April 08, 2018

I Think My Cat is Trying to Kill Me

For over a year, Buddy T. Cat has been a full time house cat. At first, he kept an eye on the door waiting for a chance to escape, and he did escape once at the duplex we rented while our barndominium was being built. He ran outside and then stopped when he realized he didn't know where he was. I guess he thought he was going to be in his own backyard. While he was considering his options, I managed to scoop him up and get him back inside. Once we moved here, he got out a couple of times and evaded us by hiding under the cars. For the past few months though, he seems to have come to terms with his confinement. We can open the garage door, tell him no, and he sits where he is until the door is closed again. The perfect cat.

He is still sweet and cuddly and greets us at the door when we arrive home. We've never had a pet that loved me more than Hubby and I'm afraid it's gone to my head and I spoil him rotten, especially after all the dogs we have had who ignored me the minute they saw Hubby. Buddy follows me everywhere and watches me while I work. He meows when he wants up in my lap and goes to his bed when I say no. He spends most of his day sleeping in the window and keeping an alert ear for the sound of food being put in his dish. Until recently, when we worked late in the evening, he went to bed when we turned the light off. In fact, if we worked too late, he came over to us, sat down, meowed, and stared at us until we got up. Then he ran to the door hoping we would follow and turn off the light.

But recently he has become deviously playful. Or maybe just plain devious. He still sleeps in his window most of the day, but his nocturnal habits have changed. Several times I have turned off the light and in the quiet I can hear his collar bell as he runs around the garage. Then I started hearing things being knocked off shelves. Every time I heard that, I ran into the garage just in time to see him sauntering over like he just woke up. Just one time I caught him in the act. He had climbed the ladder we left propped against the upper shelves and settled into a spot he cleared among the stuff we had there. After that, we made sure the ladder was moved at night.

But still the night noises continued. Now it sounded like something was rolling across the floor until it hit the wall. It took a week, but I finally figured out that one too. Hubby's router table is on wheels and is normally kept under the windows in the garage. I have to move it out a couple of feet so I can open the window. It's when the window is open that I kept hearing that noise. One night after hearing the noise, I managed to open the door soundlessly and walk around the corner. There was Buddy on the window sill, looking out into the night, and the router table was tipped against the wall with a upturned wheel still turning. I don't know if he is pushing the table to the wall and jumping on it to get to the window sill or if he jumps on the table and rides it over to the wall. And this from a cat who used to freak out when something with wheels rolled near him.

But here is the kicker. Lately, he loves to lay in wait for me, crouched down low with hind legs ready to spring when I walk by. Then he takes off like a shot and does a couple of laps around the room. I used to fake scream to gratify him, but now he is better at it and really has startled me a couple of times. Most of the time, he is so obvious that only someone with worse vision wouldn't see him. So I started walking slowly when I saw him crouching near a corner, stop, and say, "I see you." Then, he would stand up and walk away. Maybe I should have let him continue with his fun. Because now, I think he is seeking revenge by trying to kill me.

When I walk down the attic stairs, he tears down the steps behind me, passes by me, and then swerves in front of me. And sometimes he stops right in front of me. Once when he stopped in front of me, I couldn't stop and caught his chin as he was turning to look at me. But it didn't stop him. Since we are still building and there are no counters or worktops, we tend to put whatever we are working with on the stairs instead of on the floor. At our age, it's easier to reach over to a stair step than bend down to the floor to pick up tools. His favorite place to attempt to kill me is in front of whatever is on the stairs.


I told Buddy if he killed me there wouldn't be anyone making sure he had food, water, and a clean litter box.   And Hubby would leave him out with the owls and coyotes.  He just looked at me and ran up the stairs to plan his next attack.

5 comments:

  1. Buddy is just being a cat. It's what they do. They think they are playing with you and that you love all this weirdness. Really, that's what he thinks.

    Have a fabulous day. Scritches to Buddy. ♥

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    Replies
    1. I'll have to ask him. This is new behavior for him. He's always walked behind me until lately.

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  2. Hmmm, mid-life crises maybe?

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  3. I'm sorry that I am laughing so hard at this story ... you might think that I don't care if you are killed ... which is NOT true. It's just that I recognize this behavior from our younger cat, Josie. Every once in a while she just seems to get a wild hair and goes tearing around the house like the Devil himself is after her. God forbid you're in the way - it'll be like Lucy pulling out the football from Charlie Brown and you're on your butt! Thanks for the belly laugh!

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    Replies
    1. I'm here to entertain. But you are right, it is exactly like Lucy and Charlie Brown.

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