Although we’ve had dogs for many years, my only experience in recent months is with street cats.  We never trained dogs – they always trained us – and now we’re experiencing the same thing with cats.  One particularly wild street cat comes by a few times a day for meals.  She tells us what she wants by pointing to the relevant cupboard or fridge, and if I am working in my study, goes to sleep on my couch.  If I am doing housework, she leaves in a huff.  But I also meet other cats wherever I go.  Yesterday, when a severe sciatica attack made me go to the orthopedist, I found a street cat in the waiting room.  She waited with the receptionist and I asked to whom she belonged.  The receptionist said she was taken care of by the other storefront offices, but she always joined her during reception hours because orthopedists – unlike pediatricians and gynecologists – have patients who might call her over to be petted.