Some people who aren't owned by cats are under the impression that cats are low maintenance compared to dogs.  While it's true that cats don't need a daily walk around the block, the cat ownee isn't entirely free of responsibility, either.

   Showing our Good Cats love and affection whenever they want is the easiest part.  Maybe it's because we're really smitten by our kittens, or else they just have us well-trained, but they also partake of home-grown catnip, they drink filtered water, and their food comes from the pet store down the road and not the supermarket.  Afterward, they may choose from among six boxes of scoopable litter that are scooped twice a day -- unscented litter only, if you please, so as not to offend sensitive calico noses.

   They seem to be satisfied with this arrangement, but we can't think of everything that could upset their sensitivities.  One night, Pat was in the upstairs bathroom before going to bed, and since she had a slight sore throat, she mixed a glass of salt water to treat it.  I was down the hall, rubbing Kelly's tummy in the spare bedroom, and when Pat started gargling, Kelly leaped off the bed and crawled under it.  Despite my best efforts, he wouldn't come out of hiding until she stopped making those strange, frightening noises.

   As the personal possession of the Big Guy, I realized I needed to prevent this from happening again; however, the catalog from Drs. Foster and Smith doesn't carry kitty earplugs.  Inventing them on my own might have taken awhile, and soundproofing the bathroom didn't seem cost-effective, so now we humans close the door while practicing personal oral hygiene.  Besides, I probably couldn't have gotten Kelly to wear the earplugs anyway.