How My Life Has Changed

 

Before Tulip, I…	Until…	Now
Kept an unopened bag of Kitten Chow on the kitchen table.	Tulip shredded the bag to get at the food.	Cat chow is stored in Tupper- ware on the kitchen table.
Had a floor lamp in the living room.	Tulip attempted to climb it.	The floor lamp sits unused in my bedroom.
Slept with my cats.	Tulip, who was wide awake, wants to play at all hours.	My bedroom door is shut at bedtime.
Used a regular cat food bowl.	Tulip scarfed the food in seconds.	Bought a fast-eater bowl shaped like a fish. It now takes Tulip minutes to eat.
Kept two rows of pills on the kitchen bar-height moved.	Tulip kept walking on and rearranging the vials.	The pills are now in a closed plastic box. Tulip has dropped the box, trying to get at three cat mobiles hanging above.
Kept two potted plants on the kitchen table.	Tulip wouldn’t leave the plants alone.	Removed two bar-height stools; Tulip still got into the plants.
Moved the same indoor plants on the kitchen counter.	Tulip kept eating the plants.	Blocked off access to the plants with other items.
Put clean dishes in the drying rack; dirty dishes go in a dish pan in the kitchen sink.	Tulip jumped right in the sink, taste tested everything.	Placed a car window shade around clean and dirty dishes.
Left the main bathroom door open 24/7.	Tulip explores everything; the roll of toilet paper fascinates her.	Close the bathroom door when not in use.
Let bills and other paperwork pile up in the living room.	Tulip started to rearrange and chew loose papers. Bits of paper littered the floor.	I had to file everything away. Unread magazines now sit in a paper tray. So far, so good.
Had dozens of cat toys which sat unused by Spooky and her predecessors.	Tulip picks out her toys from their bin. She has tried everything at least once.	All toys are available and used regularly. They show up in every room.
Cat-proofed my bedroom for my previous cat, Spooky.	Are you kidding me?	Cat-proof measures still in effect, with the added step of keeping the door shut.
Had two bar-height stools flanking the kitchen table.	Tulip kept jumping up, getting into everything.	Moved the stools under the kitchen peninsula.
Placed a wooden cat statue overlooking the kitchen peninsula.	Tulip knocked it down twice.	Moved the statue to a higher shelf (Tulip hasn’t found it yet).
Displayed framed photos in the living room.	Tulip knocked two pictures down, breaking the glass and its stained glass frame.	Moved two pictures to the spare bedroom within a plastic tray.