Ceiling Cat Goes on Permanent Walkabout

[stevenpiziks]

This morning when Darwin looked in on Ceiling Cat, he met a strange sight.  The small, high bathroom window above the shower was wide open.  The screen behind it was open.  Ceiling Cat was nowhere in the room.  He dashed back into the bedroom, where I was getting dressed.

"Did you leave the bathroom window open?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said.  "About an inch, for ventilation.  The litter box and the cat made it really close in there."

"The cat got out through it."

I thought he was joking, playing on Ceiling Cat's previous escape.  But no.  When I checked, the bathroom window had indeed been slid all the way open, and the screen too.  Ceiling Cat was gone.  Somehow, she had OPENED THE FREAKING WINDOW.  It slides, and not easily so.  But she not only figured out that the window would open farther, she pushed it open ALL THE WAY.  She could have gotten out with just four inches or so, but went the distance.  Then she slid the screen open.  The screen wasn't initially open at all.  This means she must have figured out how to hook her claws into it so it would slide sideways.  She didn't damage the screen in any way, in fact.  And then she jumped for it.

There's no sign of her anywhere in the area.  Not that she'd come to us even if we found her.  I can't put the trap out for her, either.  A trap baited with cat food would attract raccoons, possums, or--worse--skunks as easily as it would a cat.

Clearly Ceiling Cat was more frightened and unhappy than we thought.  I also think she was more feral than the cat agency let on.

I'm done with more cats.  If one falls into my lap, I won't turn it away, but I'm not seeking out any others.  Dinah will have to survive as a single cat.

Comments

[catlinyemaker]

Aww, sorry to hear this.