Cat Tails

[NorseThing]

(header art by Lifthrasir)


Table of Contents

The Bat Incident

A Curious Case of Two Beds

The Adventure of a Kitten in a Half Cast

The Mysterious Bedroom Door

March Madness and Squeaky Shoes

Sage on the High Plains Desert

The Tail of the Red Copper Penny Candy Kitty

The Case of the Can Opener Kitty

[NorseThing]

The Bat Incident

by NorseThing

It was a dark and stormy night. Really! Well maybe not so much stormy as windy. A warm summer night. We can call it breezy and not be so dramtic. It was also near but not quite yet the fourth of July. The neighbor kids, their buddies, and probably even some of the fathers were firing off the traditional illegal but loud fireworks. Nobody ever gets hurt. Nobody ever gets in trouble with the local law. At least nobody that I know has been hurt or contacted as a part of this national take pride by making noise celebration.
There is one problem with this celebration. It does not happen eery year, but since I have been in this townhouse it has happened a number of times. It seems that bats can become disoriented with explosions and the sharp cracks and the pops of the fireworks. They simply do not like the noise. Much like some people. Well we all have our personal likes and dislikes. For bats, loud noises of fireworks is definately on their dislike list. So how does a bat cope with our annual and very national make loud noise celebration? I do not know about the vast majority of bats. I have only been acquainted with a small number of these flying rats over the years.

It seems one favorite coping mechanism is to fly down my fireplace chiminey seeking the quiet of the inside of my airconditioned townhome. I doubt it is the airconditioning that is the attraction though. I think it is the quiet. The humble quiet. Of course much to the bat's dismay, the presence of a bat inside my home seems to create more noise than the bat was experiencing before he or she chose our home as refuge. I get excited. My wife gets even more excited. And the cats... Well they get excited as well.

I have never figured out whether they are excited because the humans are excited or if their excitement is more like an on switch. Can cats go from domesticated tranquility to be switched on to wild feline carnavoir hunting mode? One of these pairs of cats at the time were a then much younger male cat named Sylvester and a smaller female calico names Tiki.

Now Tiki did not like any excitement not of her own creation. Her response to a bat invasion was to scream and run. Not run towards the bat, but just run. At some point the running would stop and Tiki would find a small darkened place to take cover.

Sylvester was differant. Maybe because he was the alpha male cat. Well any male is the alpha male when you can only count one male cat. But Sylvester was not just the only male cat, he behaved like an alpha male cat. He had responsabilities. He took those responsabilities seriously. In the evening he would make his rounds through the townhouse to make certain that all was well. Every night he would make these rounds. Then when he was satisfied that the home was secure, it would be nap time.

If you know cats, there is always time for naps. Naps in the morning sun on the bed or in the window pretending to watch a bird or squirrel. Naps after the midday pebble snack. Naps in the afternoon in some far corner not to be disturbed. I am getting away from my point here with all of this cat napping. As I was saying after the house was secure, it would be nap time.

Well this night was differant. All was not secure. A bat was loose. A bat was flying around looking for an out and not finding how to leave the townhome. So that meant watching the bat. Cocking the ears back. Crouching down to be less visible to the bat. Of course I doubt the bat paid the cat any attention since flying around and avoiding the walls and the ceilings was undoubtably information overload for a frightened bat.

Now my wife insisted that getting the bat out of here was properly a husband's job. Since I was the husband, I guess by default it now became my job. Now I am not experienced at bat removal. I also do not like to harm living creatures. So how to remove this living creature from my previously quiet and sensible small townhome?

Well first, I thought it would be best to 'herd' the bat into the livingroom. The sliding glass balcony door seemed a logical exit point for the bat. The very small and low to the floor fireplace opening seemed not the first choice a bat would take. The front door under a lower foyer ceiling and a short hall to the livingroom did not seem too likely of an exit point either. We will not even go into the bad possabilities involved in herding a bat down stairs into a garage and then opening the very noisey garage door for bat freedom.

The bat had other ideas on what would be a logical exit of this townhome though. A bat it seems likes to fly up and away. In a two story structure that meant up the stairs and through doorways into not freedom, but a vaulted ceiling bedroom. This herding was not working out so well. I now had the bat furthest from the exit point possible. The normal windows had screens that I did not have a clue how to remove from the inside. I am certain there was a means to remove the screening, but I did not think that at dusk with a bat flying around my head was the time to take notes on safe removal of screening from bedroom windows two and three stories above the ground.

I now thought to arm myself. This bat could be dangerous. Actually my wife thought that there was some risk involved. I did agree. I did not want to discover a trapped bat was rabid after an incident. Or worse that the bat takes a bite and then flies the coop so to speak to never be seen again. I have heard that shots to treat rabid bits are not a pleasant summer experience. I could be wrong, but my wife was right. Why take chances to find out?

So I thought it best to arm myself for this bat safari. I took up arms. A broom was my weapon of choice. A towel would be my shield. A baseball cap my protective helmet. I was ready. I set off up the stairs to hunt the fierce bat. Yes, that small terrified creature had grown more dangerous. All I had to do was think and the danger would grow a little with each thought. If a saner moment would creep into my mind, my wife would remind me to be careful. The bat became fiercer with each reminder.I approached the bat in the bedroom with the vaulted ceiling. The bat was no longer flying in terror. This was a good sign. Unfortunately the bat had chosen the highest point in the room as a refuge. Perhaps the bat understood that even with the broom, I could not easily reach the bat. How clever. This bat was smart. It may be smart instincts, but smart it still was. To dislodge the bat, I stretched and swung the broom. No effect. This bat was not going to be an easy target. I swung the towel. This dislodged the bat. We are now back where we started with the bat flying around in terror and I still had no plan to herd the bat. As the bat swung round and round, Sylvester would cry out. This may hae added to the excitement, but it did nothing to give me a plan of action.

I then had an inspired moment. Swing the towel. Anticipate where the bat would fly, and pop up the broom to block the anticipated flight path. Disrupt and disturb. I did this for a few minutes and then I lost sight of where the bat had gone. The cat was not as easily fooled though. Like a good bird dog in the marsh, he was pointing. Unlike a good bid dog, Sylvester was also crying out the location. At least I now had an ally, I thought.

Back to swinging the towel and anticpating the flight path. Back to blocking the fight path with the broom. At long last, the bat decided on a new tactic and flew out the bedroom door into the hallway. Quickly Sylvester and I followed and closed the door. At least a partial success. One room closed off! My wife had already closed off the main bedroom by shuting that door. I do not think this was a master plan so much as seeking refuge behind a closed door though. At least the female cat and my wife were now out of harm's way as I sung the towel and broom.

Of course the bat was cunning and waited for an opportunity. The opportunity came when my wife opened the master bedroom door a crack and asked how things were going. The bat saw just a sliver of an opportunity and coasted sideways into the master bedroom. A brilliant flight manauver! I now decided that herding bats was for the birds. I closed off the master bedroom after my wife and the female cat left for safer quarters.

The new tactic was to simply exhaust the bat. Keep the bat moving. Swing the broom. Swing the towel. At some point perhaps the bat would tire before I collapsed. Eventually the bat would try and grip the ceiling for a rest period. My task was to deny that rest period. Sylvester's self appointed task was to announce each moment the bat tried to rest.

A steady meow and a point of the head told me that the bat was again resting. I would then swing into action. Then the frenzied bat flight round and round would continue yet again. After many such starts and attempts at rest, the poor bat simply flew down low enough that I could act with the towel and cover the bat onto the bedroom floor. Silvester was ready and pounced onto the towel. Victory was ours!
Silvester was pleased. Several happy meows later, he let me secure the bat. I wrapped the towel completely around the poor and quite exhausted creature. I headed outside towards the with the bat. The canal was lined with willow and cottonwood trees. Once by the canal bank I opened up the towel. The bat had another burst of energy and flew off into a willow.

I hope the bat was now happier. I know my wife and the cats had enough excitement for one evening. I certainly was not looking forward to a repeat of this, but the annual take pride by making noise celebration with fireworks happens at least once a year. This was the first of many bat incidents. Of all my cats, only Sylvester was an active participant in bat capture tactics. He did his tasks with distinction.

This concludes "The Bat Incident". There will be more Cat Tails with these and other cats that have been my friends over the years. Until next time -- Meow!

[Owlparrot3]

Great action packed story.

[Axis Sunsoar]

I agree with mad orc, an action packed tale, and also a delightfully amusing story which can be identified with by anyone who has lived with pets. Excellent work!

[Alwyn]

I enjoyed the description of your feline characters and the the way that the narrator arms himself for the bat safari.

[Zeus Almighty]

Delightfully playful. Detailed and I felt at the end that this triumph was significant to the Husband and cat. It felt like a commendation to Sylvester for stalwart efforts in the endeavor. In many ways this is exactly the kind of read I needed this morning.

[NorseThing]

Great action packed story.

I agree with mad orc, an action packed tale, and also a delightfully amusing story which can be identified with by anyone who has lived with pets. Excellent work!

I enjoyed the description of your feline characters and the the way that the narrator arms himself for the bat safari.

Delightfully playful. Detailed and I felt at the end that this triumph was significant to the Husband and cat. It felt like a commendation to Sylvester for stalwart efforts in the endeavor. In many ways this is exactly the kind of read I needed this morning.

Thanks for the response!! I hope to continue this series in the future. I tried to combine a sense of cooperation between the characters, but there seems to be less between the husband and wife than I would have liked. Since cats are responsive, but do not speak I wanted this to all be on somewhat an even plain all thru the thoughts of the husband with no dialogue. I will be honest that I liked the bat safari gear! As in Hollywood, this is based on a true story. Of course that means it all happened, but differently! Literary style before facts.

[NorseThing]

Another week and yes another Tail! Silvester has been busy so without further ado and not even an important word from our sponsor --

A Curious Case of Two Beds

by NorseThing

Silvester is the aging and current dominant male. He was our hero in the "Bat Incident" that occurred several years ago when we also had a female cat named Tiki. I think both Tiki and Sylvester were their names in the shelter where they were adopted into our home. Whether they were named that prior to coming to the shelter l do not know. They answered to their names and that was good enough for us.

Why adopt and rename? That would be a more human issue than one for adopted pets. I know they would have been happy no matter what they were called. A new home and no longer in the shelter with all of the other animals must have been a bit like going to paradise. If we adopted a three year old child we would never think of changing the name so in this case the names stayed.

Today our story continues with a much older Sylvester and a younger male now named Mortimer. Little Tiki has passed on due to complications with her kidneys. A common cat end of life issue. Mortimer, the new cat on the block, was so named by my mother-in-law. Actually the problem was that she always wanted to call Sylvester by the name Mortimer. I guess black cats or at least some cartoon black cats were Motimer. Well this meant the new black cat, which did not seem to answer to any name, was now Mortimer. I do not even recall what name the shelter had on his paperwork. In any case, he is Mortimer. I state he is younger, it is relative. My humble guess is the shelter estimate of his age of 5 at the time of adoption one year ago is as good as any guess. Sylvester is now approximately 14, maybe. He is the old one. Bad kidneys. Bad teeth. A bit on the cranky side. In other words a bit like me. He is a bit thinner today than nine years ago but he seems to have a full head of hair. I wished I was thinner today than nine years ago, but I also still have my full head of hair. I guess I am lucky at some things and not with others. I am getting sidetracked.

There is a danger when it comes to being new. If you do not answer to any particular name, you may become any name the humans want to use. So Sylvester is still Sylvester and the new cat was now Mortimer. He does now answer when called, but not always. Some cats are like that with feigned indifference. But you can tell that he does respond. Call out Mortimer and the ears betray the feigned indifference. But I digress, again. It is easy to digress when you get older. Wandering can become a habit. Back to the story...

Both cats are black with white paws. Sylvester has a thin white slash (not a straight line) down his face. I think it adds character. Mortimer has an all black furred face. I think that adds character as well. Maybe I am too easy to please. My wife knows other differences, but I as the male of the house never paid attention. A bit of feigned indifference on my part I suppose. Maybe this is why I like cats.

So I find that Sylvester is quietly napping away in a squarish and roundish pet bed by the fireplace. There is anther pet bed that is more roundish and squarish beside this bed. Can you tell the difference? Yes it is subtle. One is a roundish squarish an the other is a squarish roundish. Am I clear?

I do not know if it is a clear difference for Sylvester, but it seems to be a big difference for Mortimer. At least it seems so at this moment. And yes. Sylvester is in the 'wrong' pet bed. Or at least that is the agenda that Mortimer seems to be working on.

So now we have the aging but still dominant male cat having a quiet nap in the afternoon with a bit of sunlight throught the window beside the fireplace. Yes, I know. It sounds good to me as well. And we have the younger but never to be the the dominant male cat who is having some ideas. However, he is a dominant wanna-be and thus challenges the dominant male when it is not important. This is what cats do. We humans are probably wired pretty much the same way. It is probably a mammal thing. So the aging male often gives in. On some occasions, it is important and then the wanna-be backs down when the snarling and gesturing starts to look serious.

Mortimer has a plan and an approach that always seems to work. He simply starts to lay down in the desired bed as if it was empty. More of this feline feigned indifferance in action I suppose. Fortunately for Mortimer, this was not an important occasion. Sylvester just gets up and then starts to look back at Mortimer. Before it escalates, I offer Sylvester a fresh bowl of water. He is easily bought off. Flash a fresh bowl of water and he is good to go. He pretty much wants to please the humans. So he sips the water and is now a happy cat as if nothing happened.

Cats are pretty much that way unlike we humans. Distract a cat and make him happy and all is forgotten as if it never happened. Food works better, but all cats like food with just the smell. Water seemed like a cheap trick. It always work though. Like I said, Sylvester wants to please me as the lord and master who has authority and even sometimes feeds him.

I thought this might be a good time to try a bit of an experiment. I moved Mortimer to the empty and the not preferred pet bed. Mortimer did not really complain. Heck a human that feeds him picked him up. Why complain? However he did not really settle down in the new bed. He waited a few moments and never looked like he was going to really settle in. Then he simply returned to the preferred bed and settled in as if nothing had happened. Not a look. Not a whine. He just quietly did what he wanted. Again, cats are like this. If you want a cat to do what you think is right, your presence is required. They are doing what they think you want because you are there. Of course I said nothing, so there was no crisis at all. No desire to please need be taken.

Step two in the test. I simply moved the bed over and switched their locations without disturbing Mortimer. Now Mortimer was still in the preferred bed. It was nice and warm and all so comfy. Too my suprise, he made a small mew and changed beds. It was not the bed that he desired but the location that Sylvester was first napping at. I guess it is true what they say about real estate. It is all about location. And location. And location.

Sylvester did not care. After his drink of fresh water and the bed shuffle experiment, he was happy to settle in the unused bed and proceeded to warm it up snoring as a happy kitty. Motimer was happy also with his preferred location, but no snoring. At least not that I could tell. Both do snore when sound asleep. Sylvester was quick to snore. Mortimer was obviously on a bit of an alert after his stunt. So maybe he is concerned that something would happen. I do not know. All is at peace in the NorseThing household after my experiment -- the curious case with the two beds.

Until next time -- Meow!
　

[Alwyn]

I'm enjoying the gentle, reflective style of this - such as the descriptions of the two pet beds, the observations about feigned indifference and the experiments.

[♔atthias♔]

good stories +rep

[NorseThing]

The Adventure of a Kitten in a Half Cast

by NorseThing

　
Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump!
　
A flash of black covered in white just made a racket as it flashed by my feet. I almost lost my balance while carrying a cat kennel carrier in one hand and a bag of cat food cans in the other. The cat kennel carrier held my female cat, Champagne. I asked the nurse, "What was that flash of energy that just bounced by?"
　
Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Just as quickly, the small pocket rocket was in another room causing what seemed from the noise as more disruption. "Oh that is Sparkie. He literally has the run of the clinic," said the young nurse cheerfully and with a smile. I always liked young nurses with smiles. I was going to be married to one so it figures. I was pretty much sucker for any gal in a tight fitting uniform.
　
I placed my carrier and the bag of cans down on the sofa in the waiting area. "You do not know me and I do not have an appointment. The vet said to just come down. I think he said that it would be no problem."
　
"So what can we do for you today?" she asked.
　
"I am moving into a small older home and I think it is best if Champagne not be too excited by the movers and the chaos of the move." I said quickly. I added before she could respond. "I am not so certain the doc and I have the same idea what would be no problem though."

She responded, "Well Sparkie just is now well enough to be let out of the kennel cage this morning. He is taking full advantage of the new freedom to explore." She pauses and then continues. "So does Champagne have all of her shots?"
　
I responded, "Well, no. Actually, I do not know. I had adopted her from the shelter a couple of years ago and I do not know where her papers are now that the apartment is torn up preparing for the move."
　
"That is okay. I can call the shelter and get the information with your permission. How about filling out the paperwork for us and get started with the check in. I will look up your file on Champagne. Maybe we already have the info on file."
　
I took the paperwork and sat down on the sofa. Champagne was curled up on small towel in the cat carrier oblivious to the activity. Perhaps I should introduce you, the readers, to Champagne: She is a buff colored tabby weighing about 12 pounds and aged about five or thereabouts years of age. Thus she is a young feline in the heart of her best years. She is not terribly active, but that could be the result of being a 'house kitty' in a small apartment with a single guy. She had a second story view with a balcony and a fairly open railing. She did not know it, but that apartment was now going to just a memory. She also did not know it yet, but a new home was in the future.
　
I completed filling in the blanks on the veterinarian clinic forms. I walked back to the reception desk and dropped the forms down. The nurse had left to help out as an aid to the vet in another room. This was a very small clinic with just the two of them covering all the tasks that need to be done in the cat clinic. The vet was just starting out and this was a clinic just for cats near the center of the town. Convenient for me as I could drop off Champagne on my way to work and pick her up on the way home by either car or bus. Today I drove which meant I was coming in much later than normal as I was normally a part of the 'dawn patrol' in the office.
　
The vet came into the reception room greeting me with a friendly hello. "Becky to me you were out here with an unannounced and unplanned visit. So this is going to be Champagne's new home for a the next few days." He walked over to the pet carrier and looked in on the napping kitty.
　
"Yes, her world is about to be turn upside down. I guess ignorance can be bliss." I had started to continue and the nurse returned from the other room.
　
Becky (now that I know her name) spoke up to the vet, "I prepared one of the cages in the isolation room for Champagne." She then reached for and looked in the bag of cat food cans.
　
The vet then spoke up, "That is great Becky. Thanks for prepping of the cage." He then turned to me, "The isolation room is empty and sterile right now, so there is no danger to infect Champagne and also no danger that Champagne could infect our other sick cats in our recovery cages. Once we know more about her shot status we can do what is necessary to catch her up if need be and move her into the general kennel area where we house some of our guests that are healthy and not needing medical attention."
　
I responded, "That's great. I brought some of the cat food that Champagne has been eating. I do not know if it matters or is inconvenient for you here since you are feeding masses and not simply on cat. If you want to us the food I brought or have Champagne just included in your own standard routine. It's really up to you."
　
The vet then was going to respond but first looked to Becky. She gave a quick nod of no. The vet then spoke, "Becky looked at what you brought and it is not what we use here in the clinic. We have a variety of dietary needs here so it is not really feeding the masses. We can use your food or ours. It does not really matter since each cat has their own dish and their own stored food in the fridge and dry storage. If you want I can try Champagne on the dry food we use since it is better in the long term for the healthy younger cats. Our biggest problem we see here at the clinic is bad teeth."
　
"The dry food is fine, if she eats. I always found my cats to be somewhat picky. But that is just me. I am not the expert here." I responded.
　
The vet smiled and said, "We are all pretty much in second command here. The cats pretty much tell us what they want. However, I find that if they are hungry and their human companions are not present, they tend to eat what is in front of them. They are pretty flexible, but they look to their human companions for clues on what to do to please them. When the cat is picky, it is because they sense you are not certain on what is best. Looking and waiting is the worst way to feed any animal. Cats are not really different from little baby humans. If you do your homework and compare notes with a vet, there is usually a good variety of choices that can fit the cat's needs and is fairly available in the stores. We do consider age and medical history, but the commercial products are out there because the vets find them acceptable if even they may not be our best first choices."
　
I then smiled knowingly and began to leave. The vet then spoke up. "I see that you met our latest marauder that we have set loose upon the clinic -- Sparkie. What do you think of our latest addition to the recovered world?"
　
"I think the that Sparkie might be a handful for anybody. He. it is he isn't it?..."
The vet responded, "Yes he is a handful right now. He was just a kitten brought in from the street near here by a concerned person who knew of out clinic here. He had been hit by a car and had his left rear hip shattered and a large number of broken bones. If he was older, it might have been impossible to save the poor guy. I spent the better part of an afternoon and evening in surgery to piece the pones together. Fortunately the kitten can stitch the bones together fairly quick if they are properly set. I had to put a cast on the hip and the full leg. He is now better and we thought it best to let him run about and inspect the clinic. You wouldn't be interested in a new addition to your house would you?"
　
I was responding, "I ummm...."
　
The vet was then quick to interject, "Well think about the offer to adopt. Or consider it an option to have the kitten on a test basis. There will be no charge for the vet services that Sparkie needs for his recovery. However, this is a clinic and not a very good playground for a growing kitten."
　

Until nest time, meow!
--To be continued--

[Tigellinus]

I'm enjoying this!

I especially enjoyed the "traditional but illegal loud fireworks" XD

Ah, the States.

How do you get a cat to answer to its name? Neither of our cats do, but the respond to the clicking of our fingers or whistling.
I'm kind of surprised you can get a cat to answer to it's name XD But cool!

Kind regards,

Tigellinus

[Owlparrot3]

Looks like grandfather Norse thing is going to get an even more overcrowded(with lovely animals) home than before .

[Axis Sunsoar]

Ah, we seem to have gone back in time a bit. I enjoyed the human interaction and seeing how the other characters all thought and talked about the cats. Like Alwyn mentioned previously, I enjoy the reflective nature of your stories, thank you for sharing them, it's clear that you have a love for your feline friends!

Also, just thought I'd mention I went back through and re-read your earlier entries and even those minor updates you made, particularly the grammar, massively improved the reading experience. In particular, the work you did on your very first paragraph really clarified the setting of the story, although I did kind of enjoy the way it was before where it took me a few moments to figure out you were talking about Fourth of July celebrations.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

To my surprise, I haven't commented on this yet.

It's an interesting change from most of the other CW styles here. As Alwyn says, it's very relaxed.

[NorseThing]

The Adventure of a Kitten in a Half Cast

by NorseThing

　
from the previous episode:
　
The vet was then quick to interject, "Well think about the offer to adopt. Or consider it an option to have the kitten on a test basis. There will be no charge for the vet services that Sparkie needs for his recovery. However, this is a clinic and not a very good playground for a growing kitten."
　
We now continue:
　
The chaos of the move into the small brick home from an apartment has been completed. I have returned to the clinic to retrieve my Champagne who may feel quite abandoned after the three days, but knowing cats has simply adapted to the new circumstances. I aslo had a second but smaller cat carrier with me. I hoped it was big enough to fit both the small black kitten and that bulky cast that kept the hip and leg fairly safe as the bones and muscles mended.
　
Yes, I did think about the test basis versus the adoption. I did not know how the two cats would react. They would both be in a new home so it was not like one was invading the others sacred territory. That champagne was older and female might not hurt either. I thought the test basis was a good idea. Who was I fooling.
　
Later that day....
　
A two bedroom home filled with boxes and very little furniture. The only furniture was whatever fit into a one bedroom bachelor apartment. A basement mother-in-law apartment also contained some left over furniture from the previous home owner. Two kitchens -- neither of them worth keeping. Wall to wall carpeting in a home with a lady who smoked up a dark sooty tar filled storm for a lifetime -- it all would need to go and go quickly.
　
The house had a few infrastruture issues as well. A gravity flow furnace with a White-Westinghouse control system that did not quite work right. A replacement control that now was only manufactured in Brazil, but no certified heating firm would touch the system to make repairs. The city had an opinion that the system 'should' be replaced, but took the passive agressive cat-like attitude that no demand would be made to replace but also that no hired help could make repairs. Fortunately there would be time to sort this out before late fall and winter needed a heated home.
　
Also, there was no central airconditioning . It was now July in the high desert near but not in downtown Denver. Fortunately (???) this home was built before airconditioning. I hoped that if the prior 20th century home owners could be comfortable (or maybe just survive) without it, that I could make a go of it as well. That was all mainly issues with the downsides, at least that was what I thought at the time.
　
The up side? Not many. I now owned my own home. More properly, the bank owned the home and had made a pretty big bet. They bet that I, a young bachelor, would keep up the mortgage payments, the insurance, the property taxes, the maintenance, the general appearance of this small niche of the cityscape, and.... Also, I now shared a new home with two cats! I knew how to keep busy, and this place was filled with 'potential'.
　
The two cats had no trouble beginning to search out their new home. Of course their searching was not a joint operation. But there were many boxes to sniff and many rooms to explore so they split up and went on their own private safaris.
　
Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Yes, Sparkie still had that cast on and just like at the clinic, it was simply a part of Sparkie.
　
Bump! Bump! Bumpity bump! Bumpity bump! Crash!! Oh no -- Sparkie found the back stairs and was hurtling down into the low light of the basement apartment. Should I go and check? Is it better he explores on his own? I was like a new father and I did not have a clue on what to do.
　
Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Oh good! Sparkie is once again on the move. He must have survived the stairwell into the basement apartment. Now, how long should they each be left to their own devices?
　
I had not heard a bit from Champagne, so I thught it best to check up on her first. She had headed into the bedrooms, at least that is what they would become with some organization and some unpacking. Nope, the first bedroom was empty of cats. So was the second bedroom. This was not a big house, so where could she be? The bathroom was empty of boxes since that was going to be the first project to organize . What could be so interesting.... Yes, she was napping in the bathtub. No sunlight, but no chaos of boxes either. Champagne had enough of exploring for now. A nap was either the reward or perhaps a more comfortable alternative to the unseen terrors of her new home.
　
Now to check out what the other cat was getting into. Oh wait.... I am being a bad parent. I quickly put out a sandbox in the downstairs bathroom and filled it with a few handfuls of clay gravel from the giant bag of 'sand' from the local pet store. Then I filled a water bowl and put another bowl down as well -- these bowls woul get moved to the kitchen later. The empty bowl would be holding some dry food shortly as well when the food bags were located. I call it pebbles, but I guess other people have their own names for the dry food.
　
Now where to find the newest member of the household? Where did Sparkie run off to? Actually I am not hearing the bump of the hip/leg cast so he was not moving very quickly, if moving at all. I headed off towards the downstairs livingroom. I had not yet dumped the mass of boxes down here yet, so it was almost livable. Nope, no Sparkie. Back to the small kitchen. Nope, no Sparkie. The downstairs bedroom door was closed. I was just in the bathroom putting down the sandbox. Now I know Sparkie is a small black kitty and the basement is not the brightest place with the light off, but....
　
The furnace room door was slightly ajar. That must be where the kitty has wandered off in his exploration of his new world. I looked in and then I turned on the light. Nowhere to be seen. Oh wait, I spotted a flash of a white cast in the old and abandoned remains of the coal bin. Sparkie found a kitten sized niche within the remains to take a nap.
　
I lifted Sparkie up and carried the napping cat to the bathroom and placed him on the floor near the fresh sand box. I had no idea what his toilet training history was, but I thought it best to start him out with a whif of a very fresh sandbox and hope that he had a proper upbringing.
　
Later in the day, I repeated the process with Champagne. Now both cats were familiar with where the facilities were located. Later in the day we would do the same with the water and the pebbles in the kitchen.
　
I am always amazed at how obediant most cats are if given the opportunity to do the right thing with hygene. At least amazing compared to the toilet training regime needed with a small child. Not to mention a long ordeal with diapers before the toilet training can even begin. I think we all understand sources of food and water, but how the hygene is pretty much wired into their thinking is truly amazing. Even after eating, the typical cat will always take a moment to wash up a bit without any training. If cleanliness is next to godliness, then most animals are closer to god than the typical human.
　
Several days later and no packing boxes to be seen we return to the small brick house that has now started to look more like a home than it did earlier. The chaos of the move is now pretty settled. The cats are also pretty settled. The female, Champagne, does not seems to have any motherly instincts towards the new kitten. At least no snarling and biting either. Sparkie is very settled into the new home. At times he makes attempts to befriend the female cat, but mostly he is off with the literal run of the house. Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump! Off again in a new direction. Such energy of youth! Bump! Bump! Bumpity bump! Bumpity bump! -- Note no crash. He has solved the mystery of stairs that are not a straight shot like he had at the clinic. He has mastered and is trying to control his pocket rocket instincts and make the turn without crashing on the turn. Mario Andretti he is not, but he is my kittie.
　
This concludes the Adventure of a kitten in a Half Cast.
Bump! and two Meows until next time!

[Alwyn]

I enjoyed reading about Sparkie and Champagne's adventures in their new home, I was worried when Sparkie found the back stairs!

[NorseThing]

Sorry about the two part episode introducing Sparkie and Champange being a bit boring (not that is what you posted). Call it a set up for the excitement that is to come. Cats having freedom of the house regardless of closed doors. The challenge of herding cats through the neighborhood. Playing Mr. Lipton. Maybe even an adventure of cat wine (or is it whine) making under the grape arbor. In any case, if you are wondering -- these are being written so that my beloved will read a bit on TWC. If I can lure her in, maybe a new member will emerge.

[NorseThing]

So Lithrasir has once again done his magic and we now have a shiny and very fancy post header for these Cat Tails. a +rep to him and my sincere thanks.

[Alwyn]

New members are welcome in the Writers' Study and all kinds of stories are welcome, they don't all have to be about warfare and mayhem. Great design, Lifthrasir!