Bad Kitty

When our cat really crosses the line into bad cat behavior, we punish it by putting it temporarily in the basement. That's not as harsh as it might seem. Though it's not finished, we have put plenty of soft pillows and other amenities down there to keep her reasonably comfortable. Her litter box and food bowls are there as well, so she's in no danger. She just loses her in-house privileges. And usually it is taking advantage of those privileges that leads to her temporary confinement.

This afternoon, we came back from the store, and I peeked through the window to see if she was sleeping on top of the recliner. We've found evidence she likes to this when we're gone. That's a no-no, and she knows it. Often we come through the door just in time to see a white blur and the recliner rocking frantically back and forth. This time, I peered inside before putting the key in the door. Sure enough, the kitty-iot was sitting on top of the recliner. Our eyes met. Caught red handed and knowing it, the cat decided it wasn't worth making a run for it this time. My wife looked inside next. "KEADY!"

This was a basementable offense, so down we put her.

About 20 minutes later, we went into the basement ourselves to get some gardening tools. Keady was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her old cat carrier, formerly her favorite spot. She wasn't on top of a bag of old clothes, or the black pillow that was now nearly white from her sheddings. She wasn't behind any boxes. But I heard her collar tinkle a couple times, so I knew she was in the basement somewhere.

I told my wife to call her. "Kitty, kitty, kitty!"

Nothing.

"Kitty, kitty, kitty!"

A jangle. Suddently, she appeared atop a ledge near the basement ceiling. How the heck did she get up there. And for that matter, where exactly was "there"? Take a look for yourself. The photos below will give you an idea of the area in which she decided to hide:


Take a good look. You can see a couple ears sticking up behind all the pipes and wires.













I was holding the camera high over my head to get this shot.












It looks like the dumbhead jumped up on a table in the back of the basement, then from there about three feet upwards onto a two inch wide ledge. After walking behind the electrical box, she found a spot between the floor supports to get on top of the dusty heating duct. I admire the agility and athleticism it takes to get up and into that place. But otherwise, I can't understand what would possess an animal to want to be there?

None of this does much to change my already low opinion of her feline intellect.