SATURDAY PHOTO HUNTERS: GUESS

Hey efurrybuddy, Astrid here. Bet you GUESSed that the humans gave me a resounding “no” to my plea. But, can you GUESS what I did the night before last?

That’s right. I escaped again.

As Dad was trying to get Misty May to come in off the front porch for dinner, I flew right by him and out the door. Mommy was so mad. She told my dad that he was responsible for getting me back in the house; even though, she knows I am never going to come to him. I’m starting to let him hold and pet me on occasion, but he still frightens me.

Mommy says that my behavior is very strange, I only go out on the catio a couple of times per week and on some of those occasions I hide on the bottom platform of our tree/condo surrounded by its bad-weather cover.

The remainder of the time, I remain in the house. Usually I sleep on the chair cushion in the sewing room, but I have a variety of places I like to hang out: 1) sleeping in the sun on the radiator cover in front of the sewing room window, 2) sitting on the edge of the tub behind the shower curtain waiting to surprise any kitty entering to drink from the water bowl, 3) snoozing in Lily’s dough bowl in the kitchen or watching the doggies next door from the same locale, 4) and finally, lying on the kitchen counter next to Mom’s computer while she’s typing.

In fact, she thought I was over my sneaky ways. GUESS I fooled her.

Normally she gets upset when I escape, but she never gets all crazy or panic-stricken. She knows I stay in our yard, expect for the one time I went over the fence to our neighbor’s backyard. Then I was the one who became panic-stricken and screeched like a banshee; even though, the woofies were in the house.

This time, however, I timed my escape a little differently. In the past I had always slipped out during daylight hours. This time; though still light out, it was 6:45 p.m. Mom knew she only had a couple of hours before it was dark. That’s when the skunks, raccoons and opossums come out, and she didn’t want me to tangle with any of them. She also knew that once it was dark, I would be invisible unless she caught my eyes in the flashlight beam.

Well, you did probably GUESS that I was still out and alluding her when darkness fell. Two skunks and an opossum, however, brazenly approached her. She threw two grapefruit-sized rocks at one of the skunks. He didn’t budge, but he did spray a nearby bush. The other skunk hid under the grain bin where I usually go when I’m scared. That sure wasn’t going to happen this time. 

On occasion I would show myself while darting across the yard and a couple of times she actually discovered where I was hiding out. I, of course, did not allow her to catch me. At about 10:45 she decided to beat the bushes again and headed to the front door, flashlight in hand. GUESS who she spied through the window? That’s right, it was me on the front porch staring back at her. By the time she dropped the flashlight and unbolted the front door, I had made like the wind. 

That was her cue to go upstairs and put on her jammies. Dad had already gone to bed with Lily Olivia and Misty May. He told her to leave the second-floor door open with just the screen door closed . He thought if I showed up and hollered to come in, one of them could get up and do the honors of allowing me to re-enter. Mom didn’t tell him that she planned to sleep on the floor inside the door!

Prior to crawling into bed, Mom decided on one last ditch effort to get me in the house. And there I was standing on my hind legs with my pitiful, little face pressed against the glass of the backdoor window. She was flabbergasted. I do not understand why. I had been outside for four-and-and-half hours and hadn’t had my dinner. She should have known I would return when I got hungry. Silly Mommy for getting so worried.

Purrs and hugs, Naughty Kitty Astrid

P.S. Mommy should thank me for my escape. She hadn’t biked that day and had only about 5,000 steps on her FitBit when I ran out. After circling the house many, many, many times and tromping through the side yard she had reached her 10,000 steps. Good job Mom. I am so proud of you! And neither of us got sprayed by a skunk. Seems like a win-win to me.

 

Tags: AstridSaturday Photo Hunters