Cats vs Dogs

I've been a bit ill. Cats love you when you're sick. Sleeping during the day is their raison d'être and they are happy to keep you company while you're doing it. OCD dogs, however, are another matter entirely.

For the first two days, I was too sick to notice what Ray was doing. By day three, I noticed that he was being a bit whiney, but I was too sick to care. I also noticed him chewing shoes, knocking over the bathroom trashcan and sifting through the contents, walking around with various articles in his mouth (a pen, a bottle of aspirin, a cat toy) and shredding an entire bag of "Original Herb" Ricola throat lozenges. I was able to yell at him to stop whatever he was doing, but I still didn't feel well enough for him to drag me around the block.
By day four, I was well enough to notice him whining for three hours straight because he didn't get his morning walk, so I called Ray's girlfriend, Kappy, who was kind enough to air him out a bit. And that evening, Ray and I had our first plod around the block in four days; the upside to having a whiney, OCD dog. I'm sure the motivation he provides for me to get him exercise will make me heal that much faster.

Today is day five, and whatever bug I have is still morphing because I've lost most of my voice. Ray and I went for morning and evening walks, but the duration was severely truncated due to my lack of energy. Ray's behavior has stabilized a bit. He's still walking away with things (the Ricola lozenges are a favorite. Harvey knocks them off of whatever surface they are lying on, Ray finds them and chews them). I squeak at him but it is ineffective, even I think I sound silly, so I must get up to remove whatever he has from his mouth. I know Ray is doing this on purpose to give me more exercise because dogs are smart that way. They know that exercise makes them feel better so it must be that way for everyone.

I appreciate the concern. Really, I do. But truthfully, when I'm sick, I vastly prefer a cat's ministrations over a dog's any day of the week.