My goofy cat story (long)

Shirley · My goofy cat story (long)

Not just any cat, his name is Jagger. Not like Mick although you'd think he was named after him with his personality.

I have been tending Sandy's cats while she's away in addition to her horses. All of them, except Jagger, have been good. Jag however seems to be satan incarnate. He relentlessly picks on the others and when they have scattered he focuses on me. I was watching tv the other night and he was so lovely dovey I let him curl up beside me. He decided it was time I pay him homage but I ignored him. When he got frustrated, and that took about 30 seconds he sunk his fangs into my hand. Not just a love bite but a real chomp! Didn't break skin but it had me yelping and cussing him out. I settled back down and got back into the program, Ghost Whisperer, and the devil sneaked back up ever so quietly so as not to make his presence known. All of a sudden another chomp. Ok now I'm just pissed and chased him from one end of the house to the other. He is so lucky I didn't catch him. He left me alone for the rest of the night but I slept with one eye open.

Now I really do like this cat and he likes me. Sandy's sister has been coming over every other day to help out with the cat care and noticed that the cat's food looked different. Turns out I had mistakenly topped their food bowls off with puppy food instead of cat food. He was hungry because he wouldn't eat puppy food and I assume that is why Jag showed his displeasure by biting. I'll give him that one, my screw up but he didn't have to be such a jerk.

Today I came home after cleaning carpets at our other house. I was flat exhausted as I'd gotten up at my usual time at 3:30 am like I do when I have to go to work and it had been a long day. I finished most of my horsey chores and brought the mares in and then went in the house before bringing in the TBs. As usual I do a cat head count but there were only 3, there are 5, and the door to my part of the house was open. Jag has mastered opening the doors which are the bifold type. I find one of the cats downstairs but Jag is nowhere to be found. We have an opening to the electrical panels which don't have doors on them yet. Now I'm panicking, what if he's gotten into the wall? How can I get him out, OMG he's going to die in the wall and Sandy is going to kill me. We will have dead cat in the wall and we will have to rip the walls out to retrieve him. My usual nutty chain of thinking was going to new heights. I started to blubber, how am I going to tell Sandy I killed her cat, lol, it was getting more ridiculous by the minute.

I remembered I had to get the rest of the horses in and finish feeding the minis so I put my dead cat catastrophe on hold. I finally got it done and came back into the house resigned to tearing the wall down before the cat really did die when there lo and behold was Jag frozen in place, ready to pounce on something. I walked up to him and looked where he was focusing and could hear faint scratching noises. There is a dang rat in the wall! Jag was so intent on his prey he completely ignored my calls and had figured out how to open the downstairs door so he could get to the rat. I couldn't decide whether to hug him or kick him at that point. So now we have to get an exterminator to come out and handle this. We have been unable to get rid of the rats in the barn, probably because they are residing in our walls. They are too smart for traps or bait, short of sending my Cairns after them I don't know how we will get rid of them without a pro.

We have 5 lazy indoor cats here and definately don't need any more cats, with mine we have 6, so no additional barn cats that's for sure. I don't know what Jag would have done if he could get to it but since they are almost half his size, I think he'd change his mind. Now a chair is up against the door until we can figure out some kind of locking system before the exterminator gets here. Anyone got some creative ideas on rodent control besides the usual? Has anyone used those sonic devices?

Sage/Debs

Sonics are great! Poor Jaz he was trying to tell you something times two! Never a dull moment with you Shirley! Man I hate rats q10

thank the powers that be we don't have em, lotsa huge cats and some mice is enough. Ewwwww, q12