Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Return of Spidercat

Spidercat The Space Catdet lives.

Background: The master bath at the Kitten Farm West is laid out such that the shower stall is next to the bathtub; they share a half-height wall which has the tub faucet in it. The tiled top of this wall is about four feet up and forms a smooth but otherwise cat friendly ledge, easily reached from the tub proper. From the ledge, the glass of the shower stall goes up another three feet. The top of that is not cat friendly, a metal rail perhaps at most a half inch wide with a seven foot drop on the far side to the hard floor of the stall.

When I stepped into the bathroom this morning, Whitey joined me. He explored a bit on the ledge ... and then he reached up, and used his three foot plus reach to haul himself from the ledge up to the top of the shower stall. As he wobbled from side-to-side, I charged into the stall prepared to catch him and called for Katherine (who was not exactly awake). But before I could tell her to hop in the tub, he managed to turn 180 degrees, and ...

(... as I saw just how far his claws were extended for traction, my life flashed before my eyes knowing he would use them to the fullest when he fell on me ...)

... he jumped down on the tub side, for a sufficiently loose definition of jump down. He was aiming for the ledge, but while it broke his fall he bounced off it and he landed in the tub proper. I checked him, and he didn't seem worse for wear.

He earned 0 style points, but as pilots say, any landing you walk away from is a good one.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Return of Circus Cats

One thing while Katherine was gone that I didn't notice much of and certainly didn't miss was excessive meowing. The boys seemed to orbit closer to me, and when they are close, they generally don't just sit and yell. They will talk, but not as much, and it's more like a like conversation when you can answer them with words and eye contact.

However, they've decided with Mom home, everyone needs to know where they are. And that they can't be bought, but can be rented for kitty treats.

This is why I didn't sleep in past 7:50 this morning.

Makes me wonder when the circus is next in town, grumble ...

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Hello, Kitten

I'm minding the store solo for a while again. I spent much of the morning
downstairs, and when I came up, I checked on the boys. Billy is on the stairs on sunbeam patrol, and his brother was curled up high in the library cat tower.

I say was because with no prompting from me, Whitey padded into my office, hopped on on my desk, and has settled down for a nap on the pedestal for the silver kitty warmer. This is despite the warmer itself being packed in my briefcase.

I guess he likes the company. It's mutual.

Sleep well, kitten.


Updated:
I left, he left. I came back, he came back. I think he likes me.