rebeccmeister | Cats: 6, Rebeccmeister: 0 [cats, status]

I think we're up to 6? I could have miscounted in there somewhere.

Yesterday's labs ran long, but the lab is an engaging one and students got a lot out of it, so I can't begrudge them for needing the time. When I finally went to check the weather for the bike ride home, the radar looked quite colorful in a way that posed two options: wait an hour or so, and get home for a late supper; or, set forth but be ready to get very wet. So I suited up in all my rain gear and set out, and the apocalypse struck when I was about a half mile in. It wasn't particularly cold but I was glad for the rain gear more for keeping the grime off than anything else. By the time I got back into town someone was exclaiming about the rainbow visible in the sky behind me.

The recent catio fortifications had been working well, so I've been generally coming home after work and letting the cats out for a while, which they love, of course. It helps that it's now warmer and lighter later into the evening. With the rain subsiding, I let the cats out.

Sometimes they'll go out for a while, then come back in to say hello again, then go back out, and it can be tricky to call them back in for the night, often requiring cat treat bribes. But there's another behavior pattern, where if George escapes, Martha comes and finds me and acts super affectionate. Who knows what's happening in her catty brain, but it seems like some version of, "Finally, that pesky kitten is GONE!"

So, that happened later in the evening, as I was ready to head for bed. I tried shaking the freeze-dried salmon cat treat bag to summon George, to no avail. Eventually I just went out on the back porch to groggily sit in a chair for a while, because there was no way I would actually be able to sleep well if George was stuck outside all night.

...and eventually he came trotting up the back porch steps, and flopped down at my feet, like he does.

They're going to be mad when I won't let them out on the catio this evening.