I
have been very tired lately, and I know why. It’s this.
Yes,
that ugly little brute is a principal reason why my amount of sleep has been
reduced lately. Despite the fact that Raleigh doesn’t clean himself well, he
tries to maintain a good level of hygiene, for which I am grateful. I just wish
he would do it at a more reasonable hour.
Every
morning, Raleigh visits the litter-boxes. Every morning at 4.36. Once there, he
does what he must. Then he proceeds to cover his deposits. And cover them and
cover them and cover them. He doesn’t just scrabble in the litter, which, as
many of you know is a soft, swishing sound. No, he attempts to bring down upon
his waste the sides of the litter-box. He pounds and bangs, he scrapes and
thumps. I thought Cammie made a production of her time in the boxes, but Peachy
tops her. He is like a movie-drunk who arrives at the pub before sunrise,
thinking it is after sunset, and demands with great vigour that the landlord
admit him. For five or more minutes, my newest cat beats an irregular tattoo
against the reverberating sides of the plastic boxes, an army drummer-boy no
one has the heart to tell has no sense of rhythm.
I
can’t very well order him to stop, or even complain. The last thing I want is
to make him reluctant to visit the litter-boxes. Unfortunately, I must rise at
a little after five o’clock, in order to have the time to provide everyone with
the convoluted process known in the cosy apartment as ‘breakfast’. And, as one
may imagine, being violently woken with just under half an hour in one’s
already short night, does not lend itself to a peaceful drifting back to the
realm of Morpheus.
So
every two or three nights, I am robbed of an accumulated hour of sleep by a cat
who is probably quite proud of the efficient completion of his necessary work. And
I can’t do anything about it. But then, I do have this compensation. And that’s
not bad.
Oh I love that picture. I know just what you go through. My Joey digs to China when he uses the litter box. He not only scratches in the litter, everything around the box is also scratched- furniture, carpeting, the wall... In Raleigh's case the way he covers his "business" is probably a through back to his time on the street, where well covered waste is protection from predators.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. Maybe you need to consider 4.30 am a time to wake up and use the extra 1/2 hour to just relax and stretch under the covers. Bless you for seeing that the bonus of a snuggle with your boy outweighs his early morning disturbances.
ReplyDeleteHahaha I had a cat that was like that,a Black one called Smokey xx Speedy's Mum
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny, although not as funny for you and your interrupted sleep.
ReplyDeleteHe just thinks he is being very efficient in his covering.
Eric would do deep slow moving digs in the box but not too noisily. Flynn would cover quickly then run off as if his tail was on fire and take a flying leap onto the bed and wake us up that way.
We always smile around here, whoever is here with me at the time, when Katie does a similar thing. Only when it is a solid waste..not when she "tinkles". She does a thorough job of covering solids with much gusto. Then, after she is satisfied that the job is complete and an inspection to make sure...she bounds out of the box with the alacrity of an acrobat. Then, she flies with the speed of light around the house with wild and widely opened eyes until the announcement of finished work is complete. Halloween cat back is in full display.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I had to laugh. You described that so realistically I felt I was there hearing it in person! My Ozzy boy digs his way to China and the whole box just shakes. Thankfully I don't hear him at night.
ReplyDeleteRaleigh looks so peaceful on your lap. Is he still acting fearful of you at times? Poor guy. Life on the streets really took a toll on him. Glad he's safe with you now.
You do have compensation, but sleep deprivation is all too real and all too commonplace, especially among pet (cat) caretakers. Would ear plugs work or would not wake for the alarm (assuming you set one)?
ReplyDeleteI can't wear ear-plugs because, aside from first having to become accustomed to them, which I'm sure I could, I need to hear if anyone throws up during the night, especially Cammie or Parker. I wake immediately when I hear it. If Cammie vomits, I need to know if it's one of her episodes or just a hairball (as it was recently), and I need to know the progression of Parker's condition.
DeleteThey have us wrapped around their furry paws!
ReplyDelete*grin*
Angel too has to use the facilities very early, and the smell is what wakes us up!
ReplyDelete