The Haunting of the Ottawackers

I'm not surprised they are bored, to be honest - for animals, living in a house (especially with Mrs. Ottawacker and I) can't be that much fun. So they make up their own routines, the latest of which is to wait at the bottom of the stairs for food. In the dark. This means the person responsible for feeding (usually Mrs. Ottawacker) gets a nasty shock as she clumps downstairs first thing in the morning. 

Of course, I could resolve the issue by feeding them myself, but where's the fun in that? That 7 a.m. squeal and "oh, bloody cats" sets me up for the day.