[Sca-cooks] On housebreaking spouses and other co-habitant critters...

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> I've got one! Though I think it's hereditary - he's just like his father,
> who is also a well-trained and obedient spouse...lol..
>
> Generys

Having been around a bit, and made several observations of cohabitation of
many kinds, and also having been allowed to cohabit with an assortment of
critters, most notably cats, but also including Men, I have learned the
following.

As a general rule, the discipline of the critter, of whatever species,
reflects the self- discipline of the trainer.

Take, for example, my Little Girl, 12 years old, and most experienced at
being a Cat.

Due to the schedule of the rest of the Household, I normally awaken at 8:30
AM, that being an ideal time to hit the restroom (everyone else is gone) and
start the coffee pot. My Little Girl, being the patient and loving Cat that
she is, waits until that time to sit next to me and stare at me until I wake
up (ask Margali). I am allowed my trip to the bathroom, and my starting of
the coffee pot, but then it is Most Assuredly breakfast time, and I get her
some canned food out of the fridge. I then feed the Fur and Feather Fan Club
(outdoor Cats and Chickens). I am then allowed to get my coffee and drink it
in peace, unless of course, Bonzer needs his cat food stirred, or Jezebelle
needs to practice ankle tackling.

But, taking a morning like this morning, when I Slept In.

Promptly this morning at 8:30 AM, my Little Girl arrived beside my face and
sat and stared at me. I did the fair thing and pulled the pillow over my
head so I didn't hafta look at her. Promptly at 9 AM, having exhausted her
patience, she proceeded to walk on my head until I staggered out to the
bathroom, fired up the coffee pot, and fed her. But wait, there's more. When
I went out to feed the Fur and Feather Fan Club, I was confronted with a
circle of disapproving eyes, 5 sets, belonging to 3 cats, a hen, and a
rooster, who were expecting their breakfast half an hour before. Having fed
them, I was allowed to stagger back into my bedroom with my coffee, to
continue waking up, chastised and well-disciplined.

Phlip, suffering from critters...

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....