Percy, the cat whose picture is below this post, has all of a sudden turned into a high wire act.
He started his preparation for his new career in the master bedroom; he would jump on the dresser, walk across the top of the dresser, jump to the bookshelf (slightly higher up than the dresser), walk across the top of the bookshelf, jump up to the chest of drawers (quite a bit higher than the bookshelf and sits on an angle in the corner), then walk across the top of the dresser just to stick his head around the corner and peer into the master bathroom.
Soon this wasn’t enough of a challenge for the little gray acrobat cat with the Siamese meow. He moved on to the second bedroom which gives him numerous opportunities for climbing.
The second bedroom is used as a storage/computer room.
It has stacks and stacks of large Rubbermaid totes (http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatName=Storage&SubcatId=Roughneck&Prod_ID=RP091418) which go nearly to the ceiling, two bedside tables stacked on top of each other, stereo speakers stacked on top of each other just to mention a few.
I first found Percy on top of the chest of drawers (actually on top of the stuff stacked on top of the dresser).
Soon he wasn’t content to just sit on the top of the chest of drawers and he moved on to the stacks of Rubbermaid totes. I discovered that he’d knocked over one of the stacks so it was leaning against the chest of drawers and the bottom tote in the stack was balancing on the edge of a large round mirror which had been leaning against the chest of drawers.
Now these totes aren’t light, and while I am not normally superstitious (I feel no need to throw salt over my shoulder, I will walk under ladders, I have no problems with black cats, I do not have triskaidekaphobia, etc) when it comes to mirrors (and the possibility of them breaking) I feel its best not to tempt fate with that 7 years of bad luck (first off my luck is bad enough already and second off if that superstition is size based I would be in for bad luck until the day I die).
So first I moved enough of the totes to the window seat so that I could get at the mirror and move it.
During this moving the second stack of totes (located in front of the stack that was doing the best impersonation of the leaning tower of Pisa that I’ve seen in years) decided it wanted to get in on the fun.
So while I was (luckily) bending over, two half-totes, two large stuffed animals (a bear and a horse), and a Christmas wreath went whizzing over my head. I say ‘luckily bending over’ because if I had been standing up the stuff would have whizzed right into my head, which could have caused death, dismemberment, or at the very least a mild concussion.
I do not want my obituary to say “Poor Suellen was killed at the age of 50 by a flying Rubbermaid half-tote ;” I would much prefer my obituary to say “That crazy cat lady Suellen (the oldest woman in the world at 120 years old) passed away while Nordic skiing down Mt Bachelor!!”
I figured once the offending totes were moved to the window seat that would put paid to Percy’s career as an acrobat. That was wishful thinking at its finest!!
Since the move he’s been found on top of both of the stacks in the window seat, on the chest of drawers, on top of the stereo speakers, and on top of the two closest stacks of Rubbermaid totes.
He’s been seen using his paws to knock around the lantern that hangs from the ceiling in here. He almost hypnotized himself with that lantern and he’s also been seen jumping from the chest of drawers to the first stack and then jumping to the second stack. Its a little disconcerting to look UP and see a cat staring back down at you!
He’s also attempted to knock down the Christmas wreath and the stuffed horse which I had placed on top of the second stack of totes after their first attempt to kill me.
I gave up on the teddy bear, and allowed him to remain on the floor. That poor bear has been so abused by my cats, first Mick pushed him off the upholstered chair next to the chest of drawers and then Percy knocked him on the floor. I suppose I should be happy they don’t chew on him, he cost me $50.00 and that was several years ago.
Yesterday I decided to open the blinds in here not realizing that the cats would be fascinated with the window and windowsill. First I discovered today that there is enough room between the window and the stacks of totes for the cats to get between them. Then Percy discovered that because of the totes he could balance between the window edge and the tote so he came down that way instead of jumping down to the window seat itself.
He’s also showing an unhealthy fascination with the remaining window covering (Mick pulled the full length curtains down sometime in 2009 and I figure Percy has designs on the poofy valances!)
All this exercise has plumb tuckered the poor little cat out. He’s curled up on the window seat snoozing his life away, storing up his energy for another go at being an acrobat. And to think I used to complain about him being on the counters in the bathroom and the kitchen!s