Why Parcel Companies Don't Hire Cats
For those dear readers who saw a message implying this page does not exist, I prevail upon your patience. I have been watching a cat, which makes me crazy --and prone to error. I asked Tux if he knew how a box worked. He said "yeah?" --have you ever noticed how everything a cat says to a human sounds like a question?
I replied, "Ok, see if you can close this box."
He surveyed the problem and said,"yeah?"
Tux studied it from all angles and tested its flexible features. I asked, "Are your researches yielding data?"
He said,"Yeah?"
Then he attacked the boxtop with his mighty jaws...
...and finally collapsed in frustration.
Poor Tux poured his fluid self out of the box and gave me that I-know-what-you-did-here stare --not an interrogative.
"This heinous thing has no business in my life. Please take it away, okay?!"
I replied, "Of course, Tux. I didn't mean to unsettle you. Just remember I was educated by people who took unkindly to my questions in response to their questions."
Tux scrambled into taller grass to ask another cat-question: "Shall we explore a wider world?"
I replied, "Ya think?"
Jazz enjoys the attack stage - and resents any attempt to remove his toy. Or even the shredded bits of said toy which he has spat out.
ReplyDeleteTux is obviously a more amenable cat.
I certainly identify with Jazz, E.C. --I feel the same way when anybody takes my toys away, especially the ones I chew on.
DeleteTux is a handsome cat - or still a kitten, isn't he? I imagine that box feels good to his new teeth. One of our current cats is a cardboard chewer. I think it feels good to her frustration :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you've established a common interrogatory language with Tux.
0_Jenny, he KNOWS he's handsome. I told him and he said "Yeah?" --yes he really does say that; the rest of our conversations is just stuff I make up.
DeletePeople spend tons of money on cat toys for their finicky pets when usually a cardboard box is all they need. It is entertaining for cat and observer and is recyclable and free. It is also something that they can’t hide only to be found when it is caught in the vacuum cleaner.
ReplyDeleteDear Arleen, happily, Tux and siblings are barn cats. They will play with anything that rolls, bounces --especially each other-- or blows in the wind. Only Tux has got into the back porch between my feet. I had only to hold the door open for him to leave on his own. His siblings won't allow us to touch them.
DeleteCute story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emma! I've never been too good at cute, so I really appreciate animals.
DeleteYou are taking very good care of him. Or is he taking care of you?
ReplyDeleteIt's a two-way thing, Chicken. These catolescent critters trust us now but tomorrow is vet-and-neuter day. I hope they're not permanently disillusioned.
DeleteExcellent! I was referring, of course, to Tux.
ReplyDeleteUnderstood! Compliment conveyed to Tux.
DeleteEnjoyable photos - I especially like Tux collapsing in frustration. Cats are inevitably - and inexplicably - attracted to boxes. I suspect these cardboard cubicles provide some semblance of escape and solace....(but that's only an uneducated guess).
ReplyDeleteMy 14 year old cat Scratch still enjoys climbing into boxes and shutting out the world.
I'm often tempted to join her.......
Jon, I fully agree. I remember being 5 years old and climbing into a big cardboard appliance box on the back porch. It was so private and peaceful. Then I got called in for dinner and broke my leg getting out. Serenity comes at a price. Be careful following Scratch's example.
DeleteA great merriment, watching Tux encounter the most rapidly growing and repopulating matter form on the planet, a box. Cat's just know intuitively; boxes are to be tried out. Some fit, some don't, but all of them, and there are more of them all of the time, are merely a toy to be used and disused as the reigning feline realm.
ReplyDeleteAw Tom, I'm glad Tux got to star in this post. He had fun. This morning we sent him off with a TNR (Trap Neuter Release)volunteer who will bring him back in a couple days with all necessary modifications. I've never had it done to me, but don't think it'll be any fun for him.
DeleteNever met a cat who didn't like a good box. The smaller the box the more determined the cat to fit into it. Tux is a beauty.
ReplyDeleteMy experience exactly, Delores. Cats, like other liquids, seek the shapes of their containers. Tux is off getting some physical adjustments today and I miss him.
DeleteMy brother was a cat magnet. I have fond memories of kittens curled, asleep, between his size thirteens.
ReplyDeleteI only wear size 11's, Joanne, but have had my shoes serve as surrogate parents for kittens. I think they just want to feel protected. It's hard work, keeping one's feet still for them, but somebody's got to do it.
DeleteWow, a cat who doesn't want to be in a box. He's a nonconformist.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Self-directed autodidactic cats are what emerge from our barn.
DeleteOur dog loves to shred up cardboard boxes, perhaps she is ensuring we can't conceal a cat? The grandchildren are more creative with them, they may have feline tendencies, though none of them are good mousers yet.
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa, delightful comment! Strangely, my grandchildren show no mousing ability either. I blame shortcomings in modern education.
DeleteSuch a grand tuxedo cat! You are correct that there are a myriad of tasks and occupations that would NOT benefit from hiring a cat for said duties. :)
ReplyDeleteI tend to see cats as being very profoundly suited to be observers. Perhaps look to the local college and see if they need any exam proctors? :)
PipeTobacco
Dear Prof., cats are decidedly good observers but, unlike most proctors, are easily bribed with tuna.
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ReplyDeleteUnknown, I've excised the backlink from your comment and this is what remains:": "Wow! this is Amazing! Do you know your hidden name meaning?"(appslel.com/result/nameMean)
DeleteMy reply: Yes, Geo stems from the old Greek word for Earth --possibly my 52-year rise from farmhand to gardener was philologically influenced. --Geo.
He is just showing who is in charge.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Susan, but sometimes the box wins --I don't tell Tux that, of course.
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