I was sitting on my back deck yesterday morning, watching my cat sit on a fencepost, when a question came to me: How long does it take for a cat to get bored? It seems to me that it takes a certain level of intelligence for a brain to get bored. I’m sure an amoeba never gets bored. Do fish in an aquarium get bored? I get bored easily.
I had been watching the cat for about an hour. She was sitting there, watching the ground for any sign of movement. She seems to catch a field mouse nearly every day. I thought, ‘she must have a very small brain if she can sit there this long, just watching the ground.’ By that time, she had my curiosity aroused and I decided I would sit there and watch her until she got bored and did something. Forty-five minutes later, she stood and stretched, then sat back down.
It was almost noon and I was starting to get a little hungry. I had eaten a snack cake for breakfast, just like I do every day. The cat sat in the doorway, like she does every morning, waiting for me to finish so she could lick the wrapper. When I threw the wrapper away, she sat down beside her food bowl because she knew she was getting fed next. You’d think she would get bored, going through the same motions every day, but she doesn’t. While I’m in the bathroom, she always eats her breakfast, then sits beside the back door, waiting to go outside. I try to sit out on the deck every day. I’m not the type to just sit around the house; I try to get outside for the fresh air and exercise.
About one o’clock, her ears perked up and she crouched down on the fencepost. I could feel my heart rate go up a little. Maybe she was finally going to do something instead of just sitting there. After a few minutes, her ears went back down and I knew the opportunity was lost. But she had seen something, so there was hope yet. I decided to skip lunch. After watching this long, I didn’t want to give up until she did. I found myself watching the ground, too, looking for any sign of movement.
About three o’clock, I heard a scuffling noise and raised my head off my chest. She was playing with a mouse on the deck. I must have been daydreaming when she caught it. I wish she would just eat them and not bring them home. She always plays with them until they finally die, then I have to put them in a plastic bag and throw them in the trash. Like I don’t have better things to do with my time.
This one finally quit moving, so she abandoned it and went down into the yard. Like she does every afternoon, she prowled around, looking for grasshoppers or anything else that moves. She pounces on them like they are some dangerous prey, then eats them and goes back to prowling. I guess it doesn’t hurt her to eat them. Judy didn’t want her to eat bugs, but I never saw the harm in it. It’s good for you to vary your diet.
She was still just a kitten when Judy died. I tried to give her to my grand-daughter, but she said I should keep her. She said it wasn’t good to be all alone, that the cat would keep me company. If I wanted company, I’d go to the Senior Center. I have enough to do without keeping track of a stupid cat.
It was starting to get dark, so I got rid of the mouse and went inside to watch my game show. I try to never miss it. It’s hilarious how people get flustered by being on stage and can’t guess the puzzles, even when they have most of the letters. I hardly ever guess the answers, but I don’t live in California or go to the movies, so most of the puzzles don’t mean anything to me. I always turn the TV off when it’s over; there’s nothing but junk on in the evenings.
I opened the refrigerator door and looked around inside. I knew there was nothing to eat in there, but I always do it anyway. Since Judy died, I haven’t felt like doing much shopping or cooking. It’s just me and the stupid cat, so what’s the point? I ate another snack cake for supper. As usual, the cat was sitting at the back door, waiting to come in to lick the wrapper. While I watched her licking it, I kind of felt sorry for her. How boring it must be to go through the same motions every day with nothing to look forward to but licking the wrapper.
I picked her up and took her to the bedroom with me. While I got undressed, she curled up on Judy’s pillow. She sleeps there every night. I probably shouldn’t let her, but somehow it’s comforting to have her there. I gave her a little pat before going to sleep. I thought maybe I should buy her a little toy so she would have something to do all day. But today is Saturday and I don’t like to leave the house on Saturdays. Maybe next week I’ll buy her a little something.
I love cats! They carry the light of human intelligence. “I am the cat who walks alone and all places are alike to me.” Rudyard Kipling
Thanks for stopping by, Rob. We have four cats who share our house when they’re in the mood.