Not a Kitty Place!

"Meriadoc, get your bushy tushy outta that cupboard! That's not a kitty place!" How he manages to get in there is beyond my comprehension. In the first place, the washer and dryer only stick out about three inches beyond the cubbyhole. He has to stand on his hind legs, open the cupboard with a paw, and then somehow pull himself (all 17+ pounds) up and over the bakeware without knocking it all onto the floor. I've never seen the actual "lift" in progress. I either hear the cupboard door banging and stop him in the attempt, or I hear pans clanking, which means I'm already too late. And somebody please tell me WHY he likes to get in that cupboard! There's no food in there, no other temptation. What is the draw, aside from getting a reaction out of Mama? And once he's ensconced, he can't figure out how to get out, and I have to rescue him. Silly cat!

Not a Kitty Place!

Day 99: I heard the creaking of a cupboard door, indicating that Somebody was looking for food in all the usual locations. Food? He's been known to drag out crackers (a favourite), but he'll settle for a stale granola bar if that's all he can find. I laid my work aside and went to retrieve the Cat. The cupboard above the counter was undisturbed, but then I noticed that the righthand door above the washing machine was slightly ajar. I hadn't heard him jump down, and that was suspicious in and of itself. I peered into the dark space and was met with a returning stare. He knew he was in trouble. "Oh, that is NOT a kitty place!" I said. How he gets in there is nothing short of a contortionist's best performance. The washer only gives him three or four inches to stand on because the cupboard is deep, but somehow, he manages to get the door open, and then in a remarkable display of thigh strength, launches himself upward and over bread pans, a recipe box, a flour sifter, a butter dish and other various cookware without knocking anything off. Getting him out is another story entirely. He doesn't want to jump all the way to the floor, and knows better than to try to lower himself down onto the slick washer, so I have to offer him my shoulder, and then pull his hindquarters out. I guess I'll just have to keep performing cat extractions for now, because the wood is too hard for me to drill. At least there was nothing in there he could eat.