Another week has passed us by in our lovely home, surrounded by trees, flowers, and hopping cats. As with most accommodations, I expected the outside to be the most interesting part of living on Whidbey Island, however, this week a new development proved me wrong.
In each living space, there has always been one room that I more or less ignore. It’s always the smallest room and rarely has any windows. Yes, I’m talking about the room where the large, bald one keeps her personal litter box. I believe she calls it The Bathroom.
Earlier this week, I was feeling particularly sociable and followed her in there. I watched intently as she completed the interaction with her personal litter box. The large, bald ones consistently confound me and this process is no different. However, nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. She approached the small counter in the corner of the room and suddenly I heard the sound of running water. It was the same sound produced by the kitchen sink, an indicator that the cat drinking fountain had been turned on.
At first, I was confused, I cocked my head to the side and listened intently. Drinking fountains are specific to the kitchen area of each house. Could it be possible that The Bathroom also has a cat drinking fountain?!
I quickly jumped onto the small counter and pushed my head into the sink to investigate. There it was – right in front of my little face; free-flowing, drinking water of the purest form! I drank as if I was dying of thirst (even though I had plenty of water in my personal cat dish). When Michele started to turn the fountain off, I cried long and loud, demanding that she leave it on. As usual, she complied with my demand and exited the room.
As I lay on my favorite windowsill this Sunday afternoon, I reflect on my new discovery. I am gracious to have found a new drinking fountain, but now my responsibility to monitor the running water in the house has doubled. Each time I see Michele going to the bathroom, I quickly slip in behind her and demand that she leave the water fountain turned on, but every single time, she sneaks back in to turn it off when I am not looking.
Keeping house, when you live with a large bald one is an exhausting endeavor indeed. It’s a good thing that I love her so much.
MICHELE’S ADDENDUM: This week I noticed that Cal had developed the new habit of demanding drinks from the bathroom sink. To be perfectly honest, it’s a bit of a burden to accommodate this new desire. It’s a good thing that I love him so much.