Our cat Tiny has passed slightly beyond the age of kitten, but this doesn’t seem to prevent her from behaving in a fashion reminiscent of a two-year old child. I have tried in vain to break her from getting up onto counters and tables, but now even these obstacles are not enough of a challenge for her. She has found new mountains to climb in this jungle gym that I call a house.
The key words here seem to be “height” and “maximum” as she maneuvers her way to the apex of any object she can find…by any means necessary. Case in point: recently Tiny became dissatisfied with the thrills of the countertop and decided to take a chance on jumping from the stovetop to the top of the refrigerator. Once on the top of the refrigerator, she figured out that it was only a short jaunt to the top of the cupboard above it. Then she other cupboards across the room that she could only dream of getting to. She must have realized that dreams can come true, because the other day – and every day since – I have found her on top of these cupboards.
Most people who see her on top of these cupboards can’t figure out how she made it there, until her secret is finally revealed when she is caught in the act. By bouncing from floor to counter to refridgerator to the cupboards across the room, she makes it to her post with the grace…well, of a cat.
Now, she has become fond of another perch. On top of my computer desk are the speakers and a small sub-woofer box. Since the top of the sub-woofer is the highest peak in the dining room, mounting it serves to prove that she is king of the mountain, or at least the room. So now she likes to hang out here. When she gets tired of posing in her regal stance, she will even lay down on top of it, though it is much too small to comfortably support her ten-pound frame.
Incidentally, during my attempts at training Tiny, I found that even spraying her with a spray bottle doesn’t deter her from doing bad things. She just becomes wet and confused. But I did finally find a suitable punishment for messing with the Christmas tree, which I expressly forbid. A good shot of canned air does manage to keep in her line around the tree sometimes. Her latest: she’s chewed off the end the canned air straw — no doubt in protest.
To read about Tiny’s next mountain to surmount, click here.
thats my cat.
a.
December 11th, 2006