It is a scientific fact that people with pets have FUR-niture. When we had four Silver Persians our home resembled a haunted house, white fur hung off lamp shades and rolled across floors like mystical dust bunnies! Our green corduroy chair was a cat-hair magnet. Ever noticed that ‘chair’ and ‘hair’ have a lot in common! That chair grabbed white fur out of thin air like Velcro and self-decorated.
Finally, tired of fighting nature, we decided on locating a leather recliner and gave the fur-covered chair away. We reasoned that fur rolls off leather, so it can join the other fur bunnies running across the floor. What a thrill visualizing wearing dark clothes again and not having white fur cling to them! For months, we watched newspaper ads for a used leather recliner.
Imagine! We found one for only $25! Well, it was a bit rickety and it does lean to the left, but it was leather and not a cat-fur magnet. I asked the owner, several times, why the chair sitting on his back porch was so cheap. He was evasive and ‘forgot’ to mention its extra little accessory.
We joyfully drove it home and proudly placed it in our living room. Like any new object, the cats fought each other to sit on the ‘new thing’. We raised the leg part for their additional comfort.
Uncharacteristically though, there were two or three cats napping on it at one time. So instead of warding off fur, the chair was covered completely with cats and their beautiful fur coats!
Two days later, I became suspicious. Why were the cats coveting the chair and not sleeping on their cat condo in front of the large windows like they normally do? When Nymbus crawled under the chair sniffing with interest, I mews-ed, "Hmmmm. Did we buy a $25 mouse-house with a hidden ‘free accessory’?
The next morning, there were no cats in the living room. How exciting!
Finally, space for me on the chair! I sat down and enjoyed that unmistakable squeak only leather makes as I lifted my morning tea to my lips.
As I nestled into the chair leaning at bit to the left, bursting with pride at our wonderfully priced purchase, we heard Nymbus give an unmistakable triumphant yowl from the other room.
Cats make a distinct, muffled noise when their mouth is full of some hunted treasure, and they are alerting you to the gift they want to ‘present’ to you. "Yahoo! Come see what I have!"
It is never a fun discovery. It is usually bugs or garden snakes from their ‘cat castle.’
Remembering the earlier mouse thought, I said to my husband, "This one has your name on it!" I could have placed a winning bet that this was the reason the cats had mysteriously migrated to the other room.
Suddenly the quiet Sunday morning exploded into mayhem. Words of caution to any mouse reading this article! "When a home has a herd of cats, do not move in; it is not good for your health." All the cats and my husband scurried after the mouse; the cats and the mouse were more agile and much faster than my husband.
I was not sure what my human was thinking dashing around in his half-open blue bathrobe, but the cats were more focused. You could read their minds, ‘Yum, fast food’. ‘Breakfast!’ ‘Meal on the run!’ ‘What a treat!’ ‘Finally, my patience has paid off!’ etc.
My husband was moving furniture, lifting, looking under it and always with a cat or two intensely scanning the object in his hands.
Finally, the little gray mouse ran past Nymbus and he grabbed it. My husband quickly bent over, grabbed the cat, and put them both outside to ‘free’ the mouse. I bravely supervised from behind closed French doors as the mouse dashed away.
Now, we are hoping the mouse was not a mother and that there aren't any more ‘little surprises’ in the new chair.
A friend wisely advised, "If you have a mouse, the cushion might squeak!" Oh, boy! I hope not! Now when we sit in the leather chair and it squeaks, I will be wondering exactly why!
In the meantime, we are looking for a new leather recliner, and we refuse to buy any mice with it this time! Our cats are going to be very disappointed.
