ANDRE BEGIN

Even though I haven’t had the pleasure of becoming a parent in this lifetime, there is one trait that I know I share with many parents, and that’s spelling things out in front of the kids… Or in our case, the cat.

Over the span of our years together, I’ve noticed that Ivy the cat has started recognizing certain words and reacting. That being the case, we found that spelling those words out seemed to be the solution… At least, for now, until she makes an association there as well and seemingly starts to understand.

The first word we often spell out is “T-R-E-A-T-S.”

This one can go two ways. Saying the word “treats” out loud usually has a positive effect, but we don’t always need her to come running.

When I am making a passing reference to them, such as when I’m discussing the shopping list with my partner or strategizing on how I’m going to give her medication, in those cases, I will spell it out. Ivy doesn’t need to know the details.

On the other hand, if I am trying to reward a behavior or encourage her to consume the above-mentioned medication, then saying “treats” out loud is the way to go.

The second is the word “C-R-A-T-E.”

I know that the more appropriate term is “cat carrier”, but it takes longer and sounds weird to spell it out loud. Usually, the word will be spelled out when I am preparing for a trip to the V-E-T, and saying to my partner, “I need to go to the basement to get the C-R-A-T-E for tomorrow’s visit to the V-E-T” without creating suspicion (or stress) for Miss Ivy.

The third word is “V-E-T.”

Even though she sees the vet team regularly and they always treat her with gentleness and kindness, her behaviour leads us to believe that she still experiences a bit of white-coat syndrome. Even though those visits often include positive reinforcement in the form of “T-R-E-A-T-S”, the visit is still met with a little apprehension. To not add more stress to the equation, I think spelling the word out is the best option for everyone involved.

That being the case, I always knew that Ivy was smart, but I never thought I’d ever see the day that I had to spell out words to avoid stirring up some nervousness.

But it is a fact of life in our household and seems to work… Until the day comes when Ivy learns to recognize the spelled-out versions of those words and we’ll have to look for another option.

On the bright side, if that happens, we can look into enrolling her in a spelling bee competition.

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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André