It turned out, Mr WereBear had a bout of insomnia, and picked up the food and water at midnight, while all the cats were sleeping with me. All was quiet until 4 AM, the usual time Mr. Bond goes for a snack and a pit stop visit.
He came rushing back to the bedroom, and shortly after RJ went rushing into the kitchen. Seeing the horrible evidence for himself; the bowls are missing, not just empty, gone! he immediately began the Emergency Procedure of using me as a trampoline.
Soon, all three of them were doing it. I mumbled explanations and hung in there until morning, when Olwyn got hustled into the carrier and things returned to normal in the kitchen.
What can we learn from this Kitty Theatre?
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While it’s no fun trying to sleep during Cat Trampoline Time, I was amused by the way Mr. Bond and RJ obviously communicated. It’s hard to tell what Mr. Bond did to get RJ to look in the kitchen for himself, but it is evident that it was specific and immediate.
Cats are capable of conveying specific information.
It also illustrates how cats convey information to humans. They act it out.
If I had gotten up, (which would have sent the wrong message,) they would have led me into the kitchen and enacted the Great Cat Famine for me. Then I would have had to refuse to feed them, compounding the problem.
I preferred to appear both comatose and clueless. Because that shows a lack of malice; a vital part of soothing cat confusion.
Because it is inevitable we are going to do things that they can interpret as not caring about them. From taking them to the vet to tripping over them, daily life with cats creates situations that will make our cats wonder What did they mean by that?
It’s important that we convey that whatever we are doing, it has their best interests at heart.
We could have tried to explain anesthetic protocol and the benefits of spaying to all three of the cats. But as bright as our cats are, and as good as our communication is, I just don’t think it would have made the slightest dent. This is simply beyond their understanding.
So whenever we are doing something “for their own good,” keep in mind that what cats are looking for is the absence of malice. Apologizing, showing reluctance to do it, and pretending we are as baffled as they are by this unhappy turn of events are all ways we can convey our essential good-heartedness to our cats.
A lot of what we do puzzles them. They are willing to admit they don’t understand it. A lot of their life with us is that way.
All they want to know is that we aren’t doing it to be mean.
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