What rituals do you have with your kitties?

When Flowerbelle was first rescued, she was so sick she lived mostly in our bed for the first month or so. Gary used to pour water in a bottle cap for her to drink, and it just "took." :lol3: Flowerbelle - 9 years later - still thinks of water in a bottle cap as a treat. So every night, before she makes her "nest" in the crook of my knee, she asks for her water in a bottle cap, and I give it to her. :heart2:

...and as the demanding diva, she's added two more rituals to my day. Flowerbelle LOVES the bathroom. They all do - it's the only place in our home where they can get one-on-one attention. For a while there, she ate in the bathroom, because she's got a kind of ADD when it comes to eating. I found she eats best when there aren't distractions. Well, since switching to raw, she's taken to jumping up on the counter while I prep their meals (the cats were never allowed on the counter before) - and the only reason I ended up allowing her to stay was because if I fix her dish first, she eats and finishes the whole thing usually before I'm done prepping all their bowls! (Can anyone say "Flowerbelle likes to feel special?" ) So feeding Flowerbelle on the counter first is now a ritual at each meal for the kitties...

...but after she eats the late-night meal, she now runs to the bathroom and sits there and calls. I have to police Billy, or he'll eat as much of everyone else's food as he can, but as soon as they're all done, I have to head in there, put her on my lap and brush her. This is NEW. Flowerbelle was never very big on being petted. She liked to sit on my lap - and lick me endlessly. She always liked to pet us. :lol3: But she sheds like crazy, and I've always tried to brush her. She hates the furminator, but she's decided she likes one of the brushes. She's perfected the art of the "come in here and give me attention" cry, and thankfully uses it only intermittently like a beacon while I wait for the others to finish dinner.

Unfortunately, one of my rituals is at 5:30 in the morning (before I need to be up for the day). BUT... I don't discourage it, because it's Lazlo, our cancer survivor. He took the transition to timed meals the hardest (that was two years ago at this point!). I don't feed the cats between meals, except for Laz. He gets treats whenever he asks for them. He's earned it. The one consistent time he asks for nibbles is at 5:30 in the morning. He meows right in my ear, and I grab the jar in which I keep the treats (I keep it between Gary's and my pillows). :heart2:

Finally, food and play were the keys to Chumley's trust, happiness, and heart. :high5: aw: Poor baby is STILL (two years later) not comfortable on the floor level (we have so many levels, it's possible for them to move around pretty much everywhere without touching the floor). Anyway, he LOVES an old, broken feather toy (that is now just a nub). I play with him after dinner, and he goes FLYING around the cat trees chasing that little nub. That chunky monkey boy is really graceful! He must really enjoy the texture of it, as he is SO happy when he "catches" it, he loves to chomp on it. The poor toy is dying, and he's eventually going to chomp that nubby end off, and I haven't been able to find the same toy - or even a similar one - anywhere.

So what are your kitty rituals?

Parker knows I am bad with "schedules" so we have very few consistent rituals. The only 2 that stick are his treats before I go to bed...and that I lay at the end of the bed (he isn't allowed on my new comforter set, but I keep a soft blanket at the end for him) and snuggle with him for a bit before I go to sleep.

There was on that lasted several weeks...He would make me take him upstairs every night around 1-2am, so he could scratch at his post, then come back to my room lol. He isn't demanding like most cats, I am thankful for that...but I am sure if he was, I'd spoil him the same time every day. 

Panda has to make sure I don't drown in the shower. He sits between the curtain and the liner and will talk to me and bat at me. He thinks just because he does not like baths that I don't either. I luckily am very used to Panda and his talkative demanding nature. He also can not stand to be locked in/out of a room and will loudly protest until the door is opened.

Chip, Bailey, Chloe and Zoe all have to accompany me to to the bathroom. Maybe they are afraid I will fall in and they will never be fed again.

Penelope and Delilah greet , me when I come home. Delilah seems to know when I am home before I even open the door because she is always right there. My sister was in the living room one night when I got home and she said Delilah got all excited and was at the door pacing as soon as I was pulling into the driveway. Delilah wants more than the pets and kisses Penelope wants, she needs to be picked up and held for a while. She purrs the entire time and gives me lots of kisses. She is so cute how she will reach up from my arms and pat me on the face and stretch to give me kisses. I had her tested for FIV/ FeLV recently at the low cost spay clinic, and had her just in my arms when I stopped by her vet to drop off her negative results, she was doing her reach and kiss thing the entire time we were waiting (they were really busy), she loves to give me kisses pretty much any time I am holding her really. She is actually so spoiled that she thinks she needs to go everywhere with me. I take her along of course as long as it is somewhere she can go. I was simply moving the carrier she goes to the vet in yesterday and she got all excited thinking we were going to the vet I guess.

Also my spoiled babies, Penelope and Delilah think that every time I go in the cabinet where their treats are that they need to get one. I am a sucker and they tend to get them often.

Delilah is really my most spoiled/ demanding kitties, and she has a habit of waking me up if I am not awake by 9. She will lick and lick my face and nip my chin and ears until I am awake. She always seems so happy that she has me awake so she can rub all over my face and demand that I pet her. She gets her breakfast shortly after and then follows me around while I get ready for the day. If I have the day off and I don't have any plans other than being lazy and hanging out in my pjs all day watching tv/ movies she the day with me snuggling as well as Penelope. My other babies snuggle but not all day like these two will if I am being a bum.

The only ritual I have created is right before bed after I make sure all of the water bowls are full and then we get out the feather teaser and play for at least 20 min. Then I crawl in bed and most of my babies will curl up in bed for the night too.

the biggest ritual I have with Monet is that he insists on snuggles at 4 am. exactly 4 am every morning. He waits, nudges, prods, licks, everything until I roll on my back where he happily 'springs' onto my chest for a petting, lovin' session. It's the only time he's affectionate, so I'll take it!

I really don't have much of a ritual with anything else.. but does the toilet flush first thing in the morning mean 'breakfast time!' count? lol. They know they get fed when I am done with the toilet, lol

Well, I wouldn't be able to resist Penelope and Delilah either! :lol3:

...I thought I had it bad with the 5:30am thing! And yes, I think the toilet flush/breakfast time counts as a ritual.

Ana (who definitely thought of me as HER human) was insistent that I be out of bed by 11 AM or so. It didn't matter what I did or where I went after that, just that I wasn't in bed anymore. If I was not up within a reasonable amount of time she would sit outside my door and call me (the way a mother cat calls her kittens) until I appeared. If I failed to appear, grabbing the underside of the door with her paw and jiggling it, and more calling, would occur until either I came out, or my mother came out of the office to drag me out.

Tohee wanted to play with The Toy. The Toy was a plastic wand with feathers at the end. She would beg for The Toy any time someone approached the closet (we had to keep it locked in a closet because they somehow figured out a way to teleport up the unclimbable, 10ft tall bookcase to get it) but right after dinner was specifically Tohee's Toy Time. Which meant letting her chase it, catch it, and carry it around the house growling (she was so petite she sounded like someone's cell phone buzzing when she growled).

Impromptu rituals (rules?) in our household, which depended on situation rather than time of day, included:

a) "Ana gets a piece of any fruit or vegetable Ibiscribe intends to put in her mouth." Of course I didn't always oblige, since some things aren't good for cats, but that never stopped her from begging like a dog. Ironic given that she and the others didn't like wet food and turned their noses up at tuna.

b) "Ana gets first dibs on a piece of any banana that is peeled anywhere in the house." She'd literally come running if she heard one being peeled, and you knew she knew because she'd be purring and meowing the whole way. There was no getting past her, and she'd sit outside the door and plead with this heartbreaking tone if I tried to hide a banana in the office. It was like she had some supernatural Banana Sense. If we bought a bunch at the store we'd keep it in a bag so she couldn't see it--because once or twice, we noticed those little black dots on the bananas made oddly regular patterns. :S

b) "Peelings from any pummello Ibiscribe intends to eat will be promptly given to Ana." The first time I ate a pummello, she snatched the peels out of my lap and ran off. Like a dog would. I've never ever seen another cat do that with anything. She didn't want to eat them though... she just curled up with them and licked their inner flesh until they were slimy and gross. In later days, this ritual extended to grapefruit and even orange peels(!)--she decided after the pummello that other citrus fruits were good too. An acquired taste?

and c) "When the floor heater turns on, Ibiscribe joins the kitties sitting around it." Because we lived in Washington at the time and it was usually a bit chilly, and I tend to have cold fingers/toes. I started it but they picked it up very quickly. I never thought they'd enjoy having air blasting right on them... but they loved it and made it a regular part of their day. Tohee and Keef kept their paws to themselves and just soaked in the heat, but Ana liked to put her paw on my knee and gaze dreamily at me, or stand on my knees with the air blasting on my belly while she licked my hair. If I didn't come sit with them, she'd attempt to call me over.

In the morning when my alarm goes off, Angel will hop up on the bed to cuddle with me. ( if he's not already up there.) He will usually lay beside me, or if I'm on my side, in front of me, so we end up spooning.  I just love it when he's being my little snuggle bunny.    He doesn't like to be held much, or for long, so I treasure this time.

Unfortunately, it makes me hit the snooze button way to many times though!  On the days he doesn't come up, I will go lay on the floor next to his bed w/ my head in there,

snuggling up to him. He just purrs the whole time, & If I could, I would be purring too! "Gotta start the day with some kitty cuddles!"  He will also rub up against my legs back & forth when I do get up, & get to the potty, He knows breakfast is next!  When I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he wants me to follow him in the kitchen & watch him eat.  I just say, "mommy night, night," & turn around & go back to bed.

Oh, and of course, anytime there is food involved, I get all the kisses I want!!   "That's my boy!"

Angels mommy said:

In the morning when my alarm goes off, Angel will hop up on the bed to cuddle with me. ( if he's not already up there.) He will usually lay beside me, or if I'm on my side, in front of me, so we end up spooning. :lol3:  I just love it when he's being my little snuggle bunny.    He doesn't like to be held much, or for long, so I treasure this time.
Unfortunately, it makes me hit the snooze button way to many times though!  On the days he doesn't come up, I will go lay on the floor next to his bed w/ my head in there,
snuggling up to him. He just purrs the whole time, & If I could, I would be purring too! "Gotta start the day with some kitty cuddles!"  He will also rub up against my legs back & forth when I do get up, & get to the potty, He knows breakfast is next!  When I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he wants me to follow him in the kitchen & watch him eat.  I just say, "mommy night, night," & turn around & go back to bed.
Oh, and of course, anytime there is food involved, I get all the kisses I want!!   "That's my boy!"

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Larry and I have the same "cuddle-time" ritual when I come home, if I've been working during the day. I get down on the floor, we exchange head butts and rubs (he rubs all over my hair, purring away), I cover him with kisses - and yes, if I could purr, I'd be purring myself! He also knows that dinner is coming up, because when we're done I say "hungry?" and he totally knows that word and meows back at me. Then I sing my own version of Irving Berlin's "Suppertime" while I get his food ready. That's definitely a ritual!

And now we have a new one. You know those little Solo cups for the bathroom cup dispensers? My mom always used to keep one filled with water on the edge of the bathroom sink for her cat Curly....it was always there. I started this with Larry a few months ago - I don't know why - and now, wouldn't you know, it's a total ritual. If I go into the bathroom to, you know, do my business, it's his time to come in, jump up on the sink, and drink out of his little solo cup. Oy. What have I created?!

My youngest jumps on my chest every night at midnight. Sometimes it must be a far distance cause he can thump pretty hard. I try not to get upset. He is just a baby and his feelings get hurt so easily. But he is a Dennis the Menus type of person.

My Mittens when we walk together wants to jossle his tail in the palm of my hand as we walk side by side.

I don't need an alarm clock I have people waking me up to eat with their wet noses and whiskers up my nose

My boys have their treats everyday at 4:00 and they know when it's getting close. At about 10-15 minutes before Thai becomes so lovey...rubbing and head butting. It's odd how they know what time it is!
 

Every morning after my shower, Boots requires pets and a belly rub. And I mean RIGHT after my shower. No time to get dressed. Pets must occur on the bed while I'm still dripping in a towel. :lol3:

nanner said:

Larry and I have the same "cuddle-time" ritual when I come home, if I've been working during the day. I get down on the floor, we exchange head butts and rubs (he rubs all over my hair, purring away), I cover him with kisses - and yes, if I could purr, I'd be purring myself!

He also knows that dinner is coming up, because when we're done I say "hungry?" and he totally knows that word and meows back at me. Then I sing my own version of Irving Berlin's "Suppertime" while I get his food ready. That's definitely a ritual!
And now we have a new one. You know those little Solo cups for the bathroom cup dispensers? My mom always used to keep one filled with water on the edge of the bathroom sink for her cat Curly....it was always there. I started this with Larry a few months ago - I don't know why - and now, wouldn't you know, it's a total ritual. If I go into the bathroom to, you know, do my business, it's his time to come in, jump up on the sink, and drink out of his little solo cup. Oy. What have I created?!

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That's cute!  Yup, I smother Angel with lots of kisses too, & then say,"are you hungry?" His ears perk up, because he knows that word too. Then off to the kitchen we go!

Hi Laurie :sun: Just saw this. AWWWWW Flowerbelle - loves water from the bottle cap. And I have a similar :lol3: ritual with Pipsqueak each night. He comes into the bathroom just as I am finishing up washing my face and brushing my teeth. Jumps on the counter. I then get him his OWN dixie cup and fill it with water about 3/4 full. He takes a few licks :lol3: Every night this happens. Pip doesn't miss a beat. He has the most rituals of all of my cats put together. In the morning, when I am starting the coffee maker - he starts to throw himself on the kitchen floor by the fridge. Looking under the fridge and making lots of noise so I notice. He has his favorite puff balls and they always end up under the fridge from the night before. It is SO odd that he starts this when I start making coffee as I have been in the kitchen for about an hour before this dealing with feeding time. I think he knows that I am almost done with my morning "chores" and will soon sit down on the computer. He is SO darn smart, that one. Of course, I have to get the toy out from under the fridge. THEN I have to play fetch with him for a few minutes. He then proceeds to carry the puff ball around in his mouth. HOWLING and MEOWING all the while. Such a character.

The others do have rituals too. I could be here all day talking about each of them. Perla asks for playtime each day at about 7 p.m. She sits and stares at the china cabinet doors because that is where I keep the wand toys. Perkins has his night time ritual right before I get into bed. I have to toss one of his spring toys - each and every night. Pipsqueak also - have to toss his puff ball before I get into bed. Wendall comes onto the bed right when I get under the covers. He attacks my feet each night. Also, after I am in bed for the night, Presley begins the evening hunt. He brings me about 4 - 5 toys and drops them on the bed or on the floor near the bed. Howing and meowing while he carries them around. It is so HILARIOUS because he has a large stuffed toy in his mouth and all you hear is a muffled meow from somewhere in the house as he heads to our room like he has a sock in this throat. And last but not least, Walden. In the morning, at about exacty 6:15 a.m. each day, he jumps on the bed and sits next to my face. :lol3: Just stares and waits patiently for me to rise. :rub: :heart3:

There are so many other rituals too. But I won't go on and on.... like I could. I could talk about my babies all day long. :lovegrin:

Walks outside have to be at certain times of the day: 4 p.m. on weekdays, and at 9 a.m., 12:45 and 4 p.m. on weekends and vacation days. An extra walk at 7:10 p.m. is welcome, but not a necessity. Walks must be followed by a good combing, no matter how many walks we've had that day.

The weirdest ritual is at bedtime, and started out as a joke. Jamie refuses to settle down for the night till I've told him, "Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Even when he's decided to spend the night in another room, he'll still come to me for some pats and the little saying.

We feed the Nicky and Nina their dinner at 6pm. At 7:30pm I put down some half & half and at 8:00pm they have to get their treats.

Feralvr said:

Hi Laurie

Just saw this. AWWWWW Flowerbelle - loves water from the bottle cap. And I have a similar

ritual with Pipsqueak each night. He comes into the bathroom just as I am finishing up washing my face and brushing my teeth. Jumps on the counter. I then get him his OWN dixie cup and fill it with water about 3/4 full. He takes a few licks

Every night this happens. Pip doesn't miss a beat. He has the most rituals of all of my cats put together. In the morning, when I am starting the coffee maker - he starts to throw himself on the kitchen floor by the fridge. Looking under the fridge and making lots of noise so I notice. He has his favorite puff balls and they always end up under the fridge from the night before. It is SO odd that he starts this when I start making coffee as I have been in the kitchen for about an hour before this dealing with feeding time. I think he knows that I am almost done with my morning "chores" and will soon sit down on the computer. He is SO darn smart, that one. Of course, I have to get the toy out from under the fridge. THEN I have to play fetch with him for a few minutes. He then proceeds to carry the puff ball around in his mouth. HOWLING and MEOWING all the while. Such a character.
The others do have rituals too. I could be here all day talking about each of them.

Perla asks for playtime each day at about 7 p.m. She sits and stares at the china cabinet doors because that is where I keep the wand toys. Perkins has his night time ritual right before I get into bed. I have to toss one of his spring toys - each and every night. Pipsqueak also - have to toss his puff ball before I get into bed. Wendall comes onto the bed right when I get under the covers. He attacks my feet each night.

Also, after I am in bed for the night, Presley begins the evening hunt.

He brings me about 4 - 5 toys and drops them on the bed or on the floor near the bed. Howing and meowing while he carries them around. It is so HILARIOUS because he has a large stuffed toy in his mouth and all you hear is a muffled meow from somewhere in the house as he heads to our room like he has a sock in this throat. And last but not least, Walden. In the morning, at about exacty 6:15 a.m. each day, he jumps on the bed and sits next to my face.

Just stares and waits patiently for me to rise.

There are so many other rituals too. But I won't go on and on.... like I could. I could talk about my babies all day long.

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Feralvr,

That is so funny!  I would love to see a video of Presley carrying all those toys in his mouth, & meowing at the same time.  

First thing after breakfast eveyone lines up for a quick brushing.  They all love their brushing.  Every night we play some type of game with their feline Greenies.  Tonight is hide and seek night which seems to be their favorite   Ramsey will climb into my lap at around 10pm demanding a second brushing before I walk the dogs.  After I walk the dogs and give them a treat, the cats all expect either catnip or some cat grass before bed. 
 

Angels mommy said:

Feralvr,
That is so funny!  I would love to see a video of Presley carrying all those toys in his mouth, & meowing at the same time. :lol3:  

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:rofl: It does make me laugh each night. I can barely hear him meowing from another part of the house as he starts his trek to our bedroom. It gets a bit louder as he approaches. It is hilarious. I will have to work on getting a video tape of that one. :lol3:

I love hearing all these stories - they're all just SO CUTE! :rub:

Delilah still wakes me up by 9am for breakfast every morning, but she has for the last few nights like clockwork coming for snuggle time about 230 am. If I am already asleep I wake up to her rubbing on my face purring, I then have to roll onto my back so she can lay on my chest and we snuggle like that until I fall asleep. Not sure if it is a phase with her or if it is going to last but I dont really mind being woken up for snuggles.

Feralvr said:

Also, after I am in bed for the night, Presley begins the evening hunt.

He brings me about 4 - 5 toys and drops them on the bed or on the floor near the bed. Howing and meowing while he carries them around. It is so HILARIOUS because he has a large stuffed toy in his mouth and all you hear is a muffled meow from somewhere in the house as he heads to our room like he has a sock in this throat.

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Aww. Annabelle used to have a stuffed kitten. When she was a little baby she would wrestle with it. I think it was because she was just slightly bigger than it and she needed to practice her moves for when the bigger and feistier Ella came along for a wrestling match. When Annabelle was bigger she would carry it around and put it in places like her bed, or in her cat condo. She would get very upset if you moved her kitten and would take it and put it back. She was even caught a few times talking to it. She would stop immediately if she knew you were watching. I am not entirely sure where the kitten has disappeared to, but I have not seen it in a while, and there is no replacing it for Annabelle, I tried.