Hmph. Both Buffy (the grumpy Siamese) and Hei Yu utterly refused to drink from anything but a dribbling faucet. (That's *dribbling* faucet -- leaking was not acceptable, thankyouverymuch. And it had to be dribbling at exactly the right rate -- too much and/or too little were likewise unacceptable, and would get you a harsh Talking-To.)

Kitchen or bathroom tap only, and of course they preferred whichever one was most inconvenient for whichever slave was serving them this time.

If the kitchen sink was full of soaking dishes -- or otherwise in use -- only water from the kitchen faucet would taste right.

If Mum or I were washing our hair, or if there were "delicates" soaking in the sink, or if someone was using either of the "other facilities", only the bathroom tap had water that would properly assuage their thirst.

They were both persistent . And loud . If you were home alone and had the nerve to try for a nice long soak in the tub, you could count on having to get out at least once to give them a drink -- watching them while standing there dripping and shivering and begging them to please hurry it up before you froze was just part of the payment for being permitted to live in their house with them.

In fact, I'm convinced that getting exasperated with them and telling them to "Please drink faster already!" just made them drink slower .

Ignoring them was NOT an option. Having a cat perched on the edge of the tub six inches from your ear and yelling as loud as they possibly could -- with that (rightfully!) notorious Siamese voice -- effectively spoiled your relaxation anyway. It was much easier just to give them what they wanted so they'd Shut UP Already!! than it was to argue with them.

So they got what they wanted.
So what else is new??

I was frequently more-than-tempted to just kinda "accidentally-on-purpose" knock whichever one was yelling this time into the tub, though... (Not that I ever did -- luckily, considering the utter debacle that happened the one-and-only time Hei Yu slipped and fell in. Without any help from anyone, mind!)

The present cats are content with water bowls, thank goodness -- as long as they're changed at least four times a day, that is.

Are we cat-people well-trained, or what?

Copyright © Janice Munday
December 20, 1999