Dexter Checks In

One of the fun things about the almost two-week break I get from work around the holidays is getting to spend more time with my furry son, Dexter the Tabby. We are both happier when I get to spend more time at home. When I go back to work in early January, Dexter will be devastated.

But we won't worry about that just yet, as I have almost a week of free time left. And I intend to spend as much of it as possible with this handsome furry boy. He goes by many names, but the most recent favorites are Tibbins and Boo Bunzler. Don't ask me why. I can't remember. It just . . . happened.

We have our daily rituals together and I thought it would be fun to share a posting about a typical day in the life of Dexter. Is it any surprise that some of his favorite times of the day are meals? Dexter is fed five times a day. There's breakfast at 6. Second breakfast is at 7. Lunchies is at 11:30. Supper time is 4:30 pm. And the bedtime snack is usually just before 10 pm.

What does Dexter eat? He gets a half-can of wet cat food (Fancy Feast) at lunch and supper. He eats the poultry flavors but not the fish flavors, with the exception of tuna, which is a favorite.

A bit of fresh cooked meat (usually chicken, but sometimes beef or ham) is provided along with second breakfast, lunch, and the bedtime snack. First breakfast is dry cat food; and dry cat food supplements second breakfast and the bedtime snack. Are you writing all of this down?

He gets a treat or two here and there. At bedtime, I put four treats at various places in his room before closing the bedroom door for the night. (Yes, Dexter spends the night in his own room. This is what works best for us, as it ensures a good night's sleep for the peeps as well as the safety of the cat.)

Since the holidays began (Thanksgiving, with turkey; then Christmas, with my mom's chicken), we've had more meat around, and so I've been giving the cat more meat and less dry food. His fur really shows it. Before, it was nice and waxy. Now, it's like fine silk. Very soft and shiny and beautiful. Dexter is also more excited about meal times now, more energetic, and produces slightly less solid waste. All nice benefits!

At least once a day, we go outside and sit on the front porch together, with me holding him in my arms. He likes to do this after meals. So when we get up around 6, he has first breakfast, and then we go and sit on the front porch and watch the light come. When we come back in the house, he has a sip of milk and I have coffee. We hang out together until it's time for second breakfast, and shortly after that, my husband gets up.

On work days, we make a big deal out of bathroom and shower time in the morning. I run water in the bathroom sink before I shower, and I put some of Dexter's toys in. Eight Ball the duckie is a favorite. After my shower, I put fresh water in a big green water bowl and leave it in the tub for Dexter to enjoy; it's his favorite place to get a drink. I put a little yellow towel on the bathtub for his comfort, so he may sit or lie there and drink.

Dexter is a big fan of naps. He usually naps from about 9 am to 10:45 or so in the morning. He often is not awake long at lunchtime: long enough for lunch, possibly a quick sit on the porch, and then back to naps, from noon to about 3:35. Yes, he's very precise about much of this schedule!

His most active time of day is after his supper. That is the time he is most likely to want to run around and play. It is also when he and I go and sit in my car for 10 or 15 minutes. Just sitting together, you know. Bonding in the car. Usually, with him in the driver seat and me in the back seat. (I laugh and call this "Driving Miss Daisy.") But sometimes not.

When we come back up from the garage from sitting in the car, my husband tosses treats for Dexter up and down the front stairs and down the hallway. The cat is very food-motivated, and likes to run for treats. We give him both the crunchy and the soft kind.

And after the post-supper play time, Dexter likes to settle in for a long, evening nap. This can last from about 6 or 7 pm or so until just after 9, sometimes later. The photo above was taken during his "getting ready for the evening nap" phase.

Dexter jumps up into his favorite chair (which is also my favorite chair, so I am ousted nearly every single night, but really, it's OK with  me). And he settles in. And he starts looking longingly at the blanket on the back of the chair.

If I am too dense to understand what he wants, he will motion to the blanket and even meow out loud, saying in everything but words: "COVER ME!" Yes, he likes to be covered in a blanket for his daily naps. We call this "tuvving." Or "tuvvies." As in, "Dexter, do you want tuvvies?"

And then we cover him up! And then I settle into a chair next to him. And all evening, I can hear him in there beneath the blanket, making little noises, dreaming sweet Dexter dreams.

The tune to accompany this image is a song about the "tuvving" which happened mere moments after I took this photo of our dear Dexter. Here's the Boss, with Cover Me.