Gone In 60 Seconds. Cats and their fears
By: Conny Manero
Tags: Humor, Fear, Cats, Pets And Animals, Cats N Things

Can I interest one of you in a pair of slippers? They’ve never been worn. Actually, they have been worn, but only for a few minutes, give or take a second. Here’s what happened …

At the start of fall, Toronto experienced a few chilly days. While I was perfectly fine, my feet felt like blocks of ice. The solution was simple, I needed slippers. I bought some slippers and my feet were happy again. Today, some two months later, it was clear that those slippers had served their time and needed to be replaced. When my son, Dieter, went out shopping I asked him to bring me new slippers. He came back with a nice pair of red mules.

The moment I put them on my feet, two of my cats, Halley and Greyson ran from the room. It was as if they were trying to set a new land speed record.

At first though Dieter and I didn’t make the connection. We just noticed that Halley and Greyson weren’t around. Which was out of the ordinary, because usually, they are rather interested in what’s been brought home after a shopping trip.

When we went looking for them, we found both of them under Dieter’s bed.

“What ‘you doing under there?” I asked.

The both of them looked at me with huge terror-filled eyes. Coaxing them out of their hiding place was of no use, they didn’t budge an inch. Since something was obviously wrong, and they wouldn’t come out on their own, Dieter pulled Halley from under his bed. She wriggled in his arm in protestation, eyes wild. The message was clear … let me go, let me go, let … me … go!!!!! This too was unusual as Halley likes to be held. Dieter put her on his bed and immediately she slipper back under it.

“It must be the slippers,” I said.

To see if my theory was true, I took them off and within minutes Greyson made an appearance, a few minutes later followed by Halley. To further test my theory, I put the slippers back on and once again they bolted from the room. So much for my new slippers. I wouldn’t be able to wear them.

Where it comes to fears, Charlotte is afraid, or shall I say terrified of the vacuum cleaner. When we bought a new machine we specifically paid attention to the noise level and chose the softest humming motor. It was still too loud for Charlotte. The moment the vacuum cleaner is switched on she leaves the room in such a haste that she would leave burn marks on the floor.

All this is small potatoes though compared to what the late Pitoe, Rocky, Husky, and Micky were afraid of. All of them have passed on some years ago, but this was their most memorable moment.

I went into the garage one morning and noticed a tiny mouse sitting on the front tire of my car. The mouse was either very trusting or scared stiff because it allowed me to scoop it up. Holding the mouse between the palms of my hands I made my way inside the house to show the cats. Just to show them, mind you, not to let them eat it.

Pitoe was having a wash at the time and looked up when I came in.

“Look what I have,” I told him. “Do you want to see?”

I went and stood in front of Pitoe, lowered my hands, and carefully opened them. Enough for him to see the mouse, but not enough for it to escape.

Pitoe took one whiff of the mouse and sprinted from the room. If it were possible he would have yelled “GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

I found him under my bed. Eyes wild with fright.

“It’s a mouse,” I told him. “Cats like mice.”

Well, he obviously didn’t. And apparently neither did Rocky, Mickey, and Husky, the three other resident cats. The show and dash had interrupted their breakfast and they were curious as to what the commotion was all about. So I went to them, huddled as they were by the kitchen table. I crouched down, opened the palms of my hands ever so slightly so they could see the mouse, and … they too flew from the room and dived under my bed. Now there were four cats under there.

I released the mouse in the garden, washed my hands, and tried to sweet-talk my four heroes to come out from under the bed. None of them showed any intention of doing just that.

Cats afraid of a little mouse, I thought, whatever next.