The Final Frontier

For 4 years Avram and I have spent considerable time and effort keeping the bedroom off limits to Arthur and Beowulf. At first it was because we weren’t sure how Avram’s allergies would handle living with cats full time. Then it was because everything Avram felt was too dangerous or too suspect to be around the cats was kept in the bedroom making it an “unsafe” place for them to be.

Sure there were times when one or the other would slip into the room and the fur would fly as we had to work to find them and escort them out of the room. The bedroom was the last unconquered frontier of the apartment for them.

Well yesterday they finally were able to break through that barrier and not only were given free access to the bedroom they spent the night locked in with us. No we haven’t flipped our lids or taken leave of our senses. We had a leak in the kitchen and the repair involved two very large ugly holes being made in the kitchen wall. And as is usually the case the work couldn’t be completed in one day and while the holes were covered with cardboard and taped down there were still plenty of temptations and dangers for the boys to be left unsupervised over night.

We didn’t like the idea of caging them for the night since that would mean they would have no access to food, water or their litter box. So the choice was made to allow the boys into the bedroom. Again today while they were finishing up the work they boys were given free access to the room and as these pictures show they took full advantage of the rare pleasure of having the bedroom open to them.

Cleaning Or a New Playtime Activity?

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures but I hope my descriptions are vivid enough for all of you to get the picture and share in the laugh.

So on Monday I woke up and was bitten by the cleaning bug. I started by gathering up all the assorted cat toys around the apartment and piling them up on the bookshelf while the cats stirred themselves from their morning nap and watched me curiously. As I got deeper into the cleaning the boys began to move around.

First Beowulf perched on the edge of Avram’s desk and watched fascinated as I used the swifter duster to begin dusting. While I was busy singing along with the radio and dusting, Arthur was moving into position on top of the entertainment center. As I reached up to dust higher he pounced, batting at the duster. I swung it away from him only to have Beowulf reach out to bat at it from his position on the desk.

And so the game was afoot. I tried to dust and they chased, trying to bat at the duster. Once the dusting was done I began vacuuming which as normal sent them off cowering from the mean old vacuum. But as I moved the couch to vacuum behind it they grew bolder. And before I knew it the hose was under constant attack as I tried to clean the furniture. Running attacks where one or the other would charge in and then run out again.

Finally tiring of the game they watched as the last of the vacuuming was done. When the swifter floor cleaner came out, they were well rested and ready to begin a game of chase as they chased the swifter cleaner as it caught up the remaining particles the vacuum left behind. The best part of the fun came when I got out the mop and they had fun chasing that around until they realized, they were walking through water then fled to higher ground.

Of course the worse tragedy of the day for them came when I removed all the bedding and covers from the cage, gave them a good vacuum along with their beds and then off to the laundry they went where they got washed and dried and once again put into their places. After much suspicious sniffing, they opted to lay on the floor rather than sully themselves with now clean items in their cage or clean beds.

So once Avram came home from work they couldn’t wait to run to him and set up a loud meow chorus as they began telling him all about the excitement of the day and the indignity of having all their scent and hair washed away from their possessions. Now days later they still wont use the beds but they have begun to give the cage some use again. And of course their toys have made their way from the neat little pile on the bookshelf to a random scatter around the living room ready to trip up the unwary. (A spiked shaky ball is not easy to avoid in the dark). Hopefully they wont be so eager to “help” the next time I go into a cleaning frenzy. Or at least Daddy will be home to document their efforts.