Are you familiar with these cat rules?
LICK-IT DIET | Let them open another can of food. Lick-it dry. Smear it around the dish then turn your nose up at it. An hour later you can sit by the dish and look at it with disdain, meaning; you don’t expect me to eat this dry crap, do you? |
RUG BURN | Take chunks of food from the plate and drop it on the rug just inside the living room. This is always good to burn them up. |
THE SMELL OF HELL | Wander gingerly over to the food they just put out. Stretch your neck out and smell it. Then look up at them with that look that says, “what is this crap?” |
WHERE’S MY MILK? | Sit in front of the fridge with your back to them. Be patient because sometimes they won’t get up until a commercial. Look over your shoulder at them with a pitiful look. They feel so guilty for making you wait, they’ll give you the heavy cream. |
CONFUSION SAY | Yes, I know I ate some of that this morning, but that was this morning. I don’t want any more of that. Make them open another can of something different. Always keep them confused about your diet. |
REDECORATE | A few spots of dried food look great on the baseboard. The harder it gets, the harder they work! |
BIRDS & MICE AND THINGS NOT NICE | Always bring home your quarry. Be sure to mess it up. Entrails are a nice touch. Leave it just outside the front door if possible. It’s always good if they’re not looking down and step on it. This is the Cat’s Meow! |
INDECISION | Sit at the screen door looking out. They almost always think you want to go out. Run away when they open the door. Three or four times is enough to drive them up the wall. |
IN AND OUT | Sit looking at the doorknob. When they open the door, take your time. Take a good look around, pull your head back in. Look around the room. You don’t have to decide quickly. Most of the damn fools will hold the door until you get the lay of the land and see which way the wind blows. For a real treat, after several minutes, back into the room, then look at them and say “what’re you holding the damn door open for? |
PEE TIME | Even if you don’t have to go, time your visit for about 3 A.M. Climb on their bed and get in their face. Tickle them with your whiskers until they wake up. The old man probably had to pee anyway but was too lazy to get up. Make a stop by the fridge. It’s always worth a try to see if he gives you some milk. If he does, you can always wake him again at 4 A.M. |
FOIL & TOIL | A cigarette pack or a ball of foil is great to play with. Be sure to shred it and scatter the pieces. When the old lady is bent over picking up the scraps, you can chuckle at her backside. After all, they don'[t understand our language anyhow. |
WALKING | The main object here is to get underfoot. It’s also fun to startle them. As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially: on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills. |
DOGS | Always act afraid of dogs in front of humans. They feel so sorry they pick you up to comfort you. Put on a big show and hang on for life. |
BARF…. | If you have to throw up, get to a bed quickly. Barf in the middle of the quilt, preferably a good thick one that doesn’t fit in the washer. It will give the human a chance to go to a Laundromat and spend more money. Add this cost to the total you’re already costing them. It makes you feel treasured and expensive. If you cannot manage to get to a quilter, try a chair or an Oriental rug. If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good. When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so that it is as long as the human’s bare foot. Move around as much as possible to leave a glob, here, there and everywhere. Stand back and watch your mistress gag and swear while she tries to clean it up. |
ANOTHER CAT? | No way! Establish your territory early. Make that intruder respect you. He’ll give you lots of room and walk around you. When you know he wants to eat, go over and pick on the food so he has to wait. If you like his food, steal it. Deny him all privileges. Be sure to carry on if they give him any attention. |
BATHROOMS | Always sit just around the corner of the door so they narrowly miss stepping on you. Smile as they trip, bang into a wall and curse. Hide under the table until they calm down and want to pet you and calm you down. |
HAMPERING: | If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called “helping”, otherwise known as “hampering.” Following are the rules for “hampering”: – When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted. It’s even funnier when they try to avoid stepping on you and fall into a counter or table. – For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself. – For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you. – For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim — to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time. – When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump. |
BEDTIME: | Always sleep on the human at night so s/he cannot move around. |
PLAY: | This is an important part of your life. Get enough sleep in the daytime so you are fresh for your nocturnal games. Below are listed several favorite cat games that you can play. It is important though to maintain one’s Dignity at all times. If you should have an accident during play, such as falling off a chair, immediately wash a part of your body as if to say “I MEANT to do that!” It fools those humans every time. |
PAPER BAGS | Within paper bags dwell the Bag Mice. They are small and camouflaged to be the same color as the bag, so they are hard to see. But you can easily hear the crinkling noises they make as they scurry around the bag. Anything, up to and including shredding the bag, can be done to kill them. |
SCRATCHING POSTS | The arms of their easy chairs are great places to scratch and claw the fabric. You need to leave your mark on the world. This always gets their attention. Hassocks are also good scratching posts. It is advised that cats use any scratching post the humans may provide. They are very protective of what they think is their property and will object strongly if they catch you sharpening your claws on it. |
HUMANS | Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. It is important to maintain one’s Dignity when around humans so that they will not forget who is the master of the house. Humans need to know basic rules. They can be taught if you start early and are consistent. You will then have a smooth-running household. |
More Cat Rules | http://geog.utoronto.ca/reynolds/pethumor/catrules.html |