Top 5 Ways The Pets Help With Cleaning The House

~ nickc324

While cleaning the house today, we received quite a bit of assistance from the dog and cat.

Whether they were confused about why we were home during the day or they were concerned that the cleaning was not up to their high standards, they were an ever-present presence presiding over the work.

This pet pestering got me thinking about how often they are involved with cleaning, and now our judges have put together the Top 5 Ways The Pets Help With Cleaning The House.

First a few honorable mentions:

Walking Through The Dirt Piles – If I am sweeping the floor and get a nice pile of dirt and animal hair together, my dog will immediately inspect the pile, walk through it and scatter the dirt and hair. I have tried to reason with him about this, but he ignores my advice on this subject, similar to how he ignores my comments on the mailman, thunder and the designated hitter rule in baseball.

Begging For Food – If I try to clean the kitchen, the dog and cat assume I am only in there to feed them, so they just stare at me, meow (mostly just the cat) and let me know that they are starving and will surely perish soon if I do not give them treats.

Chasing the Mop – The cat was obsessed with the mop this morning and tried to catch its tentacles whenever possible. The cat also enjoyed getting on the table and swatting at my arm whenever I mopped nearby. She is playful, cute and rather evil.

5. Wanting To Go Outside So They Can Immediately Track More Dirt Inside – Why do they do this? Are they concerned the house is too clean? Do they like adding that wonderful mud smell to the house? Why can’t they wipe their paws? And what about cleaning the house makes the dog suddenly have to go to the bathroom so urgently? (Perhaps he thinks the cleaning product I am using is named Mop and Go.)

4. Not Moving From Where I Want to Sweep/Mop – The cat hates water, but she is not afraid of a wet mop. If she thinks food might be involved or she is just feeling lazy, she will not budge from where she likes to sit in the kitchen so I have to mop around her.

3. Eating The Dirt Pile – Perhaps the dog thinks he is helping here, but he really just spreads the pile around or gets dirt and cat hair on his face. And of course, then he just spreads the dirt and cat hair around the house.

2. Increasing Shedding – We can get every ounce of cat and dog hair cleaned up and have the house spotless, and then the pets will walk through and immediately shed. I don’t know if they have a release button somewhere for hair or how they do it, but they leave hair behind as soon as the floor is clean. They especially like to leave hair on wet floors.

1. Throwing Up – Speaking of cat hair, the cat loves throwing up hairballs on a clean floor. (Maybe she thinks the product I am using is named Mop and Throw Up.) And of course, as soon as I go to clean up the mess, the dog will walk through and inspect the area in order to make the mess even worse. Also, once the cat has thrown up, she is hungry again so she will be telling us how she will surely pass out from exhaustion if we do not feed her. At least all of their help makes me feel better about all of the crumbs, mud and papers that I leave around the house.

18 thoughts on “Top 5 Ways The Pets Help With Cleaning The House”

  1. Very funny! This post brought back a lot of memories! We are down to just one cat now, but she somehow manages to mess up an entire house on her own … a job that used to require three dogs and two cats. But she has stepped up her game admirably. She now sheds and barfs her own body weight every day. Every …. day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Whenever I clean the house, my dog, Zoya, isn’t helpful at all. She lies on the sofa, her eyes fixed on me, an expression of despair on her little face: “Why are you doing these boring things? Am I not more interesting? Don’t you want to play with me? Take me for a walk? Throw me a ball to fetch? Feed me at least? Are you tired of me? I’m not tired of you. I miss you so much. Stop doing these stupid things and do something with me.”
    She is a guilt artist.
    On the other hand, I could use her as an excuse every time my house is a mess.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, that’s very nice of you to say, and good luck with your cat’s hairballs and shedding. I wonder if lions and tigers and other big cats also have problems with hairballs? That seems even worse.

      Like

      Reply

  6. Luckily, my princess puggle hates housework. As does the average 12-year-old. When she sees a broom or hears a spray bottle she hides out under the bed until the threat has cleared. Puggles are neither brave nor smart. They are weirdos.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Pingback: because who doesn’t love a good mop chase? | Riddle from the Middle

Leave a comment