting to be the one closest, even fighting to be the one next to her.  When Atilla tried to break away from them, it looked like a rugby match where she has the ball (or IS the ball!) & the boys race after her & dive on her & it ends in a scrum!  Had there been an opportunity I would have locked Atilla up to give her some peace & left the toyboys out to cool off. 

Strangely, when they are all locked in the Manor, there are no silly shenanigans.  Either way, I think Bezukhov has still been a little big for his boots this evening.

You're such a great leader, boss. I really look up to you!

Hide & seek with a tea towel

Atilla is still obsessed with the back of the Poang chair.  She spends a lot of time on the ladder, chewing the tea towels I have draped over the back to protect the chair cover.  She likes spending time under the tea towel & many times Cagney has to bend down to feed her underneath it or sometimes he hangs precariously from the ladder so he can get food into her whilst she is hiding in a hanging part of the tea towel.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

SleeveFest

When Atilla is not chewing the back of the chair, she likes to return to her hobby of climbing into sleeves.  She has had a variety recently.  All are worth a try but I am sure she favours some over others…

Lilac sleeve - tight fit

Hearts sleeve - Nice echo, good grip

Pink sleeve - Nice & roomy

Grey sleeve - Fleece inside is warm & cosy

The Poang Playgym

Atilla is obsessed with chewing the back of the chair.  Knowing how single-minded she is I decided to work with her rather than against her. 

• To protect the chair I draped a tea-towel over the back so she is chewing on that rather than the chair cover.
• I hooked an empty seed pot over the chair frame so she had somewhere else to grip onto.
• I moved the plant pot stand nearer the chair so it was easier for her to get there/leave there.
• Finally, I assembled a recently purchased ladder system & hung it from the back chair frame to make her experience more comfortable.

In other words, I have turned the IKEA Poang chair into a play gym.  I should also add to the above list the fact that I moved my futon back into the room so I have something soft to sit on whilst she is busy chewing.

Once in position, she rarely leaves.  She may go for a little mooch about but not for long.  She will rest in-between chewing sessions on the ladder.  She has no need to go back to the Manor for food as Cagney sits on the ladder with her & regurgitates his seed.  In general, she goes back to the Manor for bedtime just after 9pm.  Bezukhov is usually a bit agitated by this time as he wants to settle down for bedtime but cannot do so until the leader is back home.

The ladder system

Ladder installed behind chair

Checking the rungs

Getting down to important business of chewing

Time to eat

Ladder supports 2 toyboys & 1 pudding

Clinging to the chair

I have had my IKEA Poang chair for some time now.  At the moment, it is the only soft chair in the room as I only moved back the necessaries from when the floor was done.  Just recently, Atilla has decided the chair has good chewing potential.  Raspy was often on the chair with me but she was chewing my clothes.  Atilla likes to chew the back of the chair.  She clings onto the wooden frame & chews the material.  I have hung a tea-towel down the back so she can make holes in that rather than the chair cover.

Unfortunately, because she hangs onto the chair frame, it is not possible for me to sit in the chair at the same time as that would push the cushion back into the frame.  That means I have to sit on a hard chair or a stool whilst she is busy on my IKEA chair. 

You can see from the video above that I normally hide or store my web cam away by hooking it behind the chair. 🙂  I also hooked a seed pot there so she had something else to hold onto.

Under the folding cage

A few weeks ago, I thought it was time to introduce the Puddings & Toyboys to the new folding cage.  I set it up & moved it to the middle of the room.  The toyboys whizzed around the room, avoiding the new cage.  So, who was the first to investigate?  Yes, a pudding…. it was Raspy.  Though to be accurate, she was not that interested in the cage itself, but more what was on the shelf underneath…..

Here she is beside the new cage but clearly wanting to go back to the shelf underneath to carry on chewing the bedtime cover….

She spent ages that day running around that shelf…. 

My Chu Chu Bella