5 Pet Parents on the Silly Little Rituals They Do to Please Their Pets

Every night before I go to sleep, I have to go to my dog’s bed and tuck her in. I don’t know how much she really gets out of it, but I feel like neither of us can get to sleep properly unless I’ve fussed around her and made sure her bed is as comfy as possible. This is just one of dozens of rituals and routines we have together every day. Some of them are silly, some of them are essential, and all of them, in my opinion, help to strengthen our bond. I’m sure people who aren’t devoted dog parents won’t understand our bedtime routine, but I don’t care. And I’m not alone: One dog mom went viral because she has to put a silk sleep mask on her Boxer every single night before they will go to sleep. 

Tucking dogs in bed and making sure they’re outfitted with silk sleep masks may seem silly to outside observers, but plenty of pet parents do little things to make their babies happy. This got me wondering: What other rituals do pet parents have? I spoke to five people whose daily practices for their pets bring them joy — even if no one else understands.

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Shower peek-a-boo

A cat parent named Alex told me that their cat, Pippin, loves to sit in the bath behind the shower curtain. When they go to the toilet, they pull back the curtain and shout, “Oh!” as if they’re surprised. Pippin always meows back, and they play peek-a-boo together. “She likes it in there so much that her bed is in there now. Obviously, this is deeply unsustainable when we want to shower, but we work around it!” Alex says.

A trail of water bowls

María has a senior dog called Tuca. She says that Tuca always has to be lying down in the same space as her no matter what, so she has to always be surrounded by a bunch of soft items. She also has multiple water bowls all over the house with a very small amount of water in them to stop Tuca from drinking too much in one go. They’ve turned this into a ritual, with Tuca following María around as she fills them up.

Finally, and most luxuriously, they have daily mini spa breaks. Because Tuca struggles with allergies, her carers have to wipe down her eyes, face, and paws after walks. This is a beloved family routine more than it is a chore, though. Tuca regularly seeks someone to wipe her down, and they treat it like a mini massage, spoiling her as much as possible. 

Kitty on alert

Sophie Jo told me that every morning, her cat, Moochi, comes in as soon as she hears Sophie Jo and her husband talking. “She stares at the blinds in our bedroom until we pull them up so they’re out of her way. She then jumps onto our chest of drawers so that she can look out of the window and survey the road,” Sophie Jo says. “She looks at the birds and passersby and occasionally gets a wave from a local school kid. We call her Neighborhood Mooch, like Neighborhood Watch, and have an ongoing in-joke about her being a vital member of our road’s Facebook group.”

If Sophie Jo forgets to open the blinds, Mochi will get very upset and scratch at the carpet until Sophie Jo readies her perch for her surveillance hours.

Bathroom snuggles and sleep therapy

Kelly has two cats, Nova, a senior, and Merlin, a kitten. The three of them have many elaborate rituals and routines, the first of which comes when Kelly tries to go to the bathroom in the morning. “Merlin hears me and bolts into the bathroom and insists on sitting on my lap, putting his paws on my shoulders and nuzzling my face the whole time. When I take a shower, he sits in front of the door scratching at the door until I open it and let him in,” she says.

When she gets home, they fight over who gets to sleep on her shoes once she’s taken them off. “As soon as they hear my keys in the door they both run and flop on the floor and roll around for belly rubs. It’s the only time I’m ever allowed to touch Nova’s belly.”

Kelly has tons of rituals with the cats, most of which were initiated by them. “In the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep or have a nightmare, I’ll say ‘Nooova?’ And she comes running and lays wrapped around my head so I can bury my face in her until I’m calm enough to fall back asleep,” Kell says.

And here’s a cute one: When Kelly eats string cheese, they will sit either side of her and beg for a sliver. Then, they will eat sitting next to one another, three in a row. “When I play piano, they both like to curl up under the bench while I play,” Kelly adds. Finally, if she starts crying, the cats will start playing peek-a-boo. “If I’m crying in bed, Merlin will start bringing me his toys one by one and dropping them next to the bed.”

Why our special little routines for our pets matter

Our relationships with our pets are kind of complicated. For one, they can’t speak. Because the way that we communicate with them can’t really happen through words, it has to happen through actions. Everything we do with our pets every day has the potential to strengthen our bonds, and that includes our silly little rituals.

Maybe my dog doesn’t care if I tidy up her blankets every single day only for her to mess them up the way she likes them. Maybe she’d rather I didn’t bother. But taking care of her and tidying up after her and engaging in our silly little rituals is the way that I show her just how much I love her — or try to, anyway! Our rituals with our pets are often nonsensical, but they’re integral to what makes our relationships so special and unique.