Sunday 14 March 2021

'Bother That Cat!'

 


For those of you who are not familiar with the popular children's book, 'Mog the Forgetful Cat,' my post title is a frequently used exclamation of the family's frustrations towards some of Mog's typical cat behaviour.
Even though my Mog did not take her name from this particular book, I have found myself uttering this phrase (and much worse 😁) quite often recently.

Don't get me wrong, Mog is a great cat. The best. I really shouldn't complain. She doesn't climb curtains, damage furniture or jump on the kitchen surfaces. She is incredibly easy going, inexpensive to feed and although she doesn't exactly enjoy the process, she will take her worming tablet every couple of months with very little persuasion required on my part.
She doesn't scratch or bite, is quite used to having her sleep interrupted for a quick cuddle and has an adorable habit of wanting to be very close by while Lily enjoys her bath.

BUT. And it is a big but. For some reason she feels the need to wake me each morning at around 5.30a.m. 

She's been doing this, on and off, for some time now but it is definitely becoming a more regular thing and I don't understand why. Sometimes she will stand next to the bed and miaow! Sometimes she nudges me with the top of her head, or I feel her cold nose against mine and sometimes I even wake to see her just staring right at me! I read online for ideas as to why she does this but the suggestions were that she needs to go out - she has a cat flap, she is hungry - there is always food in her bowl, or that she simply wants company - as soon as I get up she wanders off elsewhere, often straight back upstairs to sleep on the spare bed. So, I am still none the wiser.

One morning this week, however, she woke me at 4.30a.m.!!! 

Now, it's a good job I am a morning person and I do enjoy being able to drink my first coffee of the day in peace and quiet, but still, this was a little too early even for me. Perhaps someone can enlighten me as to why this happens, perhaps this will sort itself out when the clocks go forward in a couple of weeks time, or perhaps I am just destined to be up early every day.

'Bother that cat!' I say. 'Oh, but she's nice!' replies Lily.

J. X