Inside Out

When we first brought home an abandoned kitty it was with the sole purpose of owning an “outdoor cat.” Since we live in the country we thought it would be most beneficial to have a feline roaming the perimeter of our homestead keeping creatures of the slimy,poisonous, and stinging nature from entering our abode. However, there were a few circumstances that kept said kitty indoors for quite some time. There was the obvious fact that she was just so darn precious. There was also the fact that she was just a helpless, defenseless, baby. I’d also like to point out that I was instructed to keep her in the bathroom for several weeks to help her establish a sense of security, a sense of home, and a sense of bonding. And let us not forget the fact that the chilly fall weather was upon us; thus I thought it best to keep her indoors until spring. Did I mention she was precious?
Well, this here dog lover became a cat lover and could not bear the thought of knowing my little Snickers was shivering up in a tree petrified that the beasts of the night were hunting her down. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until after Spring Break and after most of the late frosts were behind us I let Snickers sleep outside overnight.
She is still alive and thriving, however, she does an excellent job of looking through our glass doors and windows mewing pathetically. Every time one of us opens a door she bolts indoors and disappears. Several hours later she will be found sacked out in the loft where she will sleep for many more hours if allowed. I think it is because she has pulled an all-nighter fearing for her very life and only rests when she is “home.”
Just this morning, while trying to rush out of the house already late to school/work, Snickers squeezed herself between me and the slamming door, thus securing herself inside. Fortunately, we were exiting via the washroom so the inside door to the kitchen was already closed and I was able to thwart her plans (although I must say I felt her pain…believe me…if I could lock myself in the house and never leave I most certainly would). I tossed her outside convincing myself that the day would be lovely and filled with plenty of bugs and butterflies to pounce upon. No sooner had she disappeared into the brush, than two stray dogs showed themselves near our barn. My son had just turned his chickens loose and if you know a thing or two about chickens you know there ain’t no getting’ ‘em locked back up. If you know a thing or two about dogs then you know some of ‘em like to chase and murder chickens. Our chickens peel out around the corners of the house to greet us every time we come home.
I spent the next ten minutes trying to convince Snickers that I wanted to catch her, hold her, and put her inside the house. Eventually my daughter and I closed in on her and were able to grab her and throw her in the briar patch…poor poor cat.
All of this before 7:15 in the morning! Of course, it wasn’t until we got home that I realized I had refilled Snickers’ food bowl outside which meant she didn’t have anything to eat inside. See…the brooding never ends!