The night the cat went nuts
by Jean Martin
It had been a blissfully pet-free home when the used cat first arrived. Almost immediately it became apparent that the cat was going to require dependable wait staff. Fortunately the home came to her equipped with a full-time housekeeper and a handyman.
Life in the summertime soon took on a regular rhythm. Let the cat out, let the cat in, feed the cat, let the cat out, let the cat in, prepare the cat’s bed for a daytime nap, let the cat out, etc.
All went well for a time, but eventually the days became shorter and the night grew colder. The rhythm of the household changed gradually.
Now the routine shifted to include, show the cat what it looks like outside, close the door and get comfortable, let the cat out the front door. Soon snow on the porch prompted the cat to try the weather at the back door. Snow on the back porch suggests to the cat that perhaps leaving by the garage entrance would be better. Let the cat in, feed the cat.
Late sleepers had to be evicted from the cat’s bed. A bit of yowling and scratching at the bedroom door usually did the trick.
Then the test of the doors began once again.
The staff began to enhance the cat’s comfort by use of the living room fireplace. Still there were times when the cat became chilly and took to staring into the blackened fireplace until an alert staffer set things right again.
These standard routines passed essentially without incident for several years until last week. National weather forecasters were predicting a winter storm of epic proportions, but it was not meant to come as far north as the cat’s abode. Then gradually something went wrong. The storm took a more northerly track than had been expected, but the cat’s domestics were still not worried. Ho, hum, another winter storm.
And then it happened. The cat, who had not left the house for a number of days, strolled into her living room and noticed a strip of cardboard lying on the floor. What occurred next struck fear into the hearts of her servants.
Suddenly she rolled onto her aging side tossed the strip of cardboard into the air and batted it about for a few seconds. Next she scrambled to her feet and began chasing creatures that were invisible to her servants back and forth in the hall. Then she returned to the strip of cardboard. This continued until the exhausted crew retired to the relative peace of the cat’s bedroom.
The next morning the cat found yet another layer of new-fallen snow on the front porch, the back porch and yes, even in front of the garage.
The cat’s minions were still shaken from the events of the previous of the evening and set about deciding what additional services the cat required now. Eventually it was decided that perhaps the cat needed a toy to amuse herself throughout the long days and nights ahead. A trip to the store revealed what might be just what the cat required. The item was a relatively large mat equipped with a catnip scratch pad and a little tuft of feathers approximating the shape of the bird. It was a little pricey, but the cat’s well-being was at stake.
As soon as the housekeeper took the package out of the bag, the cat became interested. As soon as the staffer set the pad on the floor to open the package of catnip, the cat took possession of her new domain. She was extremely reluctant to vacate the pad while the catnip was put in place. As the pad was eased into its new location by the fireplace, the cat took loud exception to the whole process.
Now the cat cares little for the feathers and finds the scratch pad beneath her dignity, but she is quite pleased with her new pad and guards it jealously against all comers.
And spring is only about 3 months away. Then the hirelings will once again be called upon to let the cat out, let the cat in . . . .
