Catnapper

Kidnapping, whether by force or persuasion, is still basically the same.

Catnapping, too.

Wendy and I have invited neighborhood cats into our place several times over the years.  We've had such distinguished guests as Sarge, Bear, Butch, Vanilla, and M&M.  We hope to invite the new kittie Black Dynamite over as soon as we get to meet him in person.

During these rainy winter weeks, however, there's been a shortage of cats.  They're staying inside because of the weather, I suppose.

In our housing complex, we're pretty fortunate because our unit is set back from the driveway, so that if anyone was suddenly standing outside our front window, we'd be alarmed.  Others are not so fortunate, such as the unit where M&M, Vanilla, and Black Dynamite live.  There's a walking path that goes right past their front windows.

Wendy and I were walking on this path the other night, and noticed that their window blinds were open.  The lights in their living room were ablaze.  I was walking ahead, and tried to peer in by slanting my eyeballs to the right.  Didn't see anyone, human or feline.

The sharper eyes of Wendy, however, saw something.  She called me back, "Look!"

"You can't be looking in people's houses!" I objected.

"There's no one in there.  Look!" Wendy replied.

So I looked through the window and sure enough, there was Vanilla, settling down for a nap on a soft white cotton towel placed on the back of the sofa for her convenience.

That was cool enough, but then what happened next sort of embarrassed me.  No humans appeared to "catch us", but still...

Wendy did her "kitty chirping", and suddenly Vanilla looked up and was staring back at us through the window.  I started heading back to our place, afraid that the owners would suddenly appear.

The next thing I heard, just seconds later, was the jingling sound that betrayed Vanilla's actions:  she'd jumped down off the sofa, bolted through her cat door, jumped the fence, and was now being petted by Wendy.

I turned back and got a few strokes of greeting in there, and then headed back toward our front door. 

Jingle jingle...  as was her custom, Vanilla was now following behind me, heading over for a visit.

We (or at least I) always feel a twinge of guilt when we play with our neighbors' cats.  They pay for food, shelter, and medical attention, while we just enjoy their company.

This night, however, takes the cake.  If I may blame the main perpetrator, Wendy:  she basically plucked that kitty right out of her own home!

Ah well, catnapping has its rewards... as long no one gets caught.