Hi all

I've always thought if one of the Fabulous Furballs would be
responsible for a b**t**d cat trick it would be Sarsi and not dear
quiet little Dunzi.....WRONG!!!!

Saturday mornings are when I pay back the overdraft on my sleep account
caused by staying up too late and having to get to work the next day.
Almost nothing is allowed to interfere with my Saturday morning
lie-in's...

8.30- I wandered into bathroom with nothing more on my mind than going
back to bed....the bathroom window's open a little wider than it
should be and since I am not in the habit of storing my toothpaste and
mouthwash in the sink, I know a cat has been up there.  Probably Dunzi
she likes to sniff the fresh air...That window isn't wide enough for
her to get out I don't think. I don't like her going out but she
can only sit on the sill, there's nowhere else to go and she's not
there so she's probably been here she's gone back to bed...As I am
now going to do....

Something starts to nag my brain, a half-formed
word..sca...scaff...Scaffolding! For some unknown reason, they put it
up at the back of the building yesterday.

Start looking...Can't find Dunzi anywhere...Dave points out she's
probably in Narnia (We've decided she goes through the wall at the
back of the wardrobe into Narnia- it's an expression we use when we
can't find her). I agree, this is a cat that doesn't even always
come out at mealtimes....

Sarsi has an expression on her face...cats aren't supposed to be able
to imitate Human expressions but anyone would call the expression
"worried". She keeps looking round and running up and patting my
knee to get attention (She's now known as "Lassie) . Dave keeps
insisting she can't have got out, she won't have got out....she's
got more sense than that. I am searching and starting to panic,
imagination goes into overdrive, and I am designing "missing cat"
posters, having visions of her getting run over. I throw some clothes
on, I won't be happy until I've made sure I fully expect to get
back and have her to appear from some corner and look at me as if to
say "What?!"

Out I go...half way down our stairs there is a window. I look
out....And sitting the other end of the platform is Dunzi...who seeing
me starts to make crying noises...probably thinking she is in trouble.
I start using words I will not repeat in case anyone under 21 reads
this and run back to the flat. Informing Dave where Dunzi is, he used
language I will not repeat in case anyone under 41 reads this. I open
the bathroom window and try calling down. All I get is "meep!".
Imagination starts to go into overdrive...how long has she been out
there? In this heat? Could she have fallen and hurt herself?

And when you get down to it....how do we get her in? Can I climb out
the bathroom window, get down the ladder and get her? Well my weight on
the bathroom sink will pull it off the wall and I'm notoriously
afraid of heights but...well she is my little Dunzi even through at
this moment I am not her numero uno fan....shall we call that emergency
plan B? Emergency plan A, which is starting to look likely is call the
fire brigade or do they only rescue cats from trees?

I try waving ham from the bathroom window, a few passers-by look up at
the sight . All I get is more "meep's"- Dunzi has never learnt to
speak properly.

I go back to the hallway window as I do I manage to slam the front door
so I have to bang on the door and shout for Dave who being in the
bathroom doesn't hear me. So I have to bang loud enough to cause our
neighbour to come out and see what the noise is

Dunzi has now walked to this edge of the platform. She looks so
pathetic I end up throwing her the ham. I don't want her to try and
get to this window. She's 3 foot below it, not a problem but it's a
6-foot jump with nothing but the concrete 40-50 feet below to break her
fall. Worse still the platform is at right angles to the window so
it's not a straight jump...Sarsi might do it but we are talking about
Dunzi who can fall off the floor...

I am going to call the fire brigade...as I get to the door I hear a
noise I can only describe as "Meeeep -owww---eeeeek!"

She's tried to jump....her head and front paws are on the sill but
she's sliding backwards. Obviously didn't quite make it...sliding
backwards with nothing but that concrete floor below to break her
fall...and I am not going to get to her in time...

Then with a little grunt of effort she manages to get her back legs
onto the sill. Dunzi's made it! She jumps down from the sill and
stands there giving me that sweet look designed for when she knows
she's in trouble. I am just too relieved to say anything nasty.

Dave opens the door. Dunzi runs in past him.

And for a finale, ignoring Sarsi who is plainly asking "Where the
Hell have you been?", Dunzi runs into the bathroom and straight into
her litter tray

Dave looks at me and says "She could have at least done that
outside!"

One ruined Saturday morning lie-in...that bathroom window is now
padlocked until the scaffolding comes down. At least Dunzi's fine
through the following night I caught her pawing at the bathroom
window.....I just hope she's learned her lesson but I wouldn't bet
on it.

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs