When Do We Eat

I am the feeder of the family, always have been. The Patient agrees that I am the one who has always provided sustenance for the most part. For the past 6 weeks I have had no help with this chore. I don't expect The Patient to help; he has only one hand with the sling on. Strange thing was that I managed to fulfill animal feedings with only one hand available. Just an aside proving that woman are better nurturers for the most part.

My schedule has been formed by the animals here. The dogs get fed first thing in the morning. There was a time when I could push that feeding for an hour or so. Our old girl Toni Louise sets the pace in our mornings. She will tap dance across the floor and bark until I drag myself out of the bed. She eats canned food, a very soft and mushy concoction that makes me a little queasy when the aroma hits my nose. I try to get all the food ready while they are in their yard doing their business and chasing the kittens who have figured out how to breach the fence.

Eddie is also on a special diet for fat old doxies. He will be 10 this year and has packed on the weight since his special surgery. The Patient ordered Farmers Dog for him after seeing all the ads. Bo still eats dry kibble .... expensive dry kibble. The cats' food is ordered in 45 lb. bags and go through it quite quickly. The cheapest I could find when The Patient decided to start putting out food for the feral population on the side of the mountain. Now he thinks Kevin deserves better, Ginger, as well, since she seems to follow Kevin everywhere, including inside. 

The turtle eats those pellets that float on the water. I have tried introducing vegetables and fruit to her diet, but she refuses to eat them. Her mainstay is worms; her favorite is night crawlers. She likes them to be hand fed to her. Since she nipped Eddie's nose, I have been very careful with my fingers. I usually dangle the worm for her to grab. This has resulted in her trying to climb out of her habitat to get my attention. This has also gotten the attention of the felines in the house. The Patient freaks out when the cats show any interest. I am not too worried about it. She can pull herself into her shell and if provoked, I know that she will bite, and I doubt it would take more than one bite to discourage the cats.

Since the canines all have different food (I long for the days when I just put the food in one big dish and they all ate it), I have been pressed to find places to feed them separately. Toni eats in the bathroom, while Bo and the cats wait impatiently on the other side of the door. All of my door slide, so there is a nice gap under the door. Kevin and Ginger like to stick their paws under the door. Since Toni is almost blind and hearing impaired, she could care less.

Eddie eats in our bedroom, while The Patient sleeps. The feedings begin at no later than 6:30 am. Toni will manage to get me up at 6 some mornings, but I have decided to just wait her out until 6:30, fearing that she will continue to push it earlier and earlier. Same kind of door as the one Toni dines behind. But Eddie growls at the would-be intruders.

I put Bo's food in his dish, but he is too busy running up and down the hall to see if Toni and Eddie might offer up some of their food. They eat all of their food, but Bo will still lick their bowls, just in case. Thing is that Bo wines and sings the entire time the other two are eating. As soon as his bowl is put down, the cats come running to eat the dog food, despite the cat food I have put in their bowl. Since Bo is more interested in licking empty bowls, Eddie has decided to supplement his food with the dry kibble. The whole purpose of his special diet is defeated when he does this.

So, this morning, as I was picking up Bo's bowl to keep Eddie on track, I decided to put Bo in the bedroom that Eddie vacated. Never have I seen such a happy little fella! He was so pleased to be sequestered in a room to eat his food! All this time I had wasted the opportunity to make Bo feel included!

Once the indoor animals are taken care of, I head out to the feeding trough for the outdoor cats. I call out "KITTY" and they all come running to me. They will wind between my legs but will not agree to be picked up. On occasion the mama cats will succumb to limited head rub. Since putting some ointment on Garfield's bloody ear, I have become his favorite person. He does not want me to pick him up, but he allows me to give him a good head rub and back rub and belly rub. He is easily as big as Martha the boy cat, just not as fat. It makes his head look huge.

I don't brew coffee until all the animals have been fed. Mothers are like that; they take care of everyone else before they take care of themselves.