Maya's schedule changes with the weather. As it warms she goes nocturnal. Mine does not, as much as I wish it did. Here in Vegas it gets hot, way past real hot and into damned hot. Maya has made the transition into sleeping the heat away and getting up and going out after dark. Our schedules conflict.

At 11:30PM when I am going to bed she wants to stay outside. We have developed a routine. She is normally sitting out front near the front door or on the corner steps. She knows if she is on the patio around that time she can too easily be snared and carried inside. I go outside to get her and she runs away. I complain to her about how late it is and she ignores me. I mean really ignores in that way cats have. She does not even look at me. Her back faces me, she does not recognize that I am there, she is in denial mode.

I go back in and turn off the TV, brush my teeth and generally get ready for bed. Then I go outside and she comes near gets picked up and carried inside while complaining to me now. This time I get to ignore her. She will never come in willingly. She will come up to the door and stop sometimes but that is it. She gets two chances, after that I lock the door and she spends the night outside. Which is what happened last night when she ran from me the second time. I don't like doing it. I am afraid for her out there alone all night but as I see it there are three choices: keep her locked up at night, let her set my bedtime, or the system we have. That was the third time this has happened in 15 months. I am sure it will not be the last. It is a test of resolve every night.

This morning of course when I went to go to work there she was at the door and boy did she let me have it. I picked her up with out interrupting her complaining put her inside and went to work.

Copyright © John Biltz
May 10, 2002