Morning Meows

Ninja woke me up this morning nudging and meowing. He has a very distinctive meow. It's what I call a baritone. If he were a human (heaven forbid!) he would be one of those big guys with the deep resonant booming voice that no matter how much he might try to lower the volume, the actual tonal quality still vibrates the soul. Ninja's meowing is not to be ignored!

He can be quite the gentleman cat and very patient. He approaches me first on one side of the bed, "Meow".

I turn over. "Umph... go'way, Ninja."

He stands there a moment staring a hole through my eyelids. I put the pillow over my head. He goes over to the other side of the bed and jumps up so silently (like a ninja) that I don't even realize he is there until his cold nose meets mine. Sneaky guy!

"Get down, Ninja!" He walks away, making sure I feel him do so. I relax a moment and start to drift off again. He gives me plenty of time to believe I am dreaming. Then from the doorway, in his best sing-song opera style.....  MEEEEE-OOOOOW!

I think to myself, "I don't want him to think he can DEMAND I wake up and get out of bed JUST to feed him!"  So, I leisurely slide out of bed, acting like I am totally ignoring him. In fact, I pretend I don't even know he is standing there patiently in the hallway. My feet go in my slippers, my robe on my shoulders and I head to the bathroom to do what we all do in there first thing in the morning. I even close the door so he can't follow me in. "Oh, sorry Ninja. I didn't see you..." again speaking to myself inside my head. And, "Were you waiting for moi?" when I exit. Of course he was.

This is now the tricky part. How do I get in the kitchen without having the army of cats living in my house come in for the onslaught? I could say I don't. But believe it or not, the others are not interested in Ninja's strange feeding habits that he has so successfully trained me to observe. Well, except for Buffy da Bampire Flayer. She is interesting in seeing what's going on with Ninja's diet. She wants to sniff it and sometimes taste it. But, the truth is they all get the same food and though she keeps suspecting Ninja might be getting something superior, she walks away disgusted, leaving him to munch in peace.

Ninja has lost his patience with me when we enter the kitchen. Though he only meows once when I am putting the water on to make my tea. The instant I have completed that arduous task he ramps up the volume. Have you ever seen one of those cartoons where a character is shouting at another and they make it look like a big wind is blowing down the other character. Of course you have. That's how it is with Ninja at this point.

He can meow in three octaves all at once. His vocalizations travel throughout the scale of  Baritone, Bass and throw in a bit of tenor. Once in a while there is a quality of unexpected mezzo-soprano.

I try not to rush. I know he is commanding me, "HURRY UP! FEED ME! NOW!

But, I remain cool as a cucumber, though my spine is vibrating! It's like having a screaming infant in distress underfoot! I reach into the bag of Blue Buffalo cat food, grab a bit, (not too much or he'll swallow it whole) and nonchalantly take the bowl out of the cupboard.

I am fortunate that Ninja minds his manners, unlike my other cats, and does not jump up on the counter. Whoever had him those first seven years of his life before I adopted him instilled in him the law that counter jumping is a crime. So, I am saved the discomfort of having to discourage him from interrupting my bowl fetching.

However.... his incessant "NOW!  NEOW!!  NEOW!!!" wins of course and I bow down to his greatness and place my offering before him.

Ahhhh...... Silence is golden.

crunch... munch... crunch... crunch... munch... crunch... munch...crunch... munch...