Tag Archives: Cats

Frankie Escapes Again

13 Replies

It seems our cat’s weekly romp in the back yard has come to an end, thanks to Frankie. The last couple of times we let them out, Frankie led me on a wild goose chase, hiding under cars along the way so I couldn’t catch him. Last week was the final straw and Rose decided she did not want to let them out again. Of course, not letting them out and not letting them get out are two different things.

Three times in the past week Frankie got out the front door when we were trying to leave or come in the house. Two of those times Chris ran out the door at the same time. They double team us. When we try to block one, the other cat sneaks around us and out the door and then when we shift our focus to that cat, we end up losing both of them.

It seems weird that I am saying this but Chris is good. He always stays close to the house, at least for a little while. Frankie runs like the wind. The first couple of times he got out I was able to grab him right away because he was distracted by a lizard. The last time was on the weekend when Rose and I were leaving to catch a movie. Frankie led us both on a long chase.

Cat Frankie under car

On my last post on this subject, Nellie suggested a Super Soaker might get him out from under the cars. With that in mind I grabbed the squirt bottle that we sometimes use to help us get into the house and to also stop Frankie from picking at the screen by the front door. I used it on him several times to try to dislodge him from the cars he was hiding under. Sometimes it would work but he would just run to the next available car. Other times I kept squirting him but he seemed not to notice.

I was starting to get worried because, despite our attempts to “herd” him the other way, he kept getting closer to the busy road we live near. Finally I was able to get him out in the open where Rose grabbed him and brought him home.

What concerns me now is we are planning to move to a new place. One without the big back yard and one that may be less tolerant of cats running around outside. I want to keep them inside but I also want to bring them out so that if they do escape they will know where home is.

The Greeting Committee

19 Replies

It seems almost every day when Rose and I return from work, all the cats are in the living room looking out the window like they were expecting us at that time. I suppose that is understandable because we come home at around the same time every evening, but that doesn’t explain how they are there waiting at the window on the weekend when we come home at random times. I am convinced that they know the specific sound our truck makes and hear it when we get close to the house. After all, the cats have excellent hearing. I was able to test that theory yesterday.

Our cats looking out the window

Our cats looking out the window

In 2009, when Rose got transferred and we moved to Myrtle Beach for sixteen months (where we found Chris), it was easier to get rid of my truck than to bring two vehicles, five cats and a moving truck. Since then, I have enjoyed the freedom that not having a car payment has given us. I will admit it has been inconvenient at times, but I thought it was worth it. Since we moved almost two years ago it has become more inconvenient and I could no longer resist Rose’s urge to get a new car, so yesterday we bought an almost new 2014 Ford Mustang Convertible.

Rose and our new Mustang

Rose and our new Mustang

We had a convertible PT Cruiser until we moved into our new home and we traded it for the truck because the turbo went bad. We  both missed the feeling of driving with the top down so, even though I am no fan of a car payment, I am happy about buying it.

To save gas, I will leave my truck at Rose’s work a few days a week because it is on the way to my work. I did that yesterday because Rose wanted to show her new car to her co-workers. We then drove half-way around the world in the car and came home late. When we opened the door, there was not a cat in sight. They did not hear the truck and we had completely surprised them.

Could This be the End of Outside Adventures?

13 Replies

We let our cats outside again on Sunday for some backyard fun. This time nobody caught a lizard and Frankie did not get on the roof (although he came close), but there was trouble nonetheless.

Both Frankie and Chris went through the fence to the property next door and the both came back on their own but then Frankie went through the fence again and led me on a drawn out chase like last week. During these chases, I have discovered that Frankie tires a lot faster than I do and then I think that I can just wait until he is too tired to run and then scoop him up, but it is not that easy. This is because Frankie has discovered a trick from Chris’s old playbook. He crawls under cars where I can’t reach him. He did that last week and he did it again on Sunday.

Our cat Frankie under a car

Our cat Frankie under a car

At one point I noticed that he was panting very hard and I worried he would overheat. I was also tired of playing his game so I made a decision that I regret. When I saw that he was close enough to me, I decided to grab him and pull him out from under the car. I knew it would upset him but I thought it would be quick and he would get over it. I didn’t realize how much fight he had in him and I only managed to scare him and piss him off. After that I was his mortal enemy which made me feel like a real jerk. You can watch what happened at the 9:45 mark on the video.

When I was finally able to bring Frankie inside, the first thing Rose said to me was “No More! I’m not doing this again!” Apparently, while Frankie was playing hide-and-seek with me, Chris and Puck were playing hard-to-get with Rose. Perhaps if we do let them out again, I will have to put the leash back on Frankie.

Fortunately, since that incident, Frankie has forgiven me and we are now friends again.

Another Great Outside Adventure

13 Replies

We let the cat’s outside for their weekly romp in the backyard. Puck immediately caught a lizard and then brought it in the house. That distracted me long enough for Frankie to run up the palm tree and get on the roof, and again I missed recording it. At least now I know how he did it.

Our cat Frankie on roof

Frankie then led me on a wild goose chase around the neighborhood while Chris was busy investigating our neighbor’s patio. In other words, it was a typical day.

Cat on a Not Tin Roof

18 Replies

Chris was not the center of attention during the cat’s weekly outing in our backyard on Sunday. Frankie took that trophy in a big way. He not only caught the only lizard of the day, he managed to climb onto our roof. He then was unsure how to get down.

20150329_Cats_1150

Unfortunately, I have not perfected my movie making skills yet and was distracted by bringing Puck into the house when he made his way to the roof. I then spent the next 10 minutes following Frankie with the camera as he searched for a way down. Unknown to me then, the last half of that time was spent with the record button off. He did finally jump down to the roof of our neighbor’s truck and everything ended well.

Here is the video from Sunday. If you don’t want to watch the entire thing, I recommend starting at around 5:22.

Bad Cat Chris: King of the Lizard Hunters

11 Replies

Yesterday we broke with our new tradition of letting the cats outside on Sundays and let them out on Saturday. They all had a lot of fun running around, rolling in the dirt and chasing down lizards.

Frankie was good for the most part but, unlike last week, he ventured through the fence… twice. I didn’t worry about him though. I jut kept an eye on him and he came back before going too far. I did have to go through the gate and pick him up from the side of the property, both times, and bring him back to the back yard. He also used up a lot of energy and I saw him panting several times. I thought he was tired and would slow down, but I was wrong.

Last week both Chris and Puck caught a lizard but this week Chris was the only cat to bring home the prize. He did it by showing us he is still a bad cat. He wondered onto our neighbor’s patio and walked back out the door less than twenty seconds later with a lizard in his mouth, proving he is still the top lizard catcher in the family, despite his weight gain. I don’t totally blame Chris for going on her patio. If she would close the door that wouldn’t happen.

Bad Cat Chris with lizard

Chris showing off his lizard

our cat Frankie tired and panting

Frankie tired and panting.

I uploaded a video of what I go through with these boy but it is fairly long. If you don’t have the time I recommend starting at around 6:45. In case you don’t watch the video, I should mention the lizard is alive and well, assuming some other creature hasn’t eaten it since yesterday.

Frankie Unleashed

16 Replies

It has become a routine lately that the cats go outside for ten or fifteen minutes every Sunday. I put Frankie’s harness and leash on and walk around the yard with him while Rose keeps an eye on Chris and Puck. It seems that Frankie has gradually come to realize that there are plenty of interesting things in our own back yard and has become less envious of what is on the other side of the fence. The last time I had him on the leash he did not even attempt to go through the fence.

It was then that I decided it was time to lose the leash and let Frankie play with Chris and puck unencumbered. I was pretty confident that he would stay close if I watched him and “herded” him away from the fence if needed. I was also certain he would return home since he has done so before and he was now very familiar with the area. I did need to hedge my bet a little in case I was wrong so I decided to stop at PetSmart last week. They have a machine there that engraves tags, so I bought one for Frankie and put his name, our address and phone numbers on it.

On Sunday I put the tag on a collar that I have had for awhile and put the collar on Frankie. We then crossed our fingers and let them all out.

Our cats, Chris, Frankie and Puck

Surprising, Frankie was not a bad cat and stayed close most of the time. The only issue I had was when he walked into our neighbor’s patio like Chris did a few weeks ago. Chris, however, caught a lizard and ran into the house with it. Oh well, at least they had fun.