I have a Dreamcatcher. It is not in a window (I have another, smaller one in my bedroom window). It has a wall of its own in my living room. It is quite large, and made in shades of salmon, black and white. It has feathers, beads and rawhide. It is a Conversation Piece and, as it was a special gift from my son, I love it dearly.

This Dreamcatcher has been in place for five years, and not one of my older cats has ever given it so much as a glance. There is a chair near it and different cats, at different times, sleep under it on the back of the chair.

This has now changed. The kitten (formerly- known -as-Butterscotch, now called Gizmo), who is in the process of remodeling my house, has discovered the Dreamcatcher. He will ignore it for hours at a time; but once his attention returns to it, he will "not" be dissuaded! If he stands up on the chairback, bracing himself with one paw on the wall, he can reach the feathers.

My shriek of "Gizmo, get down!" only serves to let him know he has my attention! He will bat at the feathers, then look over at me slyly. I begin the process of getting up out of my chair -- this is complicated by the fact that I am handicapped by arthritis, and once I am out of my wheelchair and into my recliner, I tend to want to stay there!

He knows he has time for a few more passes at the feathers before I can get to him, so he enjoys himself before running like crazy down the hall. As soon as I settle back down, he comes back and we begin again.

My point is this: Can this little 5-lbs of kitten know and understand that he has found possibly the one thing in the house that will "blow my cool" if he touches it? Is he playing with "me" because he likes to see me struggling to get at him while I scream "Gizmo, get down!! and "Gizmo, don't touch!"?

I think the answer is a resounding Yes! He "is" that smart; and that, my friends, is a little bit scary!

(Before you tell me the obvious, I will be taking it down on Monday! I'll miss it while he grows up!)

Copyright © Renee Darvin
June 4, 2000