I Will Bake Anything

Mr. Pancakes is a child.


I don't mean, like, a young cat (well, yes, technically he is that). I don't mean I am under the delusion that he is my child (I haven't added him as a dependent on my tax forms... yet). I mean he thinks and acts just as a naughty human child would. 


If I were your grandpa, I'd call him ornery.


Every time Eric and I leave town for a day or so, we believe we can trust Mr. Pancakes to be a big boy on his own at home. So far we haven't busted him throwing any wild catnip-infused parties, and he never does anything bad while we're gone. It's when we get home that he really acts up. For a day or two (and sometimes three) after we return home, he will intentionally do things he knows he's not supposed to do just to get our attention. He'll prance around on the TV stand, hop up on the coffee table, perch upon the turntable stand. He'll go over to our mail pile, look directly into our eyes, then bat the papers off the table, while smirking (I think). He is acting out to punish us for leaving.


Like I said, he is a child.


So, as every good mother does, I bribe Mr. Pancakes to be good by giving him treats. He has his own little jar of treats we occasionally feed him, but honestly, when it comes to me, pre-made treats are never enough. I had to bake him something special. Because, as everyone knows, the true way to win someone's (or some cat's) affection is through baked goods.

I picked up this little bag of kitty treat mix at Target while Christmas shopping last month. It was too cute an idea to pass up (and, come on, look at that adorable fishy cookie cutter!). I wrapped it up and gave it to Mr. P-Cakes for Christmas, but he didn't seem impressed. I mixed the dough (which, honestly, looked, smelled and felt exactly like bread dough... it was hard reminding myself it was not for humans). He was not impressed. I rolled the dough. He was not impressed. I cut out the fishies. He was not impressed. And I popped those fishies in the oven for 15 minutes. He gave them a sniff.

After all that, Mr. Pancakes just wasn't feeling my made-from-the-heart kitten cookies. I don't know what I'm more depressed about - that he turned his nose up at them, or the fact that I used my brand new cookie sheets and silicone liners for the first time while baking cat treats.

I guess, at the end of the day, you can pamper you pet all you want. When it comes down to it, all he's really going to want is an empty box.

Just like a child.

Do you do things to "bribe" your pets into being good? Have you ever made your own pet treat/toy? Am I a psycho?