Ever since we became a household with a cat, we have used the top of the kitchen queen as a "safe place" for things we want to keep out of reach--for example, a rack of cookies cooling, or a loaf of french bread from the bakery.
No longer.
I have unconfirmed reports that Pumpkin sprouts wings and can fly. I enter the kitchen and find the loaf of bread on the floor, sack ripped, and the bread is.......well, it's everywhere. How could one loaf of bread go so very far? Makes me wonder if Pumpkin was present when Jesus fed the 5,000.
Why oh why do I ever turn my back on him? You'd think I would learn my now. I just caught him on the counter eating the pumpkin tiramisu filling out of the mixing bowl.
But wait, there's more. I just took another look at him--he has whipped cream and mascapone in his ear!
It's called "where's the kitty"?
Today it was much too easy. I had left a bag of raw chicken thawing on the countertop. Yup, you guessed it. He's in there, head first!
We had a wonderful dinner this evening--ham steaks, garden salad, and homemade scalloped potatoes. We couldn't eat it all, so I placed the leftovers in reusable storage containers. Silly me, I left the containers on the counter, unguarded.
As I filled the sink to wash the dishes I heard a faint noise behind me--the sound of a kitty head-down in the container in which I had just placed the scalloped potatoes.
Sigh!
Oh, but that's not all. Ten minutes later he was in the dishwasher (no, it wasn't running!) licking the dirty plates. And, 15 minutes after that he had grabbed the pot scrubber and was batting it around the kitchen like a toy.
I love children, but I'll have to admit this past decade (or so) without little ones in the house has been somewhat of a relief.
The vacation is over.
We have tried without even a glimmer of success to introduce our two kitties to each other. We don't expect them to be "best buddies", but Mr. Pumpkin is definitely not willing to share our affections. Today was the final straw--after an hour of posturing Kyla grew tired of the "dance" and began to walk away. (I think she shrugged her shoulders, but with cats it's kinda hard to tell).
Pumpkin was all over her like white on rice--he had her by the throat and I know in my heart he would have killed her if given a chance.
So, we are resigned to having two cats in two "safe" places within our home. It's a big house--I know we can make it work. I'm disappointed, but I'd rather take turns with kitties than given up either one of them.
