The Tale of the Cat (Pun Very Much Intended)

They say dog is man's best friend.  What do they say about cats? Huh? That's what I thought.  Nothing.  There is no information out there on whether or not cats are friend or foe.  Just so happens that I think cats are great, except for one.  Her name is Squeaky and she resides at Pierre and Smiley's home.  Do not get me wrong here, I enjoy her company some of the time.  Let me begin my tales of Squeaky the cat so you will understand my distress.

Willie, my loving and not crazy cat.
Photo by Claire

Although this is not a story about the children I watch, I am still responsible for the well-being of all living creatures which happens to include Squeaky.  Every single time I go over to this families house, Squeaky hisses and meows at me.  Whenever I try to be nice to her, she runs away.  I don't know about you, but I take this as hint that I need to get the heck away from her, or else.  She has even bit me and scratched my chest.  I mean seriously.  What did I ever do to her.  The answer: NOTHING!

Now, I will retell the most stressful event I have ever experienced while babysitting.  It was last Saturday night, and I was watching Pierre and Smiley.  My good friend Maddy was with me, thank goodness.  Anyway, we live up the street so my mom rode her bike over to give me my dinner.  When she rang the doorbell all of us got up, including Squeaky.  We talked to my mom for a few minutes and just as we were shutting the door, out she ran!  My heart literally fell onto the floor.  It's one thing to not put the dishes into the dishwasher, but to lose the family cat is unspeakable.

With everyone on the side path, we had her cornered.  My mom was about to grab her, but she scampered away from her reach.  Gone, as if she had never even been there.  Pierre had told me not to worry because she always returned.  However, this did not calm my sizzling nerves.  Maddy and I both kept a watchful eye on the front door to see if she crept up.  After an hour, she still wasn't back.  Imagine this senario: parents come home, you small talk for a minute or two, they pay you, and then ask how it went... "Oh, your cat ran away, but other than than it was perfect!"  There was absolutely no way I was going to allow this to happen.

Finally, after much suspense, Squeaky came home.  Pierre and Smiley taunted me and said that they knew she was coming home... But what if she hadn't?  I pondered the moral of this experience, and came up with this: even if things go wrong, if you worry enough it will fix itself (most of the time).  Before I could even sum of the night, I looked over and saw Squeaky happily on top of my computer.  She was home and back to the old cat that I love to hate.