Cats are weird

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Greyfeather
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Cats are weird

Post by Greyfeather »

A recent experience has me puzzling over the nature of one of our culture's favorite companions - Cats. We have never had one. We live in a city and I have never been willing to test my abilities as a pet owner. I grew up on a farm so there were always domesticated "strays" lounging on our back porch (people dumping them out on country roads, etc). They were always very sweet, for the most part. Mother didn't allow them in the house. If one managed to slip in the door, it would usually freak out once inside and getting them out could be a messy situation.

So, anyway, I posted this 'recent experience' on the "Coronavirus" thread. That was kind of dumb as it has nothing to do with COVID19. I'm putting it here for those interested in felines and their behavior. I'm as curious about cats as they are about us :lol:

Last night, 9:00 p.m.
Jeez, I have to share this cause I'm still shaking:

We rent an old house on an old street. Nothing spooky though. It's one and a half storeys: a bath at the top of the stairs and a room on either side (across a tiny landing.
Mr. Grey went shopping hours ago. I was exhausted and so crawled into bed early. It took him extra long to shop because before checking out his stuff he ducked into the men's room. When he came out his cart was gone and he had to do it all all over again! I have never seen that happen when a cart is outside the restrooms. When he got home he unlocked the door, came in and put things away. Then he came up to find me.

As he was climbing up the steps a black cat, its tale up in the air silently stepped out of the bedroom (where I was asleep), looked at My Guy in the face and crossed over into the other room (my office). I heard him and woke up, and this is when he told me what had happened. We went over every inch of my room. Didn't take long. Then the rest of the house. There is no cat in this house, no way it could have gotten in. We have several black cats that roam the neighborhood. I found one in the street last Fall, near the house. He was dying because he had been struck by a car. There was NO saving him even though his tail kept waving spasmodically. I ran into the house to make a call. When I reluctantly went back to check, the kitty was gone, but the blood was still there. Someone must have taken him away. He was near death.

This is all so crazy. I don't think he was "seeing things" but an animal would have made its presence known by now?
Is this a portent? I'm terrified, thinking all sorts of things.

I'm thinking "My Guy was in that store too long; a presence - alive or not - left the room where I slept and then crossed Mr. Grey's path."

A real cat would have freaked out; would be climbing the drapes trying to get out, or approach us? Our lives took a turn for the strange years ago. I don't know what to think. :(
So here's an update to this weird tale:

After deciding that we may have received some "ghostly visit", we went to sleep around midnight. I woke up at 2 a.m. and went across into my small office and got on the computer. Mr. Grey had filled a bowl full of milk and set it outside my door just in case our visitor had been real and felt hungry. I noticed that it was untouched. I closed my door. About five minutes later, as I was typing, I watched - in absolute disbelief - the door to my office slowly and deliberately OPENING. HOLY SHIT!! I was paralyzed, my gaze directed upward, where I expected a ghostly face to materialized. Then I looked down. By god and golly, there was an enormous Black Cat strolling in after having pushed open the door. He was not more than a foot from my legs as he arrogantly (and slowly!) glided right past, pausing just long enough to give me a "the fuck is YOUR problem?" look. I watched as he went directly to the window and jumped right through it, curtain be damned. :o :o

Now I don't care so much about apparitions as I do ballsy neighborhood felines who patrol our block like they own it cause I have seen this fellow many times before. I have chased him out of the garage after he has followed me inside. Last summer we saw that the screen covering the garage window had been torn. I walked in just in time to see The DON (yes, I'm calling him that :lol: ) leap out through the torn screen with his GIRLFRIEND in tow. Apparently those two had been shacking up together for quite a while, rent free :roll:

So here's what actually happened. Two days ago I had opened my office window for some fresh air. It was night time and I couldn't see that the window screen was OPEN. The Mr. had taken my window AC out last November and left the screen up. I have to cover both of my windows with sun-blocking drapes (I have a kind of Lupus that requires me to stay out of sunlight :( ). So I didn't know the window was open and, more importantly, I don't know how a cat found out that some random window on the second storey of some random house was 7 inches open when no light comes from my room. WEIRD!

At some time last night, around 7 p.m.?, after I went to bed, The Don came in. I don't know what he did after that (explore the house?), but the Mr. spotted him leaving the bedroom where I was sleeping. Yiiiiiiiikes :o and also :? Did that Big Cat take a nap on my face? Try to decide if I was worth eating? Just stare at me for a coupla hours? It's no wonder we couldn't find him. He slipped across the landing, into my office and - whoosh - out the window (covered by a long, thick blackout curtain). Then, later, sometime after we went to sleep together he came back for more hijinks. I'm guessing that when he sashayed through my office as I watched, he had just come from some "me time" downstairs, heard me moving around and came up so he could skedaddle out the window again. He didn't even touch the milk we left. What kind of unsociable behavior is that? He wasn't remotely afraid of me. Just pushed the door open and was like "later dude, y'all are boring," then out the window again. So stealthy! And neither drapes nor torn screens get in his way :shock:

This guy cannot be denied! I don't hate the cat, but I find it annoying that this cat's owner just lets him wander all of the time, because he is certainly domesticated: Big, clean & shiny, very healthy, our milk wasn't good enough for him :lol: I'm guessing not neutered :evil:

Mostly I'm just happy to know that My Guy is not hallucinating and that we don't have to burn a bunch of sage.

So, folks out there who host kitties who apparently own us, is any of this at all strange to you? 8-)
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herbalhippie
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Re: Cats are weird

Post by herbalhippie »

Nah, typical cat behavior. They own the world. :lol:

Cool story though! I have a story I'll relate later when I have a minute.
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IndelibleDotInk
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Re: Cats are weird

Post by IndelibleDotInk »

Not weird. Cats are only half tame, if you could call it that, and can be great companions but have their own type of personalities.

Scottie, a cat I had from elementary school and a long time after, was an indoor/outdoor and apparently frequently went into our neighbors' homes to scope things out and look at dishes of milk when they had their doors opened to carry in groceries or whatever. He never drank the milk, but was a good rat catcher for some of them.
Laurie
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Re: Cats are weird

Post by Laurie »

Cat videos are still the most popular thing EVER on the internet, according to some authority on that stuff on he internet.

Maybe I chose to believe it, because I agree!

I spent 12 of 17 years with a cat that I walked on leash three times a day up until the day before he died.

I proceeded with a divorce promptly after collecting the remains in a nice box. I have them where I wound up (mom’s house) and my best friend knows I want to be burned with his box unless covid makes such requests impossible (hope not! But we all hope not).

Mom has a dog, so I simply don’t have responsible space for a cat to enjoy hanging with me.

I had a sweet pet sitting service with bookings out through Dec 2020 up until air travel started to be a problem.

I got one for a week with some bossy pugs in August. That’s a good sign. People are already planning car trips with those they have quarantined with!

Sounds like everything is kicking back into gear. Hopefully the summer will be enjoyable and safe for everyone! Especially the cats!
Greyfeather
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Re: Cats are weird

Post by Greyfeather »

IndelibleDotInk wrote:Not weird. Cats are only half tame, if you could call it that, and can be great companions but have their own type of personalities.

Scottie, a cat I had from elementary school and a long time after, was an indoor/outdoor and apparently frequently went into our neighbors' homes to scope things out and look at dishes of milk when they had their doors opened to carry in groceries or whatever. He never drank the milk, but was a good rat catcher for some of them.
This cat is definitely a Hunter. I'm pretty sure that's why he snuck into the garage so often - mice. And for that I am deeply grateful after finding 3 pair of nearly new sneakers (I was storing out there) full of mouse shit :evil:

And I can't believe this post is nearly a month old. Seems like yesterday.

I'm still super creeped out though, wondering what The Don was doing in the bedroom while I was sleeping in there :?
Greyfeather
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Re: Cats are weird

Post by Greyfeather »

Laurie wrote:Cat videos are still the most popular thing EVER on the internet, according to some authority on that stuff on he internet.

Maybe I chose to believe it, because I agree!

I spent 12 of 17 years with a cat that I walked on leash three times a day up until the day before he died.

I proceeded with a divorce promptly after collecting the remains in a nice box. I have them where I wound up (mom’s house) and my best friend knows I want to be burned with his box unless covid makes such requests impossible (hope not! But we all hope not).

Mom has a dog, so I simply don’t have responsible space for a cat to enjoy hanging with me.

I had a sweet pet sitting service with bookings out through Dec 2020 up until air travel started to be a problem.

I got one for a week with some bossy pugs in August. That’s a good sign. People are already planning car trips with those they have quarantined with!

Here in Illinois the only changes coming are that restaurants can serve "in" only if they serve OUTSIDE :roll:

We live downstate and, although there isn't a great deal to do here, I wish our governor would allow more leniency. Trump trash-talked him badly during one of his COVID briefings. Now I'm wondering if we are staying closed just to spite him. Politicians...... UGH.

Sounds like everything is kicking back into gear. Hopefully the summer will be enjoyable and safe for everyone! Especially the cats!
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