dogs and cats

So, several times a day, when I first wake up (which could be between 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.--I am retired you know) then in late afternoon and just before I go to bed, I take Bad Dog Bela out to do his business (when did peeing and pooping become 'doing our business'?)

Everyday but Monday, Bern takes him for a long walk on the Canal--about 1.6 miles--where he can do more business but mostly walk. With me, on Mondays, when Bern is 'doing our business' by paying bills and such, I walk him on the canal. He doesn't walk as well with me as he does with Bern. But he does more business when we walk on the canal.

Here's the thing, whenever I come back with Bela from whatever walk we go on--before breakfast, late afternoon, just before be--Luke, our cat is waiting by the door. Luke has always been an indoors cat, which we promised when we adopted him about almost a year old at MEOW. He's outlived the other three cats we had when we brought him home.

We have a dog, a cat (Bern calls him 'our last cat') and a parakeet. That's the fewest animals we've had for several decades of cats, dogs, birds, a rat and lots of guinea pigs stolen from a kill lab at Yale.

But Luke, whose only been outside twice, when he escaped from the dormer door to the basement, where he's not allowed but finds moles to kill and bring upstairs (this is an 1850 house withe some dirt floors in the basement and, unfortunately, moles).

I imagine Luke is imagining some remarkable outdoor adventure when he is waiting for Bela and me when we come back from walks. But when we come back, he moves away from the door and runs deeper into the house. Bela mostly ignores him or chases him and mauls him for a bit until I call him off. (The mauling hardly ever happens...just when it does I get upset a bit.)

Maybe Luke wants to go outdoors. Maybe he just misses Bela and me when we leave.

Who knows what a cat thinks? Who would want to know?