TRAINER OR TRAINEE

You know you are in a rut when your pets can tell time.

It is dark, I am on the tail end of a cool dream and it is almost time to join the awake world when it happens.  The incessant yowling starts up from just beyond my bedroom door.

Minnie is exercising her vocal cords. I always marvel that she doesn't seem to need to breathe. There is seldom a  pause, just a rolling yowl.

I have tried to record the sound  but as soon as she senses my being awake, the yowl stops. It is just  Minnie letting me know I was in danger of getting a good night's sleep.  

Once she hears me stirring, she goes silent and will wait for the door to open. It is not food she wants for that is always available free choice.  She just wants me up and for the door to open. She is as effective as a bugle call.  

I am not sure how this started but now it is a locked in habit.   I never have to look at my clock. Minnie keeps perfect time.  At 4 AM every single day her only job kicks in. The atomic clock would be jealous of her accuracy. Oddly she even adjusts seamlessly to the time changes. How does she do that? 

Mighty also comes to life then. He is at the end of the bed wanting off.  He is quite torn. He really needs to pee but he also knows I have to prepare his dry  food to soak in warm water while we are outside. The little guy has bad teeth and his food must be softened.

He also gets his arthritis pain pill at this time which is wrapped in cheese. That he seems to feel is worth putting the bladder on hold.  With those things accomplished,  out we go. Yes it is still dark. 

After the walk comes breakfast followed by my time on the computer and everyone claims a spot on my bed. The two cats are allowed on the bed as long as I am not in it. Otherwise, they tend to drape all over my head, pinning me to the pillow making rest impossible.  Now all is quiet except for an occasional cat snore.

At 7 AM, give or take a minute, Mighty begins his stare that I call the "look". It is a physically penetrating thing that I can feel. He wants out again. This time  to finish what he didn't do at 4. If I somehow miss the "look", he will moan. His bowels can tell time also.  

So out he goes again. That is OK for that is when I do my outside chores while it is still coolish.  We stay out till the heat chases us back inside a couple of hours later.

Now my day can vary quite a bit during the middle part.  All my pets tend to sleep then so time is not important to them.  We are rut-less and my time is pretty much my own with only occasional pee breaks for Mighty. Ahhh.   But then the rut returns in the late afternoon. 

I usually eat my evening meal around 4 PM.  Remember I had breakfast 11 hours earlier.  Mighty lets me know it is 3:30 for he asks to go out. He knows if he doesn't go then, he will have to wait till after supper. We try to avoid delay as he is old and his sphincters are weaker these days.  I can relate.

Ok, all chores done, faces fed, bladders empty and it is time for my Marlin's ball game at 6.  At 7 PM I get the "look" once more from Mighty . This is when he goes out unattended for a long period. I am just grateful for this outing that he doesn't feel the need for an attendee.  

When he comes in this time, it is his bed time. He marches into the bedroom and waits patiently for me to arrive and lift him  onto the bed to his comforter. I wish him good night, shut the door and go back to my ball game. 

This will all be repeated the next day, almost to the minute.  Funny but now that I have written all this down, I realize I am completely trained by my pets. My daily life is built around their schedule and bodily functions, not mine. OK, the baseball part is my contribution.

I know I would not do these things on this rigid a schedule with out the nudge from my pets. I am  by nature laid back, dislike time tables and am a born procrastinator. 

Whether it is their rut or my rut, I am not positive. I just know that my life has more structure than I would chose.  But you know, strangely, I am OK with that.

Are you well trained,  either by person or beast, or are you the trainer and they follow your schedule? Just curious.