(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Caturday Pootie Diary: The waiting is the hardest part [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-04 I glanced at my watch. “I’m a little late getting home, but I’m not that late. It’s not dinner time yet.” He gave a long-suffering sigh and moved to his bowl, sitting and staring intently at it. I shook my head and went back to work. I cut into my dinner – a quick pre-made lasagna and salad from a kit – and took my first bite, savoring the taste of the pasta. Freddie was on the chair next to me with his front paws resting on my thigh. He was watching my fork as it moved from my plate to my mouth, his head moving like he was at a tennis match. I ignored him, silently moving my arm when he reached out to gently pat my hand. It’s not easy ignoring a large cat as he aggressively pursues a bite of your dinner, but I make do. “That sure smells good,” Freddie told me, his nose twitching as he inhaled. “It does,” I agreed, continuing my meal without acknowledging his request. He reached out again and I set my fork down with a quiet laugh. I turned to him. “There is literally nothing on this plate that wouldn’t poison you,” I said. “It might be worth it,” he shot back, hopeful. I gently pushed him off my leg. “I can’t afford a trip to the E-vet right now.” I picked up my empty plate and silverware and walked to the sink. Freddie hopped down and chased me, jogging around me to get ahead. As soon as he got in front of me he abruptly stopped, forcing me to dance around him while juggling the things I was carrying. “Freddie!” I scolded. He looked back over his shoulder and up at me. “My dish is right there,” he said, indicating the direction with his head. “I know!” I said, moving carefully around him. “It’s pretty empty,” he observed. I looked at the clock on the microwave. “Fifty more minutes,” I told him, setting my dishes in the sink. “It’s important to stick to the routine.” “I don’t know how long that is!” he cried. I emptied the dryer and tossed my clean clothes onto the couch next to my normal seat so I could fold the laundry while watching television.Wakanda Forever had just been released on Disney Plus and I had been looking forward to watching it for a long time. I started the movie, then picked up a pair of pants and folded it as neatly as my lack of patience would allow. Freddie jumped onto the arm of the opposite side of the couch and walked over to me, scaling the pile of clothes carefully. He settled on top. I glanced over at him and shook my head. “The one black shirt is the one you chose to lie on,” I said. He looked down at his makeshift bed and then back at me without any shame. “You’ll have to move pretty soon,” I said, turning back to the movie. “I’ll move when you feed me,” he offered. “What has gotten into you tonight?” I asked, squinting over at him. “I want to eat!” he answered. I took pity on him and picked up the box of treats. “You get three,” I reminded him, carefully shaking them out onto my palm. He appeared instantly next to me, having abandoned my shirt. As he bent over my open palm I looked past him to my laundry pile. The black shirt was positively covered in tan fur. “How do you do that? You were only on it for like a minute!” I somehow managed to fold all my clothes without much more drama. There were a few times I had to encourage him to move, but it got done pretty quickly. I leaned back and kicked my shoes off, engrossed in the movie. Freddie climbed onto my lap and made himself comfortable, purring and blinking up at my face. I smiled at him. “This is the best part of my day,” I said, rubbing his back. His purr got louder. Time passed and I suddenly remember to check the clock. I sat up with a gasp. “It’s time for your dinner!” I announced. Without a word he jumped off my lap and ran into the kitchen. I carefully emptied the packet onto a clean cat dish, making sure to get as much of the gravy as I could. Freddie impatiently rubbed on my legs and meowed in his most pathetic way. “It’s coming!” I assured him. I picked up the dish and carefully walked to his mat, making sure not to step on him as he twirled and danced beneath my feet. He followed the dish with his eyes as I set it in front of him, then waited while I gave the fur of his back a long stroke as I always did. “There you go, good boy,” I said. “Eat the foods.” He gave the food on the dish a long, thorough sniff, then looked up at me. “You like this kind,” I offered. He sniffed it again. “You like it,” I said again. He turned and walked away without giving it so much as a bite. “Where are you going?” “I’m not that hungry,” he shot back. Happy Caturday, Peeps! Freddie is actually very patient and waits like a good boy for his mealtimes. He does stare lasers at us when he thinks we are running late, though. 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