UK: A Day in the Life of Two Cats (Walter and Jozef)

Walter doesn’t like night time very much, he likes bedtime with all its rituals and he sleeps for a few hours once the light goes off, but then he’s up and wandering about from room to room looking out of the windows through the night until either he or Jozef spots one of us with our eyes open and declares “Morning has broken”.

A day in the life of two English cats
Poster by Babz
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Because they want to get up so early Ruth and I have a system where we take turns of being the one to get up with them every other day, and on our lie in days we stay in bed until around 7.30 relishing our beds. My turn to get up early came at 5.20am today when I heard Jozef jump off Ruth’s bed and knowing Walter was already up and about I got up quickly to try and get down before them, but I was too late, by the time I was ready and downstairs Walter had put Jozef under the set of drawers in the corner – on dear here we go another day in the madhouse.

The first thing is to open the front door, as early as that it’s peaceful and quiet, no traffic to worry about and rarely any other cats about so Walter usually goes straight out, but Jozef waits to have his warmed chicken before he sets off, about 8 seconds in the microwave is just right and he sat down to it while I opened the curtains, put the saucer of cat biscuits for nibbling on in its normal place on the window sill and put a sachet of cat food in a jug of warm water to take the chill off it ready for breakfast number one, by which time Jozef was ready to go out by the back door, then put the heating on and balanced breakfast number two, a flat tin of Classic, on the radiator on a towel to warm.

I used to leave the back door open a little bit while I was busy in the kitchen but since the morning when Walter sneaked a live mouse in and took it upstairs (which rather spoiled Ruth’s lie in) I now just keep popping my head round the living room door to see if either of them are waiting at the window, we have to be careful because sometimes Jozef is sitting there innocently waiting and all of a sudden Walter jumps right onto him so it’s a case of looking every few minutes but today I managed to wash up and get my breakfast on a tray into the living room, sit in my armchair and raise the first spoonful of muesli mouthwards before Walter’s face popped up. So, I got the warm sachet and served half of it to him, in the corner by the TV where he likes it on a place mat, sat down and picked up my muesli again, but no….today he didn’t like it and he ate a little bit then went back on the chair and out of the window so I picked it up, chucked it out, thought about how many times I’ve threatened to give him shredded newspaper for his first breakfast because he wastes so much food, sat down and up popped Jozef’s tiny face.

Well today he was a good boy and had his breakfast out of the sachet that was already open then sat on the rug looking at the electric fire until I switched it on for him, up popped Walter and breakfast number two began. This went on for a while until finally they were both satisfied and then Walter got the armchair at about 7 and peace reigned so I had a bit of time on the downstairs computer and read the paper until Ruth got up, and after a little while got ready and away to work (for a rest)

Once he’s in the chair Walter often stays there until about 1pm then he has a trip out and is back before I get home from work, Jozef enjoys the mornings going out while he knows his brother is in the house and not lurking outside waiting to mug him, he comes home and settles at about the time that Walter is stirring. By the time Ruth and I have had lunch Jo is settled and Walter is ready to climb onto my chest for a power nap, then he comes upstairs with me and sits beside me in the computer chair while I (on a kitchen chair) catch up with my emails, POC and Facebook.

Peace reigns until about 6pm when they both start to stir so Ruth and I close our PC’s and start preparations for our evening meal, and their evening meals (plural), they pop in and out until about 8 then settle until about 9, Walter often goes upstairs and on to the top of Ruth’s wardrobe in the cat box at that time, sometimes if they don’t stir by about 9 for their last look out I sing in a loud voice, God Save the Queen or The Old Rugged Cross usually gets them up and out quickly LOL.

And then it’s time for bed, this is the part Walter loves, when we all go upstairs, me carrying a tray loaded with a teapot and 2 cups, three choices of supper/overnight snacks for each boy and my library book under my arm, Walter runs up and Jozef gets a “taxi” in Ruth’s arms, all the way upstairs while she is carrying him he looks up into the high reaches of the stairwell “checking for spiders”, he gets out of his taxi onto “Blue Mammy” on Ruth’s bed where he usually sleeps.

Walter, in my room, sits and looks pitiful for all the food is put on his mat on the floor he likes a plateful to be placed in front of him near his scratch sofa which he eats quickly while Ruth is getting ready for bed, meanwhile once ready I go in to say goodnight to Jozef and usually find him off the bed and scoffing all his plates of food one after the other. Back in my own room and now in bed Walter is finished eating but sits and waits for Ruth to come in and lift him onto my bed, when she does he is so happy, he speaks to her and purrs and walks between us and then throws himself onto his side in her arms, she calls it “trust” and says to him “are you going to do trust tonight?” and mostly he does.

When she finally gets away to her own bed where Jozef is waiting for his own goodnight ritual I pick up my book to read for a while, but oh no Walter doesn’t like it and he comes up the bed and nudges the book with his head until I drop it and the pages close, that is my signal to give up, put the light out and lie down with open arms and then he comes for a cuddle. Goodnight all…………… for a little while anyway.

Does anyone else, and their cats, have bedtime rituals?

Barbara

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57 thoughts on “UK: A Day in the Life of Two Cats (Walter and Jozef)”

  1. I managed to get a bit longer today, it was 5.40 when Walter came and sat on my chest and shouted “MEOW!” in my face, it wasn’t a request it was an order, Jo was hovering in the doorway so Walter must have been the spokesman, both now well fed, been in and out a few times and have settled, Walter in his (my) armchair and Jo by the fire.

    Reply
    • Jozef came under the duvet for a cuddle at 4am and went fast asleep and stayed until 5am, it was lovely, he’s such a peaceful little soul.
      Both are here near me now, snoozing and Babz has gone to work.

      Reply
        • I don’t really know Michael, our cats always have, past and present. It would be interesting to find out how many do.

          Reply
        • Is a duvet a sofa? If so, Monty goes under ours all the time. He likes to be under things. Makes him feel safe, I think.

          Reply
          • Or is a duvet a quilt? Monty will come under the blankets when he gets cold. Sometimes that is where I find him. My sister’s cat does the same thing while she is away during the day and furnace is turned down– he burrows in under the blankets on her bed. I used to worry when cats did that– that they would suffocate. But I guess they must have enough air under there.

            Reply
            • I always feel that the combination of duvet (or quilt) and the cat’s coat would make the cat far too hot. Although cats are good at accepting hot conditions. It probably goes back to their wildcat ancestor, the African wildcat. Where you live is very cold in the winter.

              Reply
            • A duvet is a sort of quilt with a cover on, there are Winter and Summer togs but we find the lighter ones best for all year round and they don’t feel at all heavy or smothering. Jozef can get out very easily when he wants to without even waking me up although he does climb on me on top of the duvet if he wants me awake.

              Reply
  2. Now and again our boyz will try it on with us, going to the door to go out at bedtime even though they know no one goes out late at night. We say ‘Goodnight Walter’ if it’s him and he runs upstairs, or if it’s Jo playing up ‘Taxi on its way’ and he runs to the bottom of the stairs to wait. Such good boyz really 🙂

    Reply
  3. Two spoiled and very loved boyz. As it should be.
    I think rituals are very important – consistency, reliability.
    Simplistic here. My phrase is, “night-night time” and most everyone takes their chosen place.

    Reply
    • They do such a good job preserving night time rituals, providing the consistent routines cats love. Sometimes I wish I could do that better for Monty.

      Reply
    • think rituals are very important – consistency, reliability.

      Couldn’t agree more Dee. I think the benefits of consistency and reliability are appreciated by humans as well as cats.

      Reply
  4. lol you can see our house revolves round those boyz!
    Jozef loves his ‘taxi’
    I say ‘Did you order a taxi sir?’ and he comes to me and makes himself camel shaped to be picked up lol
    Since we got the new suite though with an alleyway behind, he sometimes likes to have a bit of fun running round there and popping out the other end first before coming for his patiently waiting taxi.
    I can cuddle him as much as I want to once on the bed, but over cuddle Walter and it’s fatal lol I get a kick in the head.
    Our boyz are our sun, moon and stars.

    Reply
    • lol – makes ‘himself Camel shaped’ – that’s funny. I wish my cats wanted taxi rides. 🙂

      We all just sit together on my bed and eat biscuits together (I eat cereal they eat cat food) 🙂

      Reply
  5. yea i definitly have that with most of my cats mostly with smokey and rebel and sometimes tiger. All our cats are all know they are loved.

    Reply

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