The boys like playing with paper carrier bags. Falstaff will climb into or under anything, so quite likes being able to crawl into paper bags. Shylock then attacks the bag, which is then moving. Normally, the paper bag doesn't last long, since the attacking from the outside, gets met by equal attacking from the inside, and the bag ends up in small pieces around the floor.

One day, Shylock decided to climb inside the bag for a change. Everything proceeded as normal for a while, with Falstaff attacking the bag from outside. Then Shylock decided he'd had enough and came out of the bag. He didn't quite manage to do this properly, since he came out via the paper handle, and ended up with his head through the handle, and the bag trailing behind him.

He then realised the bag was following him and started to run. To his shock, the bag chased him and kept up when he speeded up. After a couple of laps of the front room, he headed towards the kitchen. Half way there, he stopped, turned round and checked to see if the bag was still following him. Obviously it was, so off he ran again. I couldn't believe my eyes, the fact that he actually stopped and checked to see if he was being chased.

A couple of minutes later, Shylock reappeared bagless in the front room. Somewhere in the kitchen he'd managed to give the bag the slip. I found it later, handleless and looking battered, it had obviously put up a good fight.

It's a good job they're not wild cats - I'm not sure stopping to check that you're still being chased leads to a long life.

It's also a good job they've both been neutered - I don't think such behaviour should be allowed to continue in the gene pool, it would probably lead to the cat version of the Darwin awards!

Copyright © Rachel Craddock
October 11, 2004