We have a very, very strict rule in the Ruffing household: No cats on the dining room table. Ever.
Of course, I should mention that these three cats are spoiled. They are allowed to sit on the couch and lounge on the ottoman and sleep in the bed, even wander around the bathtub whenever the mood strikes them. So these cats are not living a life encumbered by a whole lot of rules.
Just recently, I decorated the house for Thanksgiving. I spread my special Thanksgiving tablecloth out on the table and set out my floating candle centerpiece. Nice.
Next thing I knew, there was Catillac, lounging directly on the table. On my tablecloth!
“Catillac, get down!” I said sternly. Plop. To the floor she jumped.
An hour later, I spotted her big orange body on the table—again!
“Catillac, no cats on the table!” I reminded her, scooping her up and putting her on the floor.
Later that morning, there was Catillac, lounging on the table a third time.
“Catillac,” I said, in that tone of voice that implies, Haven’t we talked about this?
She looked up at me, her big green eyes sparkling, those wide, pleading eyes that have talked me out of many a can of tuna…and I realized what was going on.
Now that the seasons have changed, the dining room only gets sunlight in the morning—and it spills right through the window, right across my table. Catillac had been sneaking into that patch all morning because it was the only one in the house. To her, basking in its luxurious heat was way more important than some silly rule the humans made up.
I stroked her sun-warmed fur, and she gave me a little prrrmow in return. So I have to wash the tablecloth and wipe down the table…is that SUCH a big deal? As always, her wide-eyed stare convinced me.
“Okay,” I said. “Just for today….”
What rules do you have for your cats…that they ignore? Comment below!
—Allison Ruffing
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