Rainy night blues...

[fjm]

10pm Tired after an early start and a busy day, I took the dogs out into the garden for last pees and went to bed.
11pm Sophy-dog decides perhaps she should have stayed out longer and peed properly, despite the rain...
12 midnight Pippin-cat comes in wet and friendly. Clambers onto the bed, finds a good spot, and purrs and kneads his appreciation of the comfort.
12.45am. Tilly-cat comes in wet and friendly. Brief argument with dogs and Pippin over best bed spots, then settles down.
1.15am Pippin, now dry, leaves bed with a heavy thump to see what the weather is doing.
1.45am Pippin returns to tell us it is still raining.
2.30am Both cats, now dry, decide to alleviate the boredom of being stuck inside with a quarrel on the landing. Dogs tell them not to. I tell everyone to SETTLE DOWN and go to sleep.
3.30am Poppy-dog is cold, and comes to snuggle under the duvet.
4am Pippin comes in wet and friendly. Clomps heavily over first Poppy then me to get to a comfy spot, where he once more purrs and kneads his appreciation.
5am Rain starts coming in through the window in large quantities. I get up and shut the window, then have some difficulty finding a human sized space in the bed again.
5.15-7am - Sleep! Everyone sleeps!
7am Sophy begins to wriggle, and says she desperately needs a pee and some breakfast. Four animals greet the day with joy. One human crawls downstairs slightly less joyfully...

[Lilith]

LOL! Brilliant!

Nope, not as glamorous in reality as the pet ads would have us think, is it?

I have difficulty in making space for me with one small ginger cat on the bed, along with a laptop, toys such as rainsticks and guiro frogs and books that edge under the duvet ... the other night I found myself in bed with Dorothy Parker

[alanc]

Yesterday it was the other way round - a wet and soggy daddy snuggling up to my warm dry Tilly.

[MarySkater]

Happily I don't have dogs, and only one of my cats does the "wet and friendly" bit - but she does it often.

[MarySkater]

I'd love to post your story on my Facebook page. Many of my friends are pet owners who would enjoy it. But I won't do it without your permission, and if you're not happy with the idea, that's fine.

[Ruth B]

This merely confirms my decision to not let the cats in the bedroom during the night, we only have a standard double bed, barely big enough for two humans let alone 2 to 4 cats as well.

I have know several cats that were the wet and friendly type, never tell me that cats don't like the rain, some are fine with it when they know they have a warm human to cuddle up to to dry off. I have also known several cats that will happily get under the duvet with you given half a chance, fortunately, up to know they haven't been the same cat, and when I do get one I certainly don't want to be letting that cat in the bedroom in the middle of the night.

[bobbys girl]

Ah, fjm, an everyday story of kitty folk! We had a night like that recently. Everyone is jittery with Freddie on 'cage rest'. Willow and Grace were on the bookcase for most of the night. Purdy was on her daddy's head, Bob curled up with me and Billy in the airing cupboard.

Then OH got up to go to the loo and WW3 broke out. It's all well and good to say keep them out of the bedroom, but two can open the door and one scratches at the door until you give in. Well from then on it was musical chairs (beds?)

[MarySkater]

It's all well and good to say keep them out of the bedroom, but two can open the door and one scratches at the door until you give in.

And for those of us who don't have an ensuite loo, the bedroom door is going to be opened at some point...

[Ruth B]

We don't have an en suite loo (would love one, but a luxury I can't afford) and I have to go to the bathroom several time a night normally, and with my contact lenses in I'm partially sighted, without them, practically blind. However I made the decision early and I have managed not to break it, although the cats have on occasion. Normally they are rapidly caught and thrown out, or if they go under the bed I just wait until they come out onto the bed and then throw them out. Blue was the only one to actually succeed, I hadn't notice him slip past me, he then went to ground under the bed and finally jumped on the foot of the bed on my OH's side, we only realised when I woke up at about 6.00 needing the bathroom and he jumped off the bed as he needed the litter tray as well. He had been as good as gold all night, if they were all like that I might give in, but I don't fancy waking up with a dead rat being dropped on my pillow, which i'm sure Saturn would do given half a chance.

For the most part they have learnt the routine and when the bedroom door is shut they just accept it, right up until they hear the alarm go off, then it meowing and scratching at the door time.

[Lilith]

And for those of us who don't have an ensuite loo, the bedroom door is going to be opened at some point...

...In the wee hours?

[fjm]

Post away, Mary - you are welcome to share. I actually gave in and went for a nap this afternoon after so little sleep last night - needless to say I was accompanied by two dogs and at least one cat. I too wear contact lenses, and once I have taken them out I often have to stroke the ginger heap on the bed to work out whether it is Pippin, Tilly or Poppy, they are so similar in size and colour.

[MarySkater]

Thank you, fjm. Your saga deserves to be saved along with the old one about "how many dogs does it take to change a light bulb."

(If you don't know that one, it starts:
How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?
Border Collie: Just one. Then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
Rottweiler: Make me!
Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp! )

[MarySkater]

And for those of us who don't have an ensuite loo, the bedroom door is going to be opened at some point...

...In the wee hours?

[Lilith]

Thank you, fjm. Your saga deserves to be saved along with the old one about "how many dogs does it take to change a light bulb."

(If you don't know that one, it starts:
How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?
Border Collie: Just one. Then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
Rottweiler: Make me!
Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp! )

Love it! And there's the one about how many therapists does it take etc etc ...

None. Because if it really wants to change, it will change by itself ...

I'm forgetting about my slithery friend Shahi - now he's often in bed with me too ... very soothing, a 5' royal python curled up on your stomach, but best not to go to sleep or he will do a runner. Luckily he's a gentleman but I knew a fellow snake-keeper with a problem ... every time he allowed his royal in bed, it peed. And if you've ever smelled python wee ...

He lost a mattress ... and a girlfriend ...