Separate Vacations

You know, I always think that while I’m away, my pets don’t really miss me. As any cat lover knows, except at mealtimes, cats spend most of their time ignoring their people altogether. Oh sure, they do insist on hogging the best sleep spot on their human’s bed and will allow the occasion ear rub when they are feeling generous. So, it makes perfect sense that those distant felines could care less about whether anybody is home or not…as long as the food holds out and the litter box gets scooped regularly.

Dogs present a bit more of a concerned. But, in my observations, that depends entirely upon where they puppy-vacation. My pup, Y-Bo, is usually left at best bud, Daphne’s house. Where, I’m told, those two dogs spend all day, romping around the backyard, chasing each other, arguing with the dog next door and keeping the Homeland safe from squirrels and birds. At night, after a hearty dinner, they get a nice p-nut butter stuffed Kong toy or US made hunk of rawhide to chew before they collapse for the rest of the night.

The cats, Princess and Jabba, the Squeak do all right, too. They don’t have to leave the safety and security of their own turf. We hire a lovely young lady from down the street who comes in a couple of times a day to check on things, clean the pan, fill all the kitties’ favorite ‘watering holes’, and make sure that they have overflowing bowls of kibble. She even pets them…if they let her. What more could any of them want?

Well, to my surprise, when we returned from our little trip last weekend, the cats must have heard the cab pull into the driveway, because they literally met us at the door. Both of them meowed, brushing against our legs. Even before I could take my coat off, the Princess, in an uncharacteristically un-regal way, actually stood up on her hind legs to knead my thigh in loving welcome. When I reached down to scratch her ears, she didn’t pull away in disdain like she always does. Jabba was purring to beat the band. A quick check showed that not only were their separate ’bathrooms’ pristine and odor-free, while their various water stations were without any floating fur and all the food bowls were loaded with tasty kitty chow.

I didn’t pick up Y-Bo until the next day. But the instant that he saw me, he abandoned Daphne as if she was a tick-infested Bigfoot who was trying to devour him for breakfast. Without so much as a ‘thanks for the hospitality’ or ‘can’t wait to see you another time’ he was out the door, waiting by the car to go home. He didn’t even grumble when I took him to the local do-it-yourself-dog wash for a speedy clean-up.

For the next few days, all three animals stayed pretty close and non-complaining. Y-Bo was particularly eager to please and mindful of his ‘p’s and q’s. This was a nice change–although the bedroom was uncomfortably crowded and overheated by all the furry bodies vying for space between Jersey and me.

Many people claim that their pets get too homesick without them, and as a result, these folks won’t travel without Fido and Tabby. Obviously I’m not one of them. In fact I think it does the four-legged little (or large) darlings a lot of good to be separated from us once in a while…I haven’t felt this loved and appreciated by any of them since our last separation!

(And  yes, I admit that the feeling is mutual. I missed them, too. Just, please, don’t tell the cats! Armed with information like that they’d be impossible to live with!)

This is Pet Blog Hop Saturday!