Join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi, and me as we recreate for your reading pleasure the things our pets get up to. Thank you, SpikesBestMate, for a topic rich with possibilities!
You can leave your poem in the comments, or post on your blog; if you do the latter, please also leave a comment here so we can track you down and applaud your work.
Use the topic, or choose another. The idea is to have fun and work our brains a little.
*****
Cats sleep a lot, something in the order of twelve to sixteen hours a day. Indoor cats tend to sleep even more, based on my observations.
But that still leaves them with plenty of time to get up to no good.
Take our cats, for instance. In their spare time, they reduce the upholstery to broken threads, slosh the kibble and water from their dishes across the floor, cause havoc in their litter boxes, knead holes in the good blankets, push everything off everything, and chew almost anything that dangles, including drawstrings, ribbon, yarn, earrings and hair but excluding cat toys meant to keep them away from the other things.
Some cats have put their time to better use: I'm thinking of F.D.C. Willard, Grumpy Cat, Simon's Cat, Maru, and Garfield, among others - all of whom have their own Wikipedia articles.
Whether famous or infamous, cats do it all while looking cute and fuzzy and innocent.
*****
I Want to Come Back as a Cat
Oh cat, I wish I could be you
I'd do just what I wanted to
When found out, I'd just blink my eyes
And purr to drown out all the sighs
I'd stretch and sprawl out upside down
I'd star on YouTube with renown
I'd write a book, I'd write Haiku
I'd have the sort of life you do
Instead I'm servant to Your Grace
(Who's giving me her gimme face)
*****
Hoping you have a week like a pampurred cat :)
Next week's topic is one that's also been suggested by SpikesBestMate:
The Delights/Disasters of "Growing Your Own" .....
Good luck!
P. S. More suggestions for topics are very welcome. Come on - challenge us!
I love your poem. Sometimes I feel like I am part cat or I was one in a previous life! I love my cats but yes, I think we are their servants.
ReplyDeleteThey find us very trainable, I think :)
DeleteYou summed up the lives of many cats nicely.
ReplyDeleteNot all cats have it that good, but many do.
DeleteCats do have us trained, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI know a girl who had a pet rat named Gandhi, as in "My Ratma Gandhi" and she used to carry her around in the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
I had to rat sit for a while when Amber was finding a new place to live, and I found her to be a very well behaved little animal, except for one time when she seemed obsessed with climbing down behind my bass amplifier, and I would have to put her back in her cage until Amber came to collect her. Later I found out that there was a mouse down there and that was likely what she was so curious about.
Amber came into my room one time and put her arm down on the bed, and out scurried Gandhi, much to the surprise of two other visitors, who, unfortunately, were terrified of rats and began screaming and jumping around in my tiny little room.
Gandhi looked around, assessed the situation, and zip! She disappeared back up Amber's sleeve, leaving Michelle and Cocoa sort of staring at her in disbelief.
After that, when either one of them came to visit, they would make me swear to them "that thing" wasn't in my room or going to be arriving while they were there.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
I once had a friend who bred white rats for research purposes. He didn't have many girlfriends.
DeleteI can just imagine the shrieking :) Love the rat's name! Not everyone is fond of rodent pets but I like them. It's the wild ones that kind of frighten me.
DeleteI'm telling you... Maybe I never jumped up and down and screamed, but the final six months of my time working as the warehouse manager at Tumbleweed, a natural foods distributor, while the business was failing, they got a rat infestation. In a food warehouse. I often had to work there by myself late at night and I took to carrying around a spray can of carburetor cleaner and a Bic lighter as an improvised flame thrower just to scare the little... well they weren't so little. Otherwise, they just ingored me and went about their business of eating and contaminating our inventory. I had nightmares about them months after Tumbleweed went out of business.
Delete-Doug in Sugar Pine
Brrrrr!!
DeleteI have often thought that I would like to come back as a cat in my next life. However I have made it difficult for myself. I would like to come back as MY cat to ensure that I am suitably pampered.
ReplyDeleteLove your entirely truthful poem and have seen that look more than once. And succumbed to it too.
Yes, not all cats have it as good as our pets, do they? I wouldn't want to come back as a feral cat.
Deletei dont know why we do it to ourselves! but i do know
ReplyDeletecuteness is their defence and it works very well
Indeed, kylie! lol
DeleteI'm surprised at all the things your cats do. Are they young? Lola is eleven and all she does is sleep and eat, which is fine with me. Lola's "Look" is the narrowed eyes one, which means "why haven't you fed me yet?"
ReplyDeleteOh, those narrowed eyes! They mean business :)
DeleteOur cats are not young (12 and 9). I wish they would play with toys, though, instead of things they're not supposed to have :)
you said it so beautifully dear Jenny
ReplyDeletewhere i spent early years of my life pets were rare
most of villagers had dogs but their purpose was only to guard houses and hardly one person of the family was close and friendly to them
as child we wanted to have one puppy but circumstances were not favorable as maternal grandma was against it ,still we got one later after she passed away but that story is sad enough to share right now
our pet cat was adopted not intentionally but mom provided her shelter after rain storm and she lived us for her next three generations
now when i think about her it makes me happy that we had her once and her kids
she was companion to mom and play fellow to us ,her favorite play was chasing her own tail which would make us laugh for long
i enjoyed you poem so much my friend but what if your wish come true and i miss your lovely reads ? :)
lots of love and hug!
Pets are a luxury in many parts of the world, it is true. Many animals must earn their keep by guarding property or taking care of rodent pests. I'm glad you had the chance to have a pet cat and her kittens when you were young. It is so comical to see a cat (or dog) chase its tail, isn't it? Hugs to you too, my friend!
Deletewhat about "pandemic" as next topic ?
ReplyDeleteNo other topic could ever inspire us
DeleteLike writing about the coronavirus!
There's no better use for our lyrical skill
Than odes to the art of not being deathly ill!
I'm willing to take on that challenge, baili - thank you!
DeleteClever poem, Infidel :)
Heehee! Perfect, Infidel!
DeleteLove that poem, says it all. Our 5 have wrecked the arms of our large sofa and are working their way through the new leather recliner. I've put blankets on the corners but it doesn't work so I decided to let them get on with it. After all I decided to let them live with me so I must accept the consequences. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
That's how we've decided to look at it, too, Briony. We won't be getting new furniture until these cats are gone. (We won't be getting new cats either because our son-in-law is very allergic to them.)
DeleteI had no idea cats sleep that much. They certainly not normally seem to lack energy.
ReplyDeleteI posted this last week; not about pets, but I thought I'd mention it in case you're interested.
Outdoor cats expend a lot of energy hunting and protecting their territory. Indoor cats, not so much. Either way, yep, they sleep a LOT.
DeleteI'll check out the link shortly!
That dog can’t talk but listen mate,
ReplyDeleteShe sure can communicate
While she will just stand and stare,
Her eyes tell what she wants and where.
Her antics are far less these days
As age has slowed her rowdy ways.
Still, if you let her have a go
She will run and not be slow.
Well done, Marie - I'm picturing Georgie when I read that :) Dogs have such expressive eyes, don't they!
DeleteOh, those eyes! They just look into your soul!
DeleteDogs also have it pretty good -- assuming they have good homes. Being a street dog (or a street cat) is no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It's a hard life on the street, and often a much shorter life too.
DeleteJenny, you've made my day with your poem, it is so relateable and funny. Thanks for including the links - a lot more to enjoy there, too. Here's my effort:
ReplyDeleteWe have a dog whose name is Buster
Who just LOVES a feather duster.
He’ll leap, and pounce, and toss it high -
How he makes those feathers fly!
He’ll grab the handle, swing it round
And bash the feathers on the ground
Until they loosen from the rod
And form a trail where’ere he’s trod.
Across the lawn and past the sheds,
Round and round the flower beds,
He’ll dance and prance, and jump for joy
Whilst demolishing his favourite toy.
Up the stairs, beneath the bed
Where two chewed-up shoes are laid
There he hides my precious duster -
Now the property of Buster.
Buster? Buster! - WHERE’S MY DUSTER?
Hahaha! I can just picture it, SBM! Well done! Thank you for the topic - and next week's topic, too :)
DeleteHeather, would you like to have your name added to the preamble (along with Diane, MotherOwl, and Mimi) each Monday? Shoot me an email if you'd like to discuss privately, or answer here - either is fine. My email: newjennyo@gmail.com
DeleteHeather, this is adorable! Perfectly done! I think I have a Buster.
DeleteWretched Buster!
Some have it better than others; ours definitely fall into that group :)
ReplyDeleteAdorable, Jenny! Hmmm . . . I think I'd love a cat's life, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd that face! I think I'd give him anything!
That kitten would melt the hardest heart :)
DeleteWe had a cat named Scuba. He was adept at doing all those things you named. We miss him.
ReplyDeleteGood poems. Thanks for a good Monday.
Glad to be of assistance! and thank you too.
DeleteI love my girls, and I know I am only here to serve them. I have to admit that their company and antics have helped us during the Covid -19 lockdown. The comfort that a pet gives, especially in times like this, is immeasurable. We have wonderful conversations and there is never an argument.
ReplyDeleteI was right there with you until the last part of the last sentence . . . our cats give us sass like you wouldn't believe!!
DeleteMeow, Jenny O, Your poem made my day!
ReplyDeleteMeowww and love Lukas
Ha ha - thanks, e and Lukas :D
DeleteHenri. You missed the world famous cat Henri.
ReplyDeleteHe's there in the link to YouTube in line 6 of the poem! Hee hee!
DeleteGrandpa says that he wants to come back as one of Grandma's cats if he has to come back at all. She does spoil her pets.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! He would be well-looked after :)
Delete...and now I just lost half an hour looking up F.D.C. Willard and Maru - I'd never heard of them before. F.D.C. Willard tickled my funnybone! Simon's Cat always makes me giggle, too.
ReplyDeleteYour poem expresses what I've often thought, as well - life as a pampered and much-loved housecat would be idyllic!
Indeed it would :)
DeleteI think being a cat would be alright. I wouldn't mind coming back as Ms. Frizzle as she has a pretty good gig. Well at least I think so. She might disagree because I only take her 4 times a day instead of 6 or 7.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think Ms Frizzle has it made!
DeleteAnd I am glad to spoil her.
DeleteIsn't it amazing how much trouble they can cause in the minimal time they are awake? The little demons! But we love them anyway. Now that we're empty nesters, it's all about the cats. Are the cats comfortable? Do the cats have enough to eat? Are the cats happy? What else can I do to please the cats? :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, Martha!!
DeleteI loved our 2 cats but boy did the wreck the house. Proving the point that if you look cute and adorable you can get away with murder.
ReplyDeleteThose claws are weapons!
DeleteAw. That face. How can you resist?
ReplyDeleteI know! Wish my face looked like that :)
Delete