The Great Escape

February 29, 2024 at 11:52 am (Sweet sticky things)

Have I mentioned that we have cats?

I love my little buddies. They are almost two years old now. The smallest, Stevie Ray Wonder-Nix, is about ten pounds. The biggest (Waffle) is about twenty. He’s “beef-noodle hearty.” Dot looks like a little white panther, with big grey dots on his torso. He’s the Ambassador. First out of Mama cat, he’s the one that leads the way when other species are involved. They are all males.

Hallow is our female “kitten,” along with Trixie, the old bat of a cat. (She’s about 17 now…) Hallow is solid black, with grey tufts along her claws. (Two tufts come out of her ears as well, giving her a Grandpa Munster look.) She channels the spirit of Mama the most, and we worry about her and Luna the dog going at it. And not in a good way…

So imagine my surprise when, as I sit in my room making my morning edibles and shaking off the cobwebs, I look down and see a fluffy black cat staring up at me. My first thought is “What’s the neighborhood tom cat that fathered half our kittens doing in my bedroom?” Then I notice Luna, our big black Labrador/boxer combo, staring down into Hallow’s eyes.

Oh… Shit…

My first reaction was not to react. Luna could take her out with one snap, but it’d be more like a hand saw fighting a chainsaw. If nothing spooks them, maybe we can get through this unscathed.

I called for Sister. Nobody was responding, probably thinking I wanted to show them something on TV. When my niece saw the cat walk out of my room, she said, “What the…?” When the dog followed, it was “Oh gawd…”

Hallow, with her poofy tail and mutton-legs, marched out to the living room and jumped up on the bed, where Luna holds court. We got ahold of Luna’s collar before she could snap, but she remained calm. Her tail was wagging, and she seemed excited to meet a new friend.

With Luna locked in a back bedroom, the usual procedure for feeding time, we got all the cats corralled and back where they belonged. We’ve been meaning to introduce them, but fear of violence or mayhem has kept us from doing so. Every introduction has gone well, but it only takes one car backfire to set off a depth charge and freak everyone out.

How did she get out? Through the mouse hole…