creekland Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 As I've once again been amused at how well my cats have me trained, I'm curious to know what other servants do for their morning chores... My routine? Get up. Head to bathroom. Comb out the one cat who loves to stay indoors most nights. Any leftover bathroom time is mine for showering etc, but she also helps out in places I've missed. She waits on the bathmat encouraging me to hurry up a bit. Head downstairs. Open the door to let our outdoor night loving cat in. Go immediately to the food dish and exchange old kibbles for new. (Once I actually tried to escape this and went upstairs... I got chewed out royally with his highness even following me to the great upstairs - staff quarters - he very rarely goes there, but this was a necessary exception!) Go to the water dish and exchange water. If I forget, I will be reminded. Turn on the TV news and computer. Pending morning... either fix breakfast (if heading to school) or push that off to later (if eating with hubby). Sit down. (A very necessary step that will delay progress if I try to skip it.) Pull laptop over to my lap and start checking out online news. Put laptop back on table and let inside overnight kitty out. Check to see if outside overnight kitty wants out. Of course not. Sit back down. Pull laptop back over to continue checking news. Put it back on the table. Get up to let outside overnight kitty back out. Should I try to shirk my duty or postpone it I'll get scolded, then a paw will come up to get my attention, then the paw has claws out ever so slightly, then they'll head to a corner where they threaten to use the bathroom indoors. That's as far as I ever get challenging their authority. :lol: Usually I give in much sooner as I've learned the routine. But every morning, I truly remark at how OCD they are and how well my critters can have me trained when humans try and fail. ;) I have, however, been tempted to go upstairs again after letting outside kitty in... his royal scolding was way too cute. It woke hubby up though and I'm not sure he was as amused. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Wow, mine haven't trained me at all. They can be fed anywhere from 4pm to 2am depending on when we are home (they always have dry food available). They are indoor cats so no in-and-out games. And we don't even comb them since they're short haired and indoor! We have it easy! However, if the bengal/manx decides his litter box is not cleaned at the right time (IMMEDIATELY after food is served, whatever time it is served, he doesn't mind when, but litter WILL happen immediately afterwards) or if it's not cleaned to his satisfaction (sometimes he will decide, no, scooping wasn't enough today, it was a full-box clean day, stupid human), he will do a great big poop in the MIDDLE of the floor. Not peeing, and never by the litterbox or to the side. It is very intentionally, a poop in the middle of the walkway where we will definitely step on it if we don't see it first. He has many other quirks.... but that's about the only human-training related one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I used to have a cat that me trained on an entire morning routine. The end was that I would pick him up and point his head away from the kitchen door. He would sprawl with his belly in the air, and I would be allowed to pet it. But, I had to watch for the other cat, and if she came in I had to poke him. That was his cue to act all indignant that I would dare to pick him and up and pet him. He was the only one that really trained me extensively. He also trained me to clip his claws on his schedule. He knew I hated the sound of him biting his back claws. So, he'd get near me but where I couldn't reach him. Look at me, then bite his claws, then look at me again. If I did anything but concede and get the clippers, he chow down on that claws making the maximum noise. Didn't matter if I was studying for a super important final exam. I have heard that the reason you can't train cats is that there is always a trainer and a trainee, and ... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Our routine isn't nearly as detailed as yours. Dh gets up at four and he feeds the cat. Which means that by 3 AM, the cat starts doing laps on our bed, walking on my pillow with each rotation. Why mine? Because dh would sleep through it if cat walked on his, and when he walks on mine, I get angry and yell at the cat, which wakes dh up, and sometimes he just goes ahead and gets up. Which means the cat gets fed earlier. Win: cat After eating, cat comes back to bed to sleep right by my face, smelling like cat food of course. When I get up at 6 and start making the bed, the cat plays dead. When I finally pick him up and toss him off the bed, he complains to me. Win: me, kind of. But I still smell cat breath every morning. Then I scoop the litter box. The cat stands nearby and watches and as soon as I walk away with the bag of waste, he walks into the pan and christens it...just to show his dominance, I guess. Win: cat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Mine is pretty tame, compared to his highness! Staff quarters... hahaha! Ours walks across the bed at around 4:45 am every single day, including holidays. She walks across the pillows, sometimes stepping on my face. She wants to know if DH will be getting up to run. If he does, she wants the bathroom faucet turned on to a precise tiny stream so she can drink. She doesn't have a water bowl; she would never use it. Today she got me up, because he refused. However, if the food bowl is within about 20 kibbles of empty, a.k.a. death by starvation, she will get DH up earlier and complain. He's trained to check her bowl before he goes to bed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 My cats are all on different schedules. The most annoying one is the nocturnal cat who eats at night, and will wake me up 2-3 times to be fed, she's an outdoor cat and will wake me up to show me her latest catch that's dripping blood all over the hall floor and usually missing its head. She'll also wake me up for a 30-second snuggle session when she fancies it before going back outside. She's loving but very independent, not a lap cat, occasionally she'll sleep between my feet for a couple of hours. In the daytime, she normally comes in at about 10 am and then sleeps until between 3pm-5pm. The kitten and 16yr old are a bit easier they're happier fed morning and evening plus a few extra small meals for the kitten but mostly in daylight hours. The 16yr old has the odd day he wants food at night but not often. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 This morning I watched DH let the cat in the back door. The cat walked around for no more than a couple of minutes and then waited at the front door to be let out there. I guess he was just saying hello. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 One queen of the inside and one king of the outside at our house. Queen bee spends the night locked in our guest room, which is right across the hall from our bedroom. She doesn't make a peep when dh gets up and about because she knows he won't let her out yet. dh will normally feed king of the outside one small can of food and then he hangs around the front porch waiting for me to eventually give him another. Queen of the inside starts howling as soon as she hears movement from me or one of our sons and she continues until someone lets her out. She keeps howling until someone finally follows her to the laundry room where she receives her morning "treat" (she has dry food out all of the time but loves these Temptation treats). If I didn't give them to her, she will howl at me, trying to get me to follow her back to the laundry room, pretending she still has not received anything. She begs for these treats several times a day even though she knows she only gets them in the morning and the evening. Then I feed King of the Outside his second can of food, clean all of his dishes from the night before, refresh his water and his dry food and take it all back outside for him. He is around 18 or 19 years old now and does not like cooler weather so, depending on the weather, I might have to move his food dishes around several times, depending on where he decides to settle down for his morning nap. We go through all of this again in the evening. At times King of the Outside will scratch at the front door wanting in. He trots off to the master bathroom where I am expected to immediately put him up on the counter so he can get a drink out of the sink faucet. Sometimes he waits there expectantly until I put my hand under the water stream so he can drink out of my hand. He is pretty patient but he is also very persistent. Queen of the Inside is not quite as demanding about things in general but she does have this thing about wanting out on the back porch, and then back in, and then back out, and then back in, etc. all. day. long. She has a very loud meow and will let you know very clearly when she wants in or out and she will keep at it until we pay attention and respond. They keep me almost as busy as my two sons. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 I have heard that the reason you can't train cats is that there is always a trainer and a trainee, and ... I'm pretty sure I have to steal this saying! In general, I love all these! It's really amazing how much our cats are able to train us (most of the time anyway). Mine don't have to walk around on our bed getting me up. 3 - 4am is early enough for their standards. The outside at night lover has hubby trained to let him out at night. It has to be him, unless he's not home. Apparently I'm either not as talented with that task or he wants to keep hubby up on the one trick he has learned. We're not sure, but it gives us a chuckle when he comes in the family room after getting his evening snack and selects his servant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I get up and before I've even made my coffee, give the cats their canned food. (Because the fancy dry food isn't enough for them, apparently.) They eat it in about thirty seconds, and my especially piggish cat cries and paws at my legs until I relent and give her a tiny bowl of half and half. Then while I drink my coffee there is a great deal of petting and complementing. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Princess Lily has trained me to let her into the bathroom by crying and pawing at the door. She also cries and paws as ds15's door when he is studying. Her preferred place to sit is in my lap or on ds's books as he is working. I am trained to sit and "hold it" until I am in pain when she is sitting in my lap. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Well, if she wants a drink first thing, I get her a drink from my bathroom sink. If not, I follow her downstairs and give her her catnip treats and her dental treats. Then I take care of the dogs. But I'm not trained. I do that because I WANT to. And I can quit whenever. I want. For real. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Get up and stay out of his way till it is time to eat. My cat is a jerk who pretty much thinks we exist to feed him and nothing else. God forbid we try to pet him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Our kitties eat at night and are very laid back! We usually feed them before we head up to bed. If we are upstairs but haven't fed them yet and it gets late, one will jump up on our very high dresser and start knocking stuff off the surface. My dearly departed girl would come sit on you and stare until you fed her. Mornings are easy. Scoop litter and give some scritches. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 But I'm not trained. I do that because I WANT to. And I can quit whenever. I want. For real. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 My poor, deprived cats, lol! They'll whine now and then for food, but they know the kids are their best bet. They only have outside access on our 2nd floor balcony, and that door stays open nearly 24/7, almost year-round. My morning cat routine is mostly to scout for puke and clean the litter box. Sometimes I'll have to assert myself to claim my spot as dh's cuddle buddy, but that's about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Our kitties eat at night and are very laid back! We usually feed them before we head up to bed. If we are upstairs but haven't fed them yet and it gets late, one will jump up on our very high dresser and start knocking stuff off the surface. My dearly departed girl would come sit on you and stare until you fed her. Mornings are easy. Scoop litter and give some scritches. Same cat I mentioned earlier that had me trained was more sophisticated about knocking stuff off. We had a couple of those really large wooden desks from the 50's. Really large. Cat would be on one corner then he'd stretch his leg out and push all the stuff along the back of the desk until they shoved together, and then whatever it was on the far side fell off. You might think it was an accident except that he was looking at you with that look the entire time. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Our cats are absolute royalty. They have the four of us waiting on them hand and foot. I don't have time to write out the routine, but when Cat bites our hands we are absolutely delighted and tell each other in excited tones, "Look! Cat is communicating with us! He's hungry! Oh, isn't this a treasure to be in communication with an animal!" and we delightedly run right off to the kitchen and feed him food. Same thing when Griffin gives a little chirrup. "Oooo! He's communciating with us! Give him some cream cheese!" 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Unfortunately my kitties must sometimes cope with inferior servants when I'm not here. They have the basic idea but really, what ARE they thinking in waiting an extra 30 minutes in providing supper? Their facial expressions betray their disdain for us pathetic human creatures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 Unfortunately my kitties must sometimes cope with inferior servants when I'm not here. They have the basic idea but really, what ARE they thinking in waiting an extra 30 minutes in providing supper? Their facial expressions betray their disdain for us pathetic human creatures. Mine have written off the males of our species as pretty close to untrainable. I think that's why the outdoor kitty insists that hubby is the one who lets him out at night. He's so proud of himself that he's managed to train a male to do a simple task. They also are thrilled when my mom visits. I believe it's every cat's dream to be a "Grandma's Kitty." Grandmas are extremely easy to train compared to the rest of us. If they could disable her car and not let her leave (except to go to the store for more food for them) I'm positive they would. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 If they could disable her car and not let her leave (except to go to the store for more food for them) I'm positive they would. I think it's brave of you to even suggest such things. Let's hope your cats can't read very well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I am cat-like enough myself that I have resisted being trained by the other cat in the house. The cat fits into my daily routine when I want it to. I don't fit into the cat's routine. But we get along quite well, so it works for us. She has, however, discovered that if she smashes up to me in bed I am unlikely to push her out and will contort myself around her all night. I think she makes my sleeping brain think there is a baby in the bed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 We have it easy compared to some of you! DH gets up first and makes me coffee, and the Poor Neglected Animal reminds him of her plight. He feeds her to shut her up. If I take a shower and forget to turn on the dehumidifier, she will supervise from a bath mat--but she abhors noise, and so she usually waits downstairs. When I come down, I am likewise reminded of the state of animal neglect in this house, and I give her token extra food with some desperately needed brushing, and replace her water, which has been stagnating, need she remind me, since yesterday. If for some reason we are not at our posts on schedule, she won't jump on the bed or anything, just sits a few feet away making Polite Noises of Inquiry into the intended timing of breakfast and/or second breakfast. Of course, I do need to reach the couch fairly promptly in the morning so I can read to her, and she expects a snack whenever DS gets food. She takes no notice of reminders that she is a full-grown kitty while he's a growing boy, but reproaches us that she is wasting away. And how exactly is she supposed to eat if no one is brushing her? In the evening, she expects me to throw pompoms for her to catch while DS showers. Finally she will herd DH (her favorite!) and me to the couch, and once DH has the TV on--she doesn't trust him to stay seated properly unless it's on--settle comfortably in her spot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 I think it's brave of you to even suggest such things. Let's hope your cats can't read very well. I wrote it at school while my kids were doing a state survey. Fortunately, the cats don't have internet access on their own. I'll have to be careful to not show that post when I'm sitting with "my" kitty in his chair at home though. We have it easy compared to some of you! Finally she will herd DH (her favorite!) and me to the couch, and once DH has the TV on--she doesn't trust him to stay seated properly unless it's on--settle comfortably in her spot. It sounds like yours are pretty good trainers - just perhaps less authoritarian than mine are. "My" cat and I still have discussions about whose chair we share. I tell him it's mine since I paid for it. He tells me it's his since he uses it more. We have figured out how to share. I reminded him that the Law of Gross Tonnage says that I get the seat part. He reminds me that he's joining me and I can decide whether I want to put the footrest out (his favorite part) or have him sitting on my lap/laptop/plate or in front of any newspaper/magazine/book, etc. If we eat Chinese, ALL pork in the Won Ton soup is his. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Ours are easy. They live outside and we fill up their food bowl when it gets low. They have a water bowl but most of the time they drink out of puddles anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdel Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Oh, yeah, I've been trained. I run around the house trying to corral cats into the garage every night so that I can shut them in it. Once I do that they cant wake me up by banging on the door, mewling for food with only a half eaten bowl, or scratching endlessly on their litterbox. I win. Stefanie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Talking to my parents earlier today reminded me of this thread. My kitties are currently medium-term boarders at Gramma and Grampa's house. Kitty heaven. OMG spoiled. I do not even care to contemplate all the behaviors they've acquired ...errr, I mean hard work training humans that they've accomplished. Anyway. Apparently the one in my avatar has started a new trend. When my Dad's alarm goes off she bites his arm (lovingly, of course :D) to make sure he is getting up to let her outside for her morning outside time. Because only Grampa lets her out. Gramma is only food/treat trained - and very well trained, at that. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 Apparently the one in my avatar has started a new trend. When my Dad's alarm goes off she bites his arm (lovingly, of course :D) to make sure he is getting up to let her outside for her morning outside time. Because only Grampa lets her out. Gramma is only food/treat trained - and very well trained, at that. ;) So perhaps males of our species really can handle door service better? Or is that all they can do? We're not quite sure in our house, though it comes up in discussion often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 If I don't feed kitty right when I get up she is underfoot, following me around until I feed her. So, it's get up, feed the cat, I also change water and scoop the box. After she eats she's ready to play or she attacks ankles of anyone b walking by, so someone gets her toy and tires kitty out so we can go about our day without being attacked. We love this little "fluff ball". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I don't have a cat but my Brittany Spaniel is very scheduled too. She waits outside our door for the alarm to go off and then she runs ahead of me to the kitchen. She sits expectantly by the door while I am getting coffee so I go let her out. She will only be out for a minute or two and then RUSH back in and do flips getting to her food bowl and then plop down in front of it and look up at me. Sigh. So I get her food. Then if dh leaves for work and I go back to bed she comes into our room and sleeps/snores not to my bed. Oh and if dh leaves super early and I don't get up....she comes down the hall as soon as he leaves and sleeps next to my bed. Nighttime routine is similar. She waits for us to eat and then she rushes to her food dish and looks at everyone. Oh and she has been known to play us and get fed twice. She is 12 years old and I love her. She doesn't bark through out all of this. Or even whine. But wow is she demanding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Let's see, the am routine involves both dh and myself. Dh gets up around 5:00 am and goes into our master bathroom where our two young cats sleep. He shaves while they circle his feet. One jumps up on the counter, so he turns on a water faucet for him to stare at so he can continue shaving & brush his teeth. He then turns the faucet off and leaves the bathroom, leaving them in there. He returns from his run and lets the littles out of the bathroom, shooting them out of our bedroom and into the hallway, closing the door behind them. When I get up, our grumpy old lady cat runs out from under our bed and into the bathroom to eat the food the littles didn't eat during the night. If they didn't leave anything for her, she complains with a loud "mow." You see, she has no "e's" so it's "mow" instead of "meow." Sometimes it's "now" and "wow." I open one of the cabinet drawers to get some morning routine stuff out and leave it open so she can scratch her chin on it while I wash my face & brush my teeth. Then, I go downstairs, carefully closing the bathroom door behind me. I put food in the cat bowls downstairs, which causes the littles to come running (they are usually hanging out on ds' loft bed at this time). Then I take some food up to the grumpy old lady and close the drawer in the bathroom. I close the bedroom door behind me so the littles won't bug the old lady while she's eating. After she eats, she then goes and sits on my suitcase, which is a the foot of our bed. She spends most of her day there. Meanwhile, I am downstairs on the couch, petting the littles and often playing fetch with one of them. I have found that if I don't do this for about 30 minutes, one of them will climb my bathrobe and ride on my shoulders while the other follows along. It's really hard to get anything done with a cat on your shoulders. Then I go up and take my shower, leaving the littles in a sunbeam. After I take my shower, I have to let the littles in the bedroom so that one of them can get to the shower to watch the water drip down the door as it dries. The other one just hangs around. The day begins. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 So perhaps males of our species really can handle door service better? Or is that all they can do? We're not quite sure in our house, though it comes up in discussion often.It must be the Better door service thing - Grampa is also well trained in turning on the faucet for a drink - none of this plebian water bowl stuff for these cats. It must be fresh. He can even scoop the litter boxes. And snuggles. My other cat has Grampa trained that he must sit in his t.v watching chair in the living room for at least a little while in the evening (even on really busy days) so that she can lay half on the chair back, half on his shoulder - and purr loudly in his one good ear, so that he can't actually hear the t.v. I don't know that they'll ever want to come back to live with us when we're ready for them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Morning chore: Let the cat out onto the back porch so she can catch a sunbeam. Let her back in again. Let her out again. Take a few sips of coffee. Let her in again. And on and on for a good hour or more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Low maintenance guy here. At some point the girls refill his water, top off the dry food and clean the box. The end. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Our cats figured out where we keep the bag of food, so they take matters into their own hands if the food bowl is empty. Self-serve for them is a good fit for our lifestyle. One of them is a complete jerk though, so I always make sure to let him out of the house first thing in the morning before he nips me. I also make sure the child who claimed him brings him food immediately upon entering the house so that he doesn't bite me then either. Maybe he has me trained, but it's more like he is walking a thin line toward not being welcome in our family. And I'm a big animal person. I've never turned away a stray. I've also never before had a cat walk straight up to me calmly and nip me with zero interaction or provocation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Mine have a self-refilling kibble dish, a water "fountain" downstairs plus a large mixer-type bowl of water upstairs, a rotating self-cleaning litter box, plus a large Rubbermaid tote as a litter box. They stay inside. I do cat chores about once a week. Maybe two weeks sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 Morning chore: Let the cat out onto the back porch so she can catch a sunbeam. Let her back in again. Let her out again. Take a few sips of coffee. Let her in again. And on and on for a good hour or more. Wow! Your taskmaster is really into repetitive drills to make sure you get it correct! That seems to be an "old school" type of training! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 ... And snuggles. My other cat has Grampa trained that he must sit in his t.v watching chair in the living room for at least a little while in the evening (even on really busy days) so that she can lay half on the chair back, half on his shoulder - and purr loudly in his one good ear, so that he can't actually hear the t.v. ... Silly you! Why would anyone want to listen to the T.V. instead of purring? Crazy talk! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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