It’s been a while since I’ve told you about the latest exploits of Roger the Cat. He really seems to have lost patience with his humans this summer.
Roger has a basic belief that no matter how good the food is in his bowl downstairs, there is ‘secret food’ … meaning a bag - somewhere in storage, that is better, tastier, fresher. A corollary to this notion is that no matter how much food you have in the bowl, it might vanish. So, you always need more.
Maybe a predator will take it? A food fairy will whisk it away? A clever mouse will sneak in, eat the bowl dry and snicker on the way back out the cat door to the woods.
In any case, he says, you can never have ‘too much.’ And sometimes, he says, you have to search for the secret food in every possible location.
This sets the stage for his most recent maneuver.
It’s not enough to have more food…or better food. You need it now. This may be true whether or not you have an empty bowl.
And the best way to prevent the empty bowl? Ordering his folks downstairs IMMEDIATELY to re-fill it.
You’ve heard the line about ‘herding cats?’ Well, how about a turn of the phrase and you have ‘cats who herd you.’
That’s what it feels like most mornings.
Picture this, if you will. I’m walking across the kitchen from the fridge to the counter. Roger cuts me off and forces me to my right (closer to the downstairs door). Then, as I head over to the cabinet, to pour my bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, he slams into my legs and pushes me further toward the door.
As I begin to descend the staircase, he is underfoot all the way down, lest I might change my mind, pause to put on my shoes or decide that, even though I have showered, shaved and gotten ready for work, I’m really just going to go back upstairs and sit on the sofa while I watch another hour of Mike and Mike in the Morning.
Herding (from Dictionary.com)
herd [hurd]
noun
1. a herdsman (usually used in combination): a cowherd; a goatherd; a shepherd.
verb (used with object)
2. to tend, drive, or lead (cattle, sheep, etc.).
3. to conduct or drive (a group of people) to a destination: The teacher herded the children into the classroom.
Think #2 or #3. They’re spot on.
Anyway, that’s what it feels like most mornings – and many evenings too – when he hurries us up and drives us down the stairs.
Living with Roger is definitely entertaining and he is not a cat for the faint of heart or those without patience. He’s not the most laid back cat I’ve known…but he keeps things interesting.
JG
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