Bella is a very bright cat, as I've crowed in previous jottings. However, even smart cats can do silly things, remember about the "curiosity and the cat".

Bella pulled a good one this morning. She likes to sit high up, and can get up to the top of my antique secretary desk from the dining room table. Yes, I have removed the breakables. This morning, she starts looking down the back of it, as it is "kitty"-cornered against the wall. Being that way, of course, it is flush with the wall, leaving a V-shaped space behind it.

If you go back there, there is no way out. Bella is very bright, and knows "No" and many other human words, but to her they are just suggestions, to heed or not. Back she goes... *thump*.

Silence.

20 seconds later, a pitiful little meow, "Hey what's going on here!"

10 seconds later, "oh! Help!"

I did not let her stew too long, just long enough to know not to do it again. Especially when I'm not home all day. Could be embarrassing. But I see why she went back there, her favorite while ball was stuck underneath the far corner. When I moved the cabinet out, she batted the ball out and took off with it.

"I MEANT to do that!"

Who is smarter than whom?

Copyright © Bill Mason
April 12, 2002