Straight And Narrow

What is the difference between a constant companion and a warden?  Sometimes I wonder if Bessie Anne, Ralph, and Celeste want to be with me or if they're monitoring my activities and trying to keep me on the straight and narrow.  Unless I drive away in the truck, I go nowhere alone.  Three sets of eyes follow my every move in the house, and Bess takes the duty if I walk outside.  Bessie Anne can be sound asleep (she snores) behind Stove, but if I quietly leave the room, almost immediately she's there with me.  Privacy in the bathroom is impossible.  "As long as you're just sitting there, you might as well pet me," say the cats.  Bess waits and watches from the doorway.  Sometimes I try to fake them out by ducking into the guest bathroom instead of "my" bathroom.  It doesn't work.  Close the door, you say?  I find the scratching and whining disconcerting.  What do they think I might do without supervision?  I'm hardly likely to run amok and tear off more toilet tissue than allotted.  Everywhere I go, we're a parade of four.  It's gotten so I try to get as many things done as possible in one trip down the hall or to the kitchen so as not to tire them out.  There are times I'll think about doing something and put it off (it's my story and I'm sticking to it) because they're all sleeping so nicely.  The cats are indoor cats, but if I go outside, I guarantee they'll be watching from behind the screen door.  Whatever the reason, all these critters take their job seriously.  The one thing they cannot do is make me meet deadlines.  It's my one act of rebellion.  Maybe I do need a warden.