Who's Running the Show

Here I am, 53 years old and I have to outsmart 1 dog and 2 cats before I can go to bed at night. The dog is actually easy to get to bed. Being a glutton, he will go anywhere (in the house) for a cookie. So a simple "snacks in your room, Coop" sends the hairy beast down the hall to his "room" aka crate. Now, the cats they are a different story. The cats have their own digs in the laundry room. Several beds, food and toilet. They stay there during the night to avoid .. well catting around. Anyway, ol Tuck has decided that I have to pay a price before he goes to bed. Sometimes, if I don't make any of the usual getting ready for bed moves, I can pick him up, give him a kiss and stick him in his room. However, if he has any indication that bedtime is nigh... all bets are off. He will start toward the laundry room and then veer off and race under the dining room table. As I come around the corner he heads under the couch. From there he goes behind the couch and just watches. Some nights he will come out if I start waving his toy on a stick. We play for a while and he will bat at the mouse as it comes near. If I get near, he races in the opposite direction. For awhile, I could let him in the sunroom, shut the door and capture him. He's on to that now. When the sunroom door is open, he watches carefully and slinks toward the door. After every five steps, he stops and looks around. Finally, he enters the sunroom and heads toward the plants, his sworn ememy. I start toward the sunroom and as I cross the threshold he races out and the fun is on. By this time Mackie, the smaller cat, has left their room and is perched on the couch to watch the show. In disgust, I decide to leave them alone and brush my teeth. I will re-enter the battle in a few minutes. I soon hear their cat door swinging and then a strange silence. As I enter the laundry room, they're curled up in the beds, as innocent as lambs. They both looked up and yawned. However, I saw the look in Tuck's eyes. He was sending a message, don't be fooled. There's always tomorrow night.