Off the Mark by Mark Parisi for September 04, 2018

They’re just along for the ride.

That’s how my morning starts sometimes.

Mine doesn’t always wait until I move.

It’s a game called “Feed Me”. The rules were simple. If you open your eyes, you get your rear end of bed and feed the cat. In my house, the contestants were Smokey the cat and myself. Game time was 5:00 a.m. It began with Smokey atop my dresser knocking the keys to the floor. Then she moves to the night stand and bats the pull string to the blinds against the wall. Next the cat climbs the headboard and jumps landing on my pillow next to my head. Having all the previous steps fail it is now time to apply little “love bites” to the end of my nose. Believe me, it takes great stamina not to open the eyes. Then comes the fatal blow. Smokey takes that nose and rubs it all over my eyelids. Everyday for almost 15 years… Smokey 1, myself 0.

EVERY morn in my room!

Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night needing to pee, but afraid to move and alert the cat. In the early a.m., he has a whole bag of tricks to try to get me out of bed. if all of those fail, his final attempt is backing his butt up to my pillow — then continuously whacking me in the head with his tail.

My Maltese-Bichon mix sleeps on top of the comforter. He rarely gets up until about 20 minutes after I do.

You move, no snooze.

The bedroom door is closed and it stays that way until I decide.

They’ll sit there watching until you even open one eye, then JUMP.

ROFLMAO!! True, that.

So true. :-D

I had a cat that somehow knew I’d turned over on my stomach to read. Within just a minute or two he’d be there in front of my book, wanting attention.

This is so real!