Whenever my occupation comes up in conversation, the usual reaction is 'Awww, what a great job! You get to play with critters all day!' While that is a portion of what I do, the work part is what's important.
In a previous post, I told the story of Norm and Ted destroying their bed. Granted, I was laughing at the level of destruction they managed to inflict, but I was also inwardly groaning because it was up to me to clean it up.
In this case, the best course of action was to let the boys out into the backyard, then grab a broom, sweep all the stuffing over near the bed, roll the whole shebang up like a burrito, and stash it in another room. If I had tried that with the boys in the house, it would have turned into a new game. Plus, they outnumber me, so I would never have been able to keep up. Strategy can be everything in these situations.
Dogs obviously need more hands on, involved care than cats. The old saying 'dogs have owners, cats have servants' is more true than not. Sometimes, the lines are a little more fuzzy. One of my favorite cat crews to visit is Boots, Honda, and Tiffany.
Boots loves people and will do dang near anything for some attention, including grabbing your arm if you stop petting him too soon. (You'll notice he's on my lap in this shot.)
Honda used to be the one in charge, but he has health issues now so the other two bully him sometimes.
Tiffany is the princess. If she likes you, you'll know it. (She now trusts me with belly rubs - a great honor, fyi.) It she doesn't like you, you don't even get to see her.
When I started my visits there, it was only to scoop out the litterboxes. Two upstairs, two in the basement. (A neighbor took care of their meals.) Now, you would think a job consisting of scooping out four litterboxes would be easy. And it is... until the cats have their say. Boots and Tiff like playing with running water, so I have to set them up in the bathroom with the sink AND the tub faucets on. Honda takes advantage of their distraction and get his loving in while they're busy. Smart cookie! It's only then that I can get on with what I'm actually there to do. Again, strategy is key.
See, it's the kisses and cuddles that make the cleaning up part of the job worthwhile!