I have put off way too long telling the story of Oreo, the reformed pre-dawn yowler. Oreo is our cat, but I'll include the ferrets in the post, too. Kim Fox was in the Animal Communication class Eric and I took from Lorelei Hunt at Dodie Vecchione's house, and she was the star of the class. She clearly has a natural gift and just needed a little confirmation so that she could begin to trust her talents. When Oreo began to drive us mad with his howling half an hour before Eric's alarm went off, I decided we had to call Kim. Oreo had already become increasingly obnoxious after our AC class. He was always Mr. Mellow and hardly cried at all before we met the request he made to one of the students who talked to him. He said that his teeth hurt (a trip to the vet confirmed that he needed a tooth out) and that he wished he could have soft food again (he'd been on kibble for years). I gladly went out to buy canned food for him, and because he is a bored indoor kitty I gave him a little bit four times a day as a treat. Almost immediately, he began howling when it was time to eat as though he were trying out to be a Siamese. After we moved at the end of August, he started howling outside our door at least half an hour before Eric had to get up. This would be aggravating for anyone, but it was really getting to Eric who is not well and needs every minute of sleep he can get. We wondered if Oreo was becoming deaf or senile or both. When we couldn't take it any longer, I called Kim and she had a little talk with Mr. O. The first thing she said was that he was spoiled and thought it was alright to insist on having his way. She explained to me that he needed to have limits and consequences for his behavior, so between the two of us we decided that I would give Oreo wet food only twice a day and not at times when he would disturb anyone if he asked for it. Then Kim explained to Oreo what was going to happen and why it was happening. She let him know how his behavior was affecting us, especially because Eric is feeling sick. Oreo immediately told her that he felt bad about Eric, and he seemed to understand what was expected of him. The results were immediately and astounding. For one thing, Oreo has not howled or raised his voice a single time since Kim talked with him after many months of howling. He barely makes a sound even while I am opening a can (although of course he still gets under my feet and slows down the process by trying to hurry me along). The first day after their talk, he didn't cry in the morning. The second and third day he did, so I called Kim again. Oreo told her he just forgot and that he'd be better. I've lost track of time with all we've had going on here, but it has been weeks now and Oreo only cried once in the morning after a couple of weeks had passed. When Kim talked to him about it, he asked if Eric still felt sick and she explained that he would always feel sick. Oreo has been perfect since. Kim says he may still need a reminder now and then, but he's being wonderful. I tell him every day how much I appreciate having a quiet kitty. In trying to help the ferrets adjust to the new house (which has some differences they don't like at all) I have learned a couple of things. For example, I didn't know they even knew what a TV was (we don't watch TV) much less being able to recognize one that was built into the wall, but they told Kim that there was a TV in their new room (they communicate with images). They and the parakeet both told her that I had started turning the music off at night, and all of them said they wanted the music to stay on. I thought I was giving them a nice quiet period, but I guess their preference makes sense since it sure as heck isn't quiet in the country at night. They tell her things Kim couldn't possibly guess, like that Francis and Jaxon walk on a coupler, and that Jaxon doesn't like having Francis drag him around. They also told her they were mad when I didn't take them for a walk Sunday night, hence the latest round of bad poop behavior. When Kim and the ferrets and I have worked out our compromises to help the ferrets adjust to the new place, I'll post again with that behavior mod story. In the meantime, you can send Francis kind thoughts during his times out in the cage. [Posted in FML issue 4307]