How does anyone with cats ever get out of the house on time?

epona

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Or is it just my cats that are particularly difficult? Or maybe I just haven't developed the necessary skills yet


My morning routine involves being closely followed round by 2 cats at their liveliest time of the day (far more lively than I am!) and almost having to do battle with them to get ready for work!

There are several stages to go through in order to prepare for the day. Step one involves trying not to trip over leg-weaving kitties while heading sleepily for the bathroom, and includes having to fight Radar for posession of my toothbrush and trying not to let him get too wet while he's in the sink.

Step two involves cats dangling from my bra by their claws and teeth as I'm trying to put it on, and tug-of-war competitions involving my socks.

Step three involves the removal of my shoes and bag from the shoe cupboard. Then removal of Radar and Sonic from the cupboard several times before I can get the door closed.

Step four involves trying to tie my shoelaces with a cat on each side of me leaping up and down and going mad trying to grab the laces. I have been bitten during this stage of the process, and gently pulling laces out of little grabbing mouths and avoiding the swiping paws is part of my normal routine.

Step five involves removing them multiple times from my bag, untangling them from the handles, unhooking claws from the fabric, and removing them from inside the bag again. Then making sure that they are both still indoors as I leave.

If Nate is on early shift and it's my job to serve kitty breakfast, there's an extra stage which I call 'the feeding frenzy' involving cans, bowls, leaping cats, things being knocked off the counters, and my strained exhortations to them to get 'On The Floor'. All of these stages are accompanied by the crashing of falling objects, and Sonic's wailing.

I can forget trying to have any breakfast, I just don't have the time or energy to fend them off! It's a wonder I ever get to leave the house at all.
 

lookingglass

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Oh dear... I have three. Let me walk you through it.

My alarm goes off. At that moment the boys all decide to leap on the bed and meow at the top of their lungs. They've been deprived of my attention for the last 8 hours and I have to hear about it.

I make the bed with their assistance. It takes 20 minutes. Before I had cats it took 3.

I then stumble into the kitchen to get some coffee. Dr Claw will flop on the floor and look up at me with the worlds most pathetic eyes. I'm forced to rub his belly.

I go on TCS. They will leave me alone here because DH is getting out of the shower. I will here cries of, "8-Bit that's MY towel, or "Scratch, don't eat that it's SOAP!"

I take a shower. Three kitties line up and play with the shower liner. It's a loud process.

I then try to get dressed. 8-Bit will grab my bra, Scratch will sit on my jeans, and Dr Claw will sit in the middle with a dumbfounded look wondering what's going on.

I will then pop in two waffles for breakfast. This is very tricky I have to guard the toaster because either Scratch or 8-Bit will attempt to eat them while they are cooking. I found this out the hard way when I smelled burned cat hair one morning. Then I have to grab my breakfast once it's done and eat in the bathroom. The boys will sit at the door and cry because I'm not giving them "Second Breakfast".

We then have to get going. I remove 8-Bit from my bag two or three times. I drag Scratch away from my laces once or twice and I do my best not to fall over while Dr Claw is weaving in and out of my legs.

I tie my shoes in the hall way.

If all goes as planned I'm able to leave for work on time. I just have to plan around them.
 
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epona

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Originally Posted by lookingglass

This is very tricky I have to guard the toaster because either Scratch or 8-Bit will attempt to eat them while they are cooking. I found this out the hard way when I smelled burned cat hair one morning.
Let me guess, 'fishing' in the toaster slots? I have caught Radar at that trick, sitting on top of the toaster trying to cook his paw in the slot. Thankfully I had just turned it off so it was cooling down a bit, I have no idea quite what he was trying to fish out though, since it was empty at the time. Not the sharpest knife


I forgot to mention that Sonic has, on several occasions now, managed to turn off my alarm. That is when real panic sets in
 

mrs.harris

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Ya'll Layla doesn't do any of that
She will wake me up meowing and she rubs all over me when I get out ger wet food, but besides that, if I give her the wet food, pet her, and tell her bye I am free to leave!
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Epona

Let me guess, 'fishing' in the toaster slots? I have caught Radar at that trick, sitting on top of the toaster trying to cook his paw in the slot. Thankfully I had just turned it off so it was cooling down a bit, I have no idea quite what he was trying to fish out though, since it was empty at the time. Not the sharpest knife


I forgot to mention that Sonic has, on several occasions now, managed to turn off my alarm. That is when real panic sets in
My boys have turned my ON in the middle of the night. Talk about a shock to the system.

EDIT: Yes, toaster "fishing" goes on here. 8-Bit loves bread with a passion and will do anything to get it. We will have to lock him in another room if we are cutting up slices.
 

tierre0

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Yes that all sounds about right.
I seriously think my two comes up with ideas at the spur of the moment just to keep me from walking out the door.


And then of coarse there is the inevitable glance back at those little pitiful faces making you feel guilty about leaving.


It is all a ruse though, I have actually had to go back in for something and they are usually stretch out on my bed snoozing two minutes after I leave the house.

The jig is up boys
 

gingersmom

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I am fortunate to have three wonderful furchildren.

My morning routine:

Alarm goes off. Ginger kitty, who sleeps next to me, rouses herself to give me my morning finger-licks, as I sit up and try to open my eyes.

Ferris drifts in and out of my room as I get ready. If I am showering, Ginger tried to open the bathroom door from the outside. If I crack it open to let her in, she will only peek through to make sure that I am alright.


Penny ghosts about, sliently running back and forth through the apartment, stopping occasionally to fix a strange, wide-eyed Bengal stare upon me...

For the most part, they simply watch me, for they know what is to come.


As I brush my teeth, one by one the cats appear to lie just outside the bathroom door, watching me...watching me...I put my toothbrush down, turn off the water, head out of the bathroom to....the treat jar.


As soon as I touch the jar, all three hop up and scamper happily to their chosen places: Ferris to the mid-section of the living room cat condo, Penny to the floor in front of her "cave," and Ginger to the top of a plastic clothing storage box in my office.

Expectantly, they all watch me, as Ferris meows pitifully (as if he might be forgotten!) I take a small handful of crunchy treats, and splitting it into three, give a portion to each of my babies, in turn: Ferris first (since he's the meowiest,) then Penny, then Ginger, my special girl.

Bidding them all goodbye, I grab my keys and walk out the door to the sound of happy crunching...

 

tavia'smom

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Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

Ya'll Layla doesn't do any of that
She will wake me up meowing and she rubs all over me when I get out ger wet food, but besides that, if I give her the wet food, pet her, and tell her bye I am free to leave!
That's the way Tavia is which then again I don't work until the afternoon. my biggest adventure is getting past the dogs in the morning.
 

anmccleod

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Luckily, my 2 cats sleep in the living room, while our 7lb papillon, Comet sleeps in the bed.
I would let them all sleep in the bed with us, but Sylvie(big cat) doesn't like Comet, and will take any opportunity to try to kill him, when humans aren't watching. And Comet wins the bed with us, because he was there first.
So when, I get up in the morning, Comet stays asleep, I make sure the door to the hallway is closed, and do not go out into the rest of the house until it's time to leave, unless I absolutely have to.
Sylvie and Iz don't like it, and when I do finally go out into the living room, i get screamed at for attention. I pick up Sylvie, and Iz climbs my leg. I put Sylvie down, pick up Iz, Sylvie climbs up my leg. This keeps on until I go to the door. I finally make it to the door, and they are fighting on the table next to the door, to see who gets petted last.
 

EnzoLeya

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NO KIDDING!!!!!


I'm late almost more often than not it seems..... I know it's bad. Those cats are everywhere! I have to check the bathroom a few times, to be sure no one got locked in. Check the bedroom, check the basement, check the closet, even the cupboard, pretty much anywhere I might have gone that has a door.


Tell the kitten to stop beating up on everyone. Tell the blind one she's NOT going outside today....or any day for that matter. And finally tell the oldest boy, Enzo, good bye and that I love him. He just won't let me leave without giving him a kiss. He'll meow and meow.....What a morning!


And this always happens right when I'm trying to run out the door.....always!
 

sweets

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Aren't mornings fun!

About 5AM my boys decide I have slept enough. They will come flying in the room, under the bed and then proceed to growl and scream at each other like they were ready to commit murder. I will yell at them to get out of the room and try to grab another hour sleep (which is what the alarm is set for) I will wake to Frantic laying at the bottom of the bed as if nothing ever happened an hour ago.

We all troop downstairs where they get a small amount of dry kibble to hold them for 30 minutes while I attempt to shower. But first Frantic has to jump up on the bathroom sink for some loving and running water to drink. While he is up there, Pipsqueek gets jealous and comes to the door to be walked back to his bowl. This goes on at least 5 times before he decides he needs a belly rub on the kitchen chair. Finally I get to turn on the shower which sends them both into the living room.

After my shower, they follow me upstairs and watch as I get dressed. Then we all go back down to the kitchen where I attempt to get my drink and breakfast ready for the car. Then I feed them and leave. When I put their dishes down they attack as if they had never had anything to eat. But if I come back in the room less than 2 minutes later, they're both in the living room in their respective chairs.
 

capt_jordi

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Ohh my mornings arent fun! Well first off I have to have my alarm across the room, because I have a bad habit of just smacking it and making it turn off in my sleep
So my alarm goes off, and I try to throw the blankets off and get up only to find out there is a 27lbs cat on one side and a 13lbs cat on the other blocking me in... multiple mornings joey has gone flipping off the bed by accident! So then I get up attempt to go down our very oddly angled stairs with 3 cats weaving around my feet...
Get downstairs and try to shower while 3 cats are screaming at the door like they havent been fed for weeks! Then Kahlua decides she's had enough waiting and opens the bathroom door and yells at me. Finally get out and have a very angry tortie sitting on the bath tub while I am trying to dry off, when all she wants is to be rubbed with my wet towel...
Give them their morning food, and water, and watch as they race to see who can finish first (still not sure why they do that...) Get my senile shihtzu up and going out and feed her. Chase Kahlua away from the dog food since she loves the gravy so much. Go clean the litter boxes for them, and finally start getting myself ready.
Find clothes and get dressed and try to put on my tennis shoes with 3 cats chasing the strings... And finally get out of the house and leave.
THEN I get to work and get dirty looks from the dog because I smell like a cat...
 

benthicat

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lookingglass: You..you can make your bed?


Epona: How old are your cats? I'm just curious.

Merfy is 13 and stopped bothering me in the morning a couple of years ago. It wasn't all of the sudden...more of a gradual thing. She started looking as groggy as me in the mornings! She's at the stage now where she completely follows my routine. She'll even sit and wait for me to finish my cereal, very calmly, because she wants the milk. She's 13, so if she wants it, she gets it.
She'll just sit near me and watch every weekend morning.

Isosceles is a pain in the rear in the morning. He's 5 months old and acts like a nutcase. Half the time I'm worried he'll run out the door! He was originally one of the neighborhood's many strays, so he looks like a lot of the others. I'm worried that if he were to get out he'd be taken 'downtown.' (can't wait until he fits in his collar.) He likes to play "chase" though. Not a fun game for me when he goes where he's not supposed to be, such as in the basement when Merfy is trying to sleep (she likes the basement.)
 
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epona

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Originally Posted by benthicat

Epona: How old are your cats? I'm just curious.
Oh they are still youngsters - Radar is 16 1/2 months and Sonic is 11 months. I'm not expecting them to calm down anytime soon, Radar is half Cornish Rex and Sonic is Oriental Shorthair - both breeds known for getting in the middle of any household activity and 'helping out' with it


Originally Posted by GingersMom

Expectantly, they all watch me, as Ferris meows pitifully (as if he might be forgotten!) I take a small handful of crunchy treats, and splitting it into three, give a portion to each of my babies, in turn: Ferris first (since he's the meowiest,) then Penny, then Ginger, my special girl.

Bidding them all goodbye, I grab my keys and walk out the door to the sound of happy crunching...
Awwww that is such a lovely scene to imagine! I have tried unsuccessfully to distract them with treats, last time rapidly descended into farce *DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU ARE EATING OR SQUEAMISH!*

I thought great idea, give them some treats, while they are busy I can get on with stuff that needs to be done. How wrong I was. I open the cupboard and get out 2 stick treats, these things are about 5" long. I turn around and Radar is sitting on the bin pawing at me, Sonic is leaping up and down screaming. I tear open the wrapper of one stick, and give it to Radar because he eats slower. As I'm tearing open the second wrapper Sonic leaps up, grabs Radar's stick, and starts chewing it.

OK, I give the second treat to Radar, telling him to eat it quickly before Sonic finishes his. This thing doesn't touch the sides, I mean it goes down in one piece, no chewing. Just as Sonic has finished his treat, Radar leans over the side of the bin, gives a delicate little cough, and deposits his completely unchewed and now slimy treat stick on the floor - which Sonic then of course eats. Back to the drawing board for me.....
 

trouts mom

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Trout is pretty good...the only thing that I have to be wary of is her immediate need to play fetch while I'm on the toilet at 6am and barely have my eyes open.

Do I throw the ball for her? Yes...does it get farther than a foot in front of me? Nope.


Literally, my eyes aren't even open yet..and she is bringing me a ball to throw
She is so cute!
 

pookie-poo

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Aside from playing "weave-between-the-legs-while-meowmy-is-going-down-the-stairs-to-see-if-we-can-trip-and-kill-her"....my girls are usually pretty good in the morning.
 

exoticbabee

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Awww. What cute stories.
When I wake up in the morning, my little one wakes up too because she knows it's breakfast time (for both of us). Then when she's done, she quietly follows me everywhere. She doesn't get in the way but just follows me.
When I sit down to do my makeup, she sits down to watch. When I get up to dress, she gets up to watch. I give her a treat to distract her so that I can leave for work. I hate having to "disappear" but it's the only way to get out of the door without her doing the same.
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by benthicat

lookingglass: You..you can make your bed?


Epona: How old are your cats? I'm just curious.

Merfy is 13 and stopped bothering me in the morning a couple of years ago. It wasn't all of the sudden...more of a gradual thing. She started looking as groggy as me in the mornings! She's at the stage now where she completely follows my routine. She'll even sit and wait for me to finish my cereal, very calmly, because she wants the milk. She's 13, so if she wants it, she gets it.
She'll just sit near me and watch every weekend morning.

Isosceles is a pain in the rear in the morning. He's 5 months old and acts like a nutcase. Half the time I'm worried he'll run out the door! He was originally one of the neighborhood's many strays, so he looks like a lot of the others. I'm worried that if he were to get out he'd be taken 'downtown.' (can't wait until he fits in his collar.) He likes to play "chase" though. Not a fun game for me when he goes where he's not supposed to be, such as in the basement when Merfy is trying to sleep (she likes the basement.)
Yep.. it's something that my Mom said I always had to do. I make it every single day.
 

katiemae1277

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you know either I have my cats trained very well, they are too lazy in the mornings to do any of these shenanigans, or I have the best behaved cats on the planet (I'm going for option 2) but I get out of the house perfectly fine with 12 cats!
the most I have to deal with is if Antigone is sleeping next to me, she refuses to get up and I'm trapped under the covers till she gets tossed out of bed and Circe yells at me when I'm in the shower. Oh, and I must pet Gaia on my way to the shower otherwise she will drop my gold earring down the sink drain in retaliation
 
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