Friday, July 30, 2004
A cat from the neighborhood has wandered inside the house twice in the past week. Since it's hot out and we go in the yard frequently, the door is sometimes ajar and apparently very inviting to cats. So this cat just walks in, scares everyone to death - "A cat in the house! AHH! Come look!" - and gets chased back out. My dad insists that cats carry bugs and are therefore diseased and should be chased out running with a stick, though everybody knows he grew up with many cats (he lived on a farm). My mother always sees the cat first, and always says "How impolite! It doesn't even knock before coming in!"
I think it's amusing and shocking to find a foreign animal walking casually on your kitchen counter. I am afraid to touch animals that are on a level above my waist - childhood near eye-gauging incident - so I stand a fair distance away and meow. This afternoon it jumped in my brother's oatmeal playbox (like sandbox, but not as dirty) and afraid that it might think it's an extra large kitten potty with fantastic trucks inside and pee, I shouted 'No!' and made elaborate arm gestures. It responded a little slowly - I wonder why - but eventually left the oatmeal (aka not sand or litter) alone. If the cat shits in my brother's play box, well, it won't be pretty. Next time it comes by for a visit I think I'll attach a ribbon with a message - while doning full protective gear of course.
I think it's amusing and shocking to find a foreign animal walking casually on your kitchen counter. I am afraid to touch animals that are on a level above my waist - childhood near eye-gauging incident - so I stand a fair distance away and meow. This afternoon it jumped in my brother's oatmeal playbox (like sandbox, but not as dirty) and afraid that it might think it's an extra large kitten potty with fantastic trucks inside and pee, I shouted 'No!' and made elaborate arm gestures. It responded a little slowly - I wonder why - but eventually left the oatmeal (aka not sand or litter) alone. If the cat shits in my brother's play box, well, it won't be pretty. Next time it comes by for a visit I think I'll attach a ribbon with a message - while doning full protective gear of course.
