Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,
Before The Great Freeze of 2018 began (we've gotten down to 29 degrees a few times lately and the natives can't handle it when it's 60 so try to imagine how upset they've been), a lovely blogger named Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey posted some funny photos, including this one:
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| Just so you know, I asked Jenny if she minded me repeating this photo; she said, Go right ahead, rip-off bitch. You don't think she meant that in a sarcastic way, do you? You know I'm kidding, right? Jenny is great. You should follow her.
I commented: The dog who was hoping for a puppy looks very much like Penelope, who would probably have a heart attack if a cat showed up in our house.
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What? You think it's weird to organize my shoes? It makes the shoes happy and happy shoes feel good on my tootsies.
I heard a strange noise coming from another room and walked to the hall to discover Franklin tussling with something in the hall bathroom, also known as Willy Dunne Wooters' bathroom because the master bath is much nicer so it's mine all mine because the kindergarten teacher can no longer give me a minus in plays well with others, though I suspect Willy Dunne Wooters thinks I play just fine.
Anydog, I thought a rat had tunneled into the house through a wall because he didn't know about the fall of the Berlin Wall and Franklin was trying to educate him. I couldn't see the creature, but he was making some noise. I told Franklin to stop and moved in for a closer look.
It wasn't a rat! It was a cat! A cat on the bathroom mat!
I think she was a lady cat because she wore a pink collar with little jingle bells. With Franklin out of the way, she tore down the hall to my office.
No, Franklin didn't hurt the cat. It was such a nice day that I had the backdoor open. She wandered in.
I sent Franklin outside because I hoped to persuade Queen Kitty to leave. She was white and appeared to be a fairly nice--albeit frightened and upset--cat.
Penelope followed me into the office and showed me Kitty's hiding placer behind the shelves that serve as a resting place for my office supplies. Penelope was not in freak out or heart attack mode. She displayed nothing but cautious curiosity toward Kitty.
But Kitty wasn't having it. She managed to get underneath the shelves.
So Penelope joined Franklin outside. I moved the shelves out and spoke to Kitty for a bit. Then I touched her. She didn't recoil. I started petting her. All was well. I picked her up and headed to the front door. As we approached, she dug her claws into my shirt and then into my skin. She wiggled and fought. As soon as I opened the door, she sprang from my arms, leaving me with a few claw marks.
So that's the story of our uninvited guest. Florida has warmed up again. It's 75 degrees and the backdoor is open. Franklin lounges on the deck. As long as he stays there, I don't think any cats will try to see if our palace is a great place for a cat to live.
I'll try to come around to visit as many of you as possible, but if comments are still taking an eternity to post, I won't be able to leave many.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
The occasional stray keeps your cockles warm.
ReplyDeleteI don't think she was a stray. She merely stepped in to see how we decorated the house. She didn't like it and was eager to go home. I haven't seen her again.
DeleteAwww, good thing your dogs aren't vicious is all I can say. That's one brave kitty!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she was accustomed to living in a house because she saw an open door and walked right in.
DeleteThat just goes to prove you never know what the day will bring. I am sure they were all a bit confused over the situation.
ReplyDeleteConfused and frightened, except for Penelope, who was confused and curious.
Delete"It wasn't a rat! It was a cat! A cat on the bathroom mat!" Hey, wouldn't you like to join Poetry Monday with us when Diane gets back from her vacation?? You've got a great start right there!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it was a cat and not a skunk or a raccoon or an alligator that wandered in.
Thank you for your kind words, too, ma'am :)
You're welcome. I write poems occasionally but it's not something I can do based on a theme or because I want to write a poem. I have to be inspired.
DeleteAnd how's the job going? Hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI will choose a cat on a mat any day over a rat!
ReplyDeleteIf it had been a rat, I would have moved out and put the house up for sale.
DeleteWith some of the rhyming here, this would make a good Dr. Seuss story. Except for the clawing. That would scare the children.
ReplyDeleteYou want to hear a fracas, just let the neighbor cat come in among your own cats, through, say, and open basement window.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm glad I don't have a basement or a cat family.
DeleteThe lives they lead... Ah, the drama.
ReplyDeleteLife at its most wild and crazy.
DeleteI doubt she will be back after the dog scare--LOL! Cats are very curious creatures. That's why they need nine lives. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's also turned cold again so no opening the backdoor.
DeleteNor into cats, but better than rats!
ReplyDeleteI was relieved when I didn't see a rat.
DeletePoor kitty. I'm glad she got out okay. I'm a cat fan. They're just so delightfully psycho. :-P
ReplyDeleteWhat a great description.
DeleteI’m having my own pet saga now... And it has been chilly but I still haven’t put on my heavy parka since moving here in 2014 (we got a little cooler than JAX, but not much.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a regular coat anymore. I have a cape and a padded vest. I've needed them quite a few days. I've also given my sweaters and scarves a workout.
DeleteThe way she got wilder and wilder as you carried her to the front door reminds me of my own cat, Orson. Something about being outside seems to make him wilder. It's often happened that when I try to pick him up when he's outside, he acts more like a feral cat than a pet.
ReplyDeleteApparently, Orson isn't afraid of dogs, either. My landlord used to have a large dog named Homer and he (the landlord, not Homer) told me that once, Homer was chasing another cat, and Orson jumped at and onto Homer!
When tiny F. Cat Fitzgerald joined our family long ago, she walked up to Faulkner and slapped him on his long nose. He just looked at her.
DeleteUnivited guests that are cats and so not welcome in many homes/
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it wasn't a feral cat. That would have been so much worse, but I doubt if a feral cat would go in a house willingly.
DeleteAw, poor kitty! She went into the wrong house!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure my house looked pretty comfortable--plenty of cozy chairs in which to nap.
DeleteHi Janie - uninvited guests are always a struggle to get to depart - glad she didn't do more damage ... good luck with all that's happening around you - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWe recently lost one of our cats. Very sad. There is talk, though, of a new feline addition to the family...
ReplyDeleteOuch!! Sorry you got clawed on her way out. But that meme is so right - my kitty is suuuch a biiiiiiitch
ReplyDeleteAwww-what a fun attempt to invite company over! (well until the scratchy claws came out)
ReplyDeleteWe've gotten all our animals as strays at one time or another, though it seems as if yours was simply popping in for a visit.
ReplyDeleteIt's warmed up here, too, but not quite as warm as what you're having. Geez, with all of the stray cats that seem to gravitate to our yard, (I'm sure it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the fact that we feed them...) I'd be afraid to leave our door open.
ReplyDeleteIn a sarcastic way? No way! (Wait. Am I inadvertently being sarcastic?) Organizing your shoes is a good thing. I do it al the time, but I only have 6 pairs, so I wouldn't pretend it's hard work. I do miss one blue suede shoe, though, in spite of my efforts.
ReplyDeleteA pink collar with little jingle bells... Is that a fact? Well, all I know is that a pink collar with little jingle bells might not be a tell-tale sign in 2018. It all depends on this thing called fashion. Fashion and skinny jeans with holes the size of Texas. You're not really a whole person if you don't pay through the nose to get yourself some super duper special holes. Just so you know.
Not Scooby Doo but Blue