I thought I would end this week on a lighthearted note with a story that everyone who has ever had a cat will understand.  Cat’s have their own unique individual personality. They have this way of making sure that they let us know regularly that they are the ones in control of the house, not us.

Our cat Moochie recently turned fourteen and has inflammatory bowel disease for which he takes prednisone every other day. This seems to have everything under control, but the medicine has increased his appetite and this makes for an interesting morning when it is time for him to get his wet food.  His morning plan goes something like this:

Day 1

5:00AM – Mooch’s stomach tells him that he is hungry and he needs to sit outside the bedroom door and begin the yowling routine that he has learned over the last six months.

5:15AM – Mooch can’t seem to get his dad to stir from his sleep so he takes the next step of entering the bedroom and taking his place on the bedside table where he beings to meow loudly.  Again no response from dad.

5:30AM – Having decided that isn’t working, Mooch decides to move to plan C.  Let’s try walking across the pillow and dad’s face and see if that works. Unfortunately, dad just turns over the other direction.

5:45AM – Having tried Plan A, B and C – maybe plan D will do the trick. Mooch proceeds over to the window blinds and starts running his paws up and down the blinds to make as much noise as he can.  Surely this will do the trick. Drats, no luck!

6:00AM – As a last ditch effort he moves to the final plan, which is to sit squarely on your chest, start licking your nose and pawing your arm.  BINGO, that was the trick that finally got the wanted reaction.

Day 2 – Repeat Day 1

If only we had the ability to get people to do what we wanted like cats do.  They seem to know exactly what is required to be just annoying enough to get their desired outcome and then heap loads of love on you so they get away with doing it over and over again.

At the end of the day they are our family and friends and we have an obligation to care for our relationship with them as we would any other. Even on the days when you want them to just leave you alone, they bring their own unique enhancement to your life that would be difficult to replace.  As long as we realize and accept that they own the home, even though they have no job nor do they pay the bills or the mortgage, all will be as it should be.

Have a great weekend and remember to be the reason someone smiles.

Ron