The Pre-Dawn Patrol 🌅🌈

First departure: 6:26am (before sunrise)   Equipment: Rainbow disco leash   Total walks: TBD 😂   Status: ONGOING 👀

The neighborhood does not patrol itself. This is a fact I have tried to communicate to my humans on multiple occasions. They understand this now. 🐾

What follows is my official field report for the week. It is extensive. The neighborhood required extensive attention. I have no regrets.

At 6:26am – well before sunrise, well before most of the complex was awake – I positioned myself at the door handle and began the standard pre-patrol communications. Rubbing. Meowing. More rubbing.

My human asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I meowed. She said she needed to get dressed. I waited. Patiently. For almost two whole minutes. 😸

The sky was dark – deep blue clouds drifting against a slightly lighter blue sky, pale strips of early light between them. Quite beautiful. I noted this briefly before moving on to more important matters.

The streets were quiet. No children. No loud vehicles. Just me, my human, and the rainbow disco leash cycling through its full color rotation as we moved through the pre-dawn darkness. We were the most interesting thing on the block by a significant margin.

I walked my kitty lane – the precise strip of pavement along the path edge that I have designated as my route through years of extensive trial and experience. My human follows. This is how it works. 🐾

At the front of the complex, I identified a route of significant investigative interest. My human disagreed. There was a brief negotiation. I held my position for several minutes. She held hers.

I redirected. Under protest. However – as we passed our apartment and it became clear she wasn’t forcing an immediate return, I reconsidered my pace. The sky was beginning to show the first hints of orange and yellow over the field across the quiet street. The morning was, grudgingly, acceptable. 🌅

I led us to the treeline at the back of the complex. Every pine tree required individual inspection. At the end of the treeline, I detected movement. Ducks. A male and female Mallard by the neighboring complex pond.

My human spotted them first and pointed them out. I had already spotted them. I was simply processing. 😸

I dropped into a full crouch and began my approach. Slow. Silent. Methodical.

They flew away. Both of them. Except for one female who stayed in the pond and began quacking loudly – apparently broadcasting my position to the entire neighboring complex. I crouched in the grass and considered what had just happened. 🦆😹

Check out the video footage of my first pre-dawn patrol:

Let me be very clear about something. I am an indoor-outdoor cat. A patrol cat. A sunrise warrior. I do not skip walks. 🌅

I made this extremely clear on Monday morning when I positioned myself at the door and meowed at full volume until my human acknowledged my patrol schedule.

She said something about it being 33 degrees. With a wind chill of 25.

I did not care. The neighborhood doesn’t patrol itself. 🐾

A compromise was reached. The garage door.

Fine. I would inspect the garage. I would conduct a perimeter check from the doorway. This was acceptable.

The door opened.

The cold air hit my face.

It was at this moment that I reassessed the situation. Thoroughly. With great professionalism.

The neighborhood could wait. 😴

I turned around, walked directly to my fluffy round bed, curled into a perfect loaf, and did not move for the remainder of the morning.

This was not a retreat. This was a strategic redeployment. There is a difference. 😸

There was frost on the ground. I assessed the conditions from indoors and determined that a patrol was not warranted.

My human was also sick. We cuddled on the couch instead. This was a tactical rest decision. It was also very cozy. I will not be elaborating further. 😸

Wednesday made up for Monday and Tuesday. Significantly.

I demanded my sunrise walk again. Before sunrise again. My human obliged. The action camera came along. I have not yet reviewed the footage – this is her department. 🎥🐾

Tuesday had frost. Wednesday had low 70s. The weather in this neighborhood is deeply suspicious and I intend to investigate further.

It was warm and breezy and the sky was doing something remarkable – layers of small white clouds spread across the blue in every direction, the sun burning through the middle of it all. My human could not stop filming the sky. She kept looking up and saying things. I conducted my ground-level inspection while she handled the aerial documentation. We work well as a team. 😸☁️

She may have been slightly affected by cold medication. This is unconfirmed. The clouds were genuinely very good though. I will allow it. 😹

We went out again at sunset. I do not make the rules about how beautiful the sky was – I simply patrolled beneath it.

Orange. Deep pink. Purple at the edges. The pine trees silhouetted black against it all. The neighborhood looked different at sunset than at sunrise – quieter, warmer, the whole complex going golden. I sat in the grass and looked at it for a moment. Just a moment. Then I continued the inspection. 🌅😸

It was very dark. My human used her phone to film and activated the rainbow disco leash’s light function, shining it in circles around me as we walked.

My shadow danced on the grass. The colors cycled. Blue. Red. Pink. The neighborhood was quiet and dark and glowing with rainbow light.

I am told this looked like a rave. I have no objection to this characterization. 🌈😸🐾

7:16am. Before sunrise. Again. The door handle. Again.

The sky was extraordinary – the kind of sunrise that makes it very difficult to argue about going back inside. Soft orange bleeding into pink bleeding into pale blue, the whole complex bathed in it, the pine trees lit up warm from one side.

I sat in the grass and looked at it for longer than usual. My human took photos. This was the correct response from both of us. 😸🌅

Friday morning. Post-severe thunderstorm. 32°F. Feels like 20°. Soggy. Windy. I assessed the conditions and determined: acceptable. I made it down the street. A strong gust of wind hit. My human began moving toward home at an accelerated pace.

I persisted. She picked me up. I was carried home. I am currently eating. Will Nap Instead. ⚡😹🐾

Full breakdown of the Friday storm patrol coming soon to meowsammysays.com!! 🐾

Sunday pre-dawn patrol: executed. Forbidden route: noted for future reference. Duck surveillance: ongoing. Monday wind chill: unacceptable – strategic redeployment authorized. Tuesday frost day: tactically acceptable couch nap. Wednesday: three patrols including one rave. Thursday sunrise: exceptional. Friday thunderstorm: I was carried home. I have eaten. I will nap. The neighborhood remains under active inspection. 🌅🌈🐾

Case status: CLOSED. The week is complete. 😸🐾

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About Meow Sammy Says: Real adventures from Sammy, a Siamese cat who takes his neighborhood patrol very seriously. Subscribe at meowsammysays.com 🐾