Rules for Cats


Captain Calico by C.H. Morgan



Chairs and Rugs

  • If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly.
  • If you cannot manage in time, get to an Oriental rug.
  • If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good.
  • When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so it is as long as a human's bare foot.


 


Bathrooms

  • Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything. Just sit and stare.



Hampering

  • If one of your humans is engaged in some 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.
     

  • For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.

  • 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.
     

  • When human is working at computer, jump up on desk, walk across keyboard, bat at mouse pointer on screen and then lay in human's lap across arms, hampering typing in progress!



Walking

  • 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 with their coordination skills.



Litterbox

  • When using the litter box, be sure to kick as much litter out of the box as possible. Humans love the feel of kitty litter between their toes.



Hiding

  • Every now and then, hide in a place where the humans cannot find you. Do not come out for three to four hours under any circumstances. This will cause the humans to panic (which they love) thinking that you have run away or are lost. Once you do come out, the humans will cover you with love and kisses and you will probably get a treat.



Bedtime

  • Always sleep on the human at night so he/she cannot move around.


 


Written by Cynthia B. Whitney
 Presented with permission of the author.

The author is currently working on a book version of this work.
Comments or questions? Contact Cynthia B. Whitney at
http://www.castlepurrs.com

 

More Cat Poems, Humor, and Art


 

  Kittens! Kittens!  Rules for Cats
 A Cat's Prayer  How to Give Your Cat a Pill
 Why Own A Cat?   All I Need To Know...
  You Know Your Cat is Loved   Dish Bottom Phobia!
  Cats are Wonderful Friends   Home


Captain Calico used with permission of the artist C.H. Morgan