Lego helpers

Sometimes Mom does weird things. Okay, she does a lot of weird things, but one of includes little colorful bricks - Lego.
I used to help her with those, but to be honest, it became boring pretty quickly. Not having an opposable thumb, I couldn't help her actively, she never took any of my advice on how to improve, and worst of all, she never let me take any of those bricks to play with myself.
"I need those, my darling." "That's too small, I don't want you to swallow one, sweetie." "Oh baby, please don't sit on it." I have no idea why she thinks flattering will make me forget that essentially all she's saying is no, no, NO. She says no a lot. Don't puke on the bed, don't knock that down (granted, she mostly says that to dem Dekan), don't stand on my collarbone ... ouch, ouch, ouch! What a whiner!
Honestly, do I look as if I could do anything wrong? Except maybe being too gorgeous of course.

Back to Lego.
The other day Mom wrote about her latest project, it's a portrait of a beetle, sorry, I mean a Beatle.

Now I did tell you about how we like to confuse Mom, but it's just as much fun for me to see how she confuses the brat.
The first attempt of having him around failed in the most pathetic way. Mom participates in those Crafternoons, a video meeting of some bloggers who chat and work on something creative while doing so. Usually she sits on the bed doing them and she never gets far crafting because der Dekan who thinks she's piece of soft furniture absolutely loves her sitting cross-legged which makes a perfect little nest for him.
This time, however, she decided to work on her Lego Art set and thought that maybe der Dekan would like to help her (seriously, I think she gets less and less smart with age because who in their right mind would think that's a good idea?). She probably craved the cozy feeling of Ponder doing it with her, but honestly - der Dekan is not Ponder.

Well, she mentioned how it went crazy quickly and actually she locked the brat out.
He doesn't deal well with being locked out of Mom's life, no matter how often I tell him it's actually rather boring and I only bear it because it goes great with my nap cycles.
So the next time she let him help again, but she didn't put the studs (that's what the bricks are called she's using at the moment) on the table which quite understandably drove the little predator to madness, but she put them in a bowl.
The result was amazing. See for yourself.

These are the yuckiest kibbles I have seen in my life.

He sat there transfixed, my guess is that he wondered if these were some kind of kibbles that had a weird color and didn't smell. He stared at them for a really long time, even while Mom already started picking them out, and didn't try to touch them!
Mom was so proud of herself.

Not sure how I should deal with this situation ...

Then she opened the box. The lid is attached to the box and part of it was not on the table.
Der Dekan thought it was a great cat bed, anyway. To be on the safe side, Mom pulled the box towards herself a bit more, but he totally went overboard, rubbing himself on the cardboard and rolling around.
It just had to happen - wheeeeee, and down he went off the table. I wish there was a picture or even a video of that! As a German cat, I'm very familiar with the concept of Schadenfreude ...

Anyhow, after that he obviously had to wreak some havoc elsewhere - on the desk - to hide his embarrassment. Mom hates that because her desk is a bit in, erm, disarray at the moment (the biggest euphemism ever) and once again she threw him out until she had finished her square.

Today the boy took out his revenge on the box. It had knocked him down and now he knocked it down. Mom wasn't in the same room at the time and came running thinking he had knocked over a chair, it was so loud! Luckily - for her - the box had not opened up. I think it would have been fun to watch her picking up studs from the floor, but alas, it wasn't to be.

So I guess it's 1:1 in the Lego : Der Dekan game at the moment. I'll keep you posted!


We are not affiliated with Lego in any way, except playing with it every, now and then.

Happy Gotcha Day, I guess

"You have to write something."
"Why?"
"First, you haven't done it last year and you always ignore his birthday. Second, you have become quite lazy with the blog."
"Gee, woman, nothing is happening here!"
"There might be happening something if you didn't sleep so much."
"Hey hey, listen to the pot calling the kettle black."
"Back to Gotcha Day. I told your story on my blog for it this year."
"And on his birthday you told the story about how the brat moved in. What more does he want?"
"Come on, it would just be nice to do it."

So, here I am now thinking.
I never thought cats could get writer's block because, to be honest, I'm not even sure how I got to be a writer in the first place. When I told Mom nothing is happening here, I wasn't so wrong. I don't even want that much to be happening here, you know. It was hard enough when der Dekan moved in.

You know how they say a vampire has to get invited in order to be able to come into a house? Der Dekan claims he was just as much of an abductee as I was. I'm not so sure about that. I think he did one of those vampire mind tricks to convince Mom's neighbor.
Yeah, he's not officially a vampire although he can sure be a biter. Not with me usually. If I feel he's in hunting mode which is not that often, I just growl at him. Mom, on the other hand, keeps saying "Stop it". Der Dekan probably thinks that's his name, that and "Enough now!" Oooh, scary. As if he cares 😹

***

If you wonder now how you missed this important update ... well, I cheated.
I did write this four months ago and then I stopped and forgot about the draft. I just found it again by accident and decided to publish it with the originally intended date.
At least I'm honest about it.
You know, shortly after I started it, summer came and felled us. Literally. We fell like trees, only not as loud. Although Mom claims that she actually worked all summer, I have absolutely no recollection of that. She says that's because we slept all the time and didn't even notice that she did everything to keep us fed and all that. Yeah, I don't even want to judge that. As we like to say here "she can tell me a lot if the day is long".

Anyway, we are back. That's a threat. With butter on the nose.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Well, yeah, it's not actually that new anymore, I think I can already see the first creases and small stains, but nevertheless, I hope it will be a good one for you, happy, healthy, peaceful, and of course full of cat hair. Or dog hair if you prefer that although I think nothing can beat a lovely cat hair in your cheese sandwich, your tea or your glass of water. I may be biased here.

Time has run since we were last awake, went to sleep on Christmas and woke up today. Nah, I'm kidding. Der Dekan and I do actually get up for food, but since Mom had a very lazy vacation time, we felt we could put in one or the other nap as well.

Now we are trying to get back on track with all the important things we have to do around here, mostly supervise Mom, she would be totally lost without our valuable advice on all the things she's doing wrong!
One of them was going back to work again today. Going may be a bit exaggerated as she's working from home and therefore has the shortest commute ever, but she did indeed work.
While I enjoyed not being smooched all the time against my will - although I don't mind Mom telling me what a beautiful lady I am because that's just the truth - der Dekan is such a Mama's child.
He felt terribly neglected, can you tell? (Actually you can't because this is a picture from a few days ago when he felt so neglected that he decided to block the TV, but he looked the same today.) He practically lost all will to live, at least until she finally got up and went to the kitchen ;-) The brat can eat his own weight in kibbles and gushy food, I think!

Luckily it's a very short workweek due to the public holiday yesterday. Tomorrow, and then Mom will be only serving us again for the weekend. I can't wait to give her my to-do list!

Cocoon

Hey there!
Did you think we have gone into hibernation? The Christmas tree got a well-deserved break from us "hoolicats" how Mom has called us?
No way. Gnomes and pineapple slices keep falling left and right, one of the wire crochet baubles got a little artistic makeover (I stepped on it because flat it looked more like modern art instead of traditional boredom, I'm a very modern cat), a gnome lost a hand and early one morning, just as the sun was rising ... oh wait, that is a song, the sun really wasn't rising yet when I felled the tree again like the pro I am. If the brat thinks he has a monopoly on destruction around there, he can think again.
Just a moment while I .... what is he ... oh yes, he decided to show me right away what he can do and knocked over the light arch. That's a new one. I'm glad it didn't break. I'm quite sure that would have get him kicked out and I am kind of getting used to him.

Uh-oh. Can you see it? We have another victim.
Don't worry, the rescue team set out immediately to re-erect the arch without even needing a crane and the victim was rescued. Luckily gnomes are a hardy little people, and while I feel safe to say that the little fellow is holding a grudge against Mom now because he wasn't even allowed a short sick leave, at least he didn't suffer any heavy injury.

After working hard on the tree, we need some hard sleep in as comfortable surroundings as possible.
Of course I have my own pillow in bed and my own black pillow covers which prevent Mom from taking too many pictures of me. My beautiful black fur is difficult enough to photograph as I'm often told by our resident paparazza, but a black pillow covers doesn't make it any easier.
Ever since I had those unfortunate knee injuries some months ago and managed my queendom from this pillow, it has become my favorite spot for naps and you can rarely find me in one of my former spots.

Der Dekan has more than one spot, but of course he's still young and adventurous and keeps thinking the grass is greener elsewhere (and the food is always better on my plate). He sleeps in Mom's arm, on her feet, at the end of the bed, on the wardrobe, in his cardboard bed, in his donut since the tree's been up next to it, and today he made Mom jump when she came into the kitchen because he suddenly dangled off the edge of the fridge.
A favorite, however, has been the tent again since temperatures went down. It's not a cat tent as you might think, it's Mom's blanket in bed. Pulling up her knees under the blanket creates a comfy little spot, dark and warm, and the extra is that when you stretch against her with your claws out, you can make her jump. Der Dekan can sleep there for hours. I used to do it, but then stopped a few years ago, now I look down there every, now and then and return to my pillow instead.

The other day Mom was waiting for a parcel and she sat on top of the bed. Der Dekan wanted under the blanket so badly, but he couldn't, so he had to take desperate measures.
What do you think this is (sorry for the bad picture)? Looks like something wrapped up in a comfy little cocoon, doesn't it?

Or somecat.

What is that cocoon, though?
Mom has a bunch of dresses she loves and wears at home. This is one of them. When she's on top of the bed (and sometimes even under a blanket in the dress), der Dekan will go in at the bottom and then throw himself against the fabric, arms (and claws!) stretched out, and he won't give up until he has created his own little sleeping bag like that.
You can't see that in the pictures, but Mom is not behind this cocoon, she's to the right of it. With naked legs because der Dekan will pull as much of the dress as possible to the side for maximum comfort. It's winter, for Bast's sake, and it's not as if Mom doesn't have her own furry legs even if she won't want you to hear that. She could also put on her warm tights if she's afraid of getting cold. You have to give it to her, though, she has been trained so well that she would never try to take her dress back. She may try to pick up the end of the blanket with her feet to cover them, but the only reason to get him out of there would have been the parcel arriving. Which it didn't because the tour was aborted due to the massive workload parcel guys face at the moment. Luckily it wasn't cat food!

Don't think this is spoiling the cat, it's giving a feline overlord what they need and deserve (okay, and demand).

Tree Swiper HQ

Have you been wondering how the Christmas thing is going in this house? I thought it was time for a little update.

Mom's first surprise was the night the Christmas tree fell. It was 3.15 a.m. and Mom had been sound asleep with the brat in her arm - I think he does that so she will forgive his countless crimes more easily as she adores having a cat in her arms, but we both hate being picked up - when she heard small knocking sounds which she quickly recognized as gnomes hitting the floor. Later she said she smiled to herself knowing I also had fun with her Christmas gifts to us ... until there was a wooshing sound next.
She turned on the light and saw me, rather unimpressed, next to the fallen tree. Seems her little box scheme is not that effective after all or maybe I just got the perfect angle.
Der Dekan went all wide eyed, no doubt jealous that (the first?) hit of the year was mine and not his. Mom grabbed her camera and took a shot into the dark which accounts for the amazingly bad quality of this picture, but I guess it's a good enough proof of my genius.

Of course that doesn't mean der Dekan feels defeated, he's still very much having his own fun with the tree.
Today Mom noticed that its back looked pretty much undecorated and she didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce very quickly why.
The tree's spot is where our cat donut is usually. A while ago, Mom got it in a special sale, hope everlasting that we would actually use it. Which happens rarely. Very rarely. I don't like the tunnel part at all because I know perfectly well who would be waiting for me outside. Not worth the fun. I also don't like sleeping in there. Why should I if I have my very own pillow in bed plus I am allowed to sleep on all soft surfaces I choose? Der Dekan has sat in it a few times, but not for long, and sometimes he checks the tunnel to make sure there's no other cat in there and that's it.

Now, however, the donut is right behind the tree. Another stroke of genius from Mom who simply thought it would not be used any more back there than it had been before. She was so wrong.

Sitting or lying in there, he can easily and comfortably reach the different branches and just pull off what he wants.
That doesn't mean he's not still enjoying his jumps into the tree, but sometimes you just want to put in minimal energy to wreak maximum havoc, and so he made this his Tree Swiper HQ. Mom refuses to put a sign with its name on it after she crawled around on the floor looking for ornaments. It was particularly funny when she was flat on her belly looking under the wardrobe. Without any success, I should mention. We know better than to hide things in obvious places.

She did manage to "save" two of them, though, rudely interrupting this cozy playdate! 🙄

An offer Mom can't refuse

Almost five years ago, Ponder told you about the Christmas Massacre. A very fond memory of mine and it's a shame that Mom has been so thorough about restricting my access to the Steiff woolies.
For years, she had been living in fear after that, calling me a mobster and gang member. Little did she know then what hardened criminal she would invite into her life only a few years later, being deceived by his little pot belly and his darling face.

He still has the belly and he sure can put on an innocent face while committing the most heinous crimes.
Today, for example ... wait, you need to know the whole story.
Against better knowledge, Mom had decided to put up a Christmas tree again this year. As if der Dekan had grown up during the last year. I mean, he has grown, but actually not in a way that a small Christmas tree would be able to appreciate when being tackled.
After the tree had fallen for the third time in four days and ornaments had been generously spread all over the room time and again, not to mention that Mom was afraid the brat would try to strangle himself in the string of lights that he kept pulling off the tree, Mom re-decorated. She wound the lights tightly around the trunk and she happened to find the perfect wooden box to put the tree into. It worked amazingly well. Now all she had to worry about was how many ornaments would find a gruesome death, but she had carefully chosen what not to put on the tree.
At least that's what she thought ...

Gnome girl was a favorite victim. I can't even count how many times der Dekan had snatched her off the tree before she lost a hand. I think he loved Mom putting her back because that way he could pull her off again.
And even today Mom just laughed when she saw her lying there, but at least she told her she was sorry for the brat being so mean to her.
What amazed me was that the string survived all of this.

Another ornament that couldn't get a break was the metal heart, but at least it was sturdy, other than the wooden ornament with the sleigh scene that unfortunately didn't survive (under circumstances not known yet, it is possible that der Dekan put it into Mom's way and she stepped on it with her amazingly big foot, but maybe der Dekan bit into it and broke it, it was very delicate).

You could put all of that down to a cat having just a little fun with a Christmas tree, but what happened next made me aware that somecat had decided to follow my lead from years ago.

Mom went up to the tree to check for "pineapple slices" to put back on their branches when she noticed that the wooden moose was hanging inside of the box instead outside. She pulled on him and ...

Oh yes, Mom, looks like somecat has seen The Godfather because this used to be a complete moose.
Be afraid, be very afraid.

You think that's it?
You are so wrong. Der Dekanfather gives you short breaks, but he doesn't stop.
With his latest victims still around, he went in for the next kill.

You can't see it, but it's Sleigh Ride's sibling Nativity. Mom managed just in time to save her and put her on a different branch that isn't so easy to reach from Mobster HQ.

I don't know about you, but somehow this picture doesn't exactly spell the word remorse.
If I were Mom, I would sleep with my eyes very wide open!

Oh, you want to know about me?
For now I'm just supervising. I have told the tree hello twice, but so quickly that Mom didn't get a chance to take a picture. I don't want to be seen with it and become a suspect in case of - whatever ...

The fish drama

Hello and welcome from my bed (don't believe Mom when she tells you it's hers). I have torn my cruciate ligament in one knee - after tearing the one in the other knee some months ago - and now I'm on pain medication, resting my knee, having my meals delivered, sleeping, or watching what's going on around me.
It happened when I jumped up on the wardrobe a few nights ago.

That wardrobe has seen a lot over the years, but only in the last two years it has turned into a meeting point for gang members.

There is another gang on the East Side of the wardrobe, but der Dekan had a fallout with them after he threw one of them off without so much as a warning. No one was injured, but the mood was very icy afterwards. Count Dracula and Mr. Bones never approved of him, anyway. I wouldn't either if somecat kept trying to walk all over me.

Maybe der Dekan is made for a lonely thug life because this morning something shocking happened.
If you compare this picture to the first one, can you see the difference? It's true, before Mom's and my eyes Fluffy Red took a dive without any warning at all. He didn't make a sound which made it even more gruesome to watch.
This is the face we saw .... it made us shudder.

And when Mom told him she'd call the police, this was his reaction.
Does it look to you as if he has any regrets at all??

Turf wars

If you think we have been very quiet, then you are half right. The blog half.
I have of course been a distinguished lady as always. I still like to hang out with my friend Leonie, I play very decently with the rainbow wand thingy (ignore Mom if she says that I too know how to use my claws), I sleep on my pillow or in my cat bed, and only on very rare occasions I have to pull Mom's hair in the morning if I am absolutely starving.

And I observe. I see. I know everything.
Lately Bruce, the shark, and der Dekan have been squabbling. Little things. Who gets the last kibble, who gets to tackle Mom on the way to the kitchen, who gets to jump on her belly when she is least expecting it, these kind of things.
Given that Bruce has no feet or paws, he usually doesn't have a chance and I could tell he was not happy about that.
Tension increased and it ended as it had to eventually, in the Shark Cat Turf Wars of 2023.
Of course I stayed out of it. If two young lads want to fight it out, let them, I am too grown up and much too wise to get drawn into this.

This was one of the times when Mom thought it might actually have been nice to have a smartphone. Why on earth she didn't just turn the video on her camera on, no one knows, but I have to admit that the pictures tell the story quite nicely as well.
Mom couldn't even decide which ones to pick, so you'll just get all of them. Have fun!

Now you probably want to know who the winner was, don't you?
Believe it or not, those silly boys fell asleep from one second to the other. Literally.
Boom. Best friends again? What do you think? I have a faint feeling the peace won't be lasting for long ...

Plotting for world domination

We shall fight on the beaches ... since der Dekan seems to have the goal to eat until he looks like Churchill, it seems rather appropriate to borrow from his famous speech.
In fact, however, we shall not only fight on the beaches, but on land and water which is the reason for us inviting my friend, the shark, to this little meeting.

We tried to make it look harmless, but something in Mom's eyes told me she didn't trust the peace. Der Dekan, who for good reason is the muscle (and belly!) of the operation while I am obviously the brain, came a little too close. He sat on me!
I could either get up right away and hiss at him or look extremely cute to make Mom think I have finally learned to tolerate the little creep. I opted for a mix of the two. For ten, fifteen minutes, I was cute while cursing den Dekan on the inside. I do have to admit, however, that he didn't play his part too badly. There were no stupid attempts to bite my neck or lick my ears, and no slap attacks.
Well, and Bruce - all sharks in this house are called Bruce - has been a cool dude from the very start.

When I finally decided we had had a good first meeting and needed to split to keep it believable, I gave him one short hiss and he got up and walked away, just like that.
Now if Mom weren't such an extremely suspicious woman! I guess it has to do with all those years of cats around here.

No worries, though. We can lurk for a very long time until we finally pounce.
We've got this!

P.S. I don't care much for Mom calling us The Gang now, though ...

Da Box

Have I ever told you the difference between dem Dekan and myself? It's easy. I'm the good girl and he's a bad boy. Ugh, Mom is giving me the look again. Yeah yeah, he isn't always bad, only if he's awake. Of course that has a lot to do (I hope!!) with him being such a youngster - he just turned 1 1/2, the spring chicken - and my being a lady in my best years with experiences that he's lucky not to have. I'm talking about my life in the streets of course.

I also know how to work. My task is mostly to supervise and like most cats, I am very good at that. After I finally got my own office chair which by now has been made more comfy by the addition of a soft blanket (under which I like to crawl and hide, so I can get a nap in every, now and then), I can always be close. Mean people - one mean person, to be exact - have accused me of sleeping on the job, but if you look closely, you can see my eyes being open.

Der Dekan is eager to work, only his definition of it is very different from me. It involves jumping, batting stuff off the walls, may they be pictures, magnets, or hats, knocking stuff over on the desk or knock them off the desk, trying to steal things and - that is very important to him - always having his claws out and his sharp teeth ready in case someone is trying to keep him from wreaking havoc.
His job description can't be the same that Mom has for him.

The other day there was a post on Facebook about a lady putting two boxes on the desk for the cats and Lo and Behold! The cats went in there and all was well in Facebookland.
Mom had just got a parcel with shoes and the shoebox was still around for us to play with. It fit perfectly behind the laptop, and believe it or not, it didn't take a minute and der Dekan was in there which was rather a surprise for me. We both are not as crazy about boxes as some other felines are.
Mom was delighted. Was that really the solution for him sleeping peacefully on the desk without trying to push the laptop off using the force of his, erm, delicate body and legs?

That looked good, very good. We were not sure how that big head would also fit in there, but for once it was a blessing that Mom has huge feet and wears shoes that could serve as small lifeboats. Any smaller and there wouldn't have been a chance for den Dekan to get into the box at all.

Yeah, it looked a little snug. Would it be comfortable enough for him to stay in there?
Der Dekan is no natural "loafer", meaning he very rarely likes to sit like a loaf of bread. He likes spreading out in as many directions as possible which is one reason why Mom woke up the other day to find that she was lying in bed in the wrong direction with her feet firmly on the ground instead of the pillow she uses. The pillow had been conquered by a not so small cat.

Oh. That didn't look promising. One leg was already out of the box.

And then all hell broke loose. Unfortunately I had to laugh so hard that I couldn't take over to take more photos or, even better, make a video of what happenend next.
Der Dekan pushed himself against the laptop using the whole box, then half of him kind of flopped out of the box curling around the laptop shoving things on the desk around.
Mom tried to push back which led to the use of sharp weapons on the furry side, to Mom's hectic attempts to keep the desk from being destroyed completely, and finally the immediate removal of the box.
All in all this didn't take longer than maybe one minute from the occupation of the box to its removal.

I call it an epic fail and I'm sure that Magica on the left and Ponder on the right thought the same judging from their looks.
Mom was mad - which was not okay, after all it had been one of her stupid ideas - der Dekan felt empowered and went knocking off some more stuff elsewhere.

I don't understand why I'm not being paid a hazard pay for having to live here with these two crazies!

The poacher is back

Mom has told me that there is a history of poaching in the family - if she believes her grandmother's stories about "Fanny of the Kuchalm" hiding ancestors of hers who poached in order to help bring food on the table -, but from her choice words today it didn't seem to me as if it is a tradition she would uphold herself or likes to see being upheld by others.
I'm not a poacher. I don't steal and if I hunt, it's Steiff animals - not that Mom appreciates that much - or toys.
There is an ever hungry cat in the area, though, and he won't stop at anything to feed that fat little tummy of his.

Today Mom cut up some cardboard. One of the parcels that hadn't been opened yet contained a large bag of kibbles. Imagine Mom's surprise when this is what she found.

She first saw that long cut and was actually ready to blame herself when she a. remembered that she hadn't even cut the parcel open, but tore the tape off and b. noticed the distinctive little claw marks all over.
The parcel had two holes at the sides, so you could grab it better ... or get in there with a long furry leg and try your best to open up what's inside and maybe get some of that to the outside.
Well, that did work, but unfortunately it was not food, but a few bits of the printed invoice. Mom had wondered where those bits of paper on the floor had come from, but hadn't investigated.

I tell you, my dear people, this house has turned into a house of crime and only Bast knows where this will be ending.
I want nothing to do with it. I'm not even here and you don't see me.

Mom also wants you to know that we are not affiliated with VetConcept in any way.

Hunter or thief?

I have lived in the streets. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and decided to never go back after Mom offered me a warm bed, armchairs, rugs, and blankets almost exactly five years ago. Yup, on May 23rd, we ladies celebrated the best thing that has ever happened to Mom (and I don't care if she's trying to tell me about her other gotcha stories).
Der Dekan didn't celebrate. He didn't have time for it, there are always things to do.
That's fine with me, I like my special time with Mom. She tells me how beautiful I am - true - how lucky she was to get a gorgeous girl like me - true - and she even gave me bits of cheese - don't tell anyone, I'm not really supposed to have it, but there were no bad consequences, so don't scold her. Of course she can't resist me. Who can?
Anyway, I know where I want to stay and what I want to do and don't want to do.
I don't steal, I'm sweet, I'm as loyal as I can be, and I don't steal. Oops, did I say that twice? You know where I'm getting at, do you ..... Let me tell you a story.

It was two weeks ago.
Mom was in a whiny mood because her back had gone back out some time before, and although she could already perform the important tasks around the house again - food and water for us and our litterboxes - she still walked like an 80 year old and moaned so much that it was kind of hard to nap in peace.
Suddenly I heard her laugh out, though.
Apparently, she had looked for something in her underwear drawer and found a black undershirt that she had only worn once or twice in years, so she decided that it was time to get rid of it. She put it down next to her, but when she was done and turned around, the shirt had gone.
As it's rather a rare event for shirts to go walking on their own, she immediately knew her main suspect. He was rather small, had stripes and had been a hardcore criminal since his early youth.
When she went looking for the culprit, this is what she saw ...

A feeble attempt at hiding the goods in the usual place, his "play rug".

As she followed him through the flat, still laughing, the criminal still tried to escape with the loot. Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth between the hallway and the rug - no doubt hoping for the door to freedom to open which didn't happen.

Slippery PVC is every thieving kitty's enemy, especially if both his front feet are on a shirt that makes it even worse. I really wish there were a video of this because I have to admit it made me laugh, too.
It looked to me as if this escape had not been planned very well.

In the end, the shirt ended up on the play rug from where it disappeared shortly after. Believe it or not, but it hasn't been found yet ......

Now you tell me. Is der Dekan a mighty hunter as Mom claims or is he just the little thief that I take him for?

A night at the Lonely Cat Saloon

The year was 2022. It had been quiet at the Lonely Cat Saloon, not unusual for a Thursday night. Then he walked in and I knew trouble was ahead. He was a troublemaker and had been ever since he crossed the threshold the first time. Assault, vandalism, poaching, you name it, he had done it and he never felt a shred of remorse. He could be incredibly rude, but also a ladies' man. He could wrap Mom - the owner of this sad, rundown little saloon - around his paws anytime and she was always quick to forgive him.
I don't know what had happened, but he needed a drink ... or two or more.

"Gimme another one, Miss G."

"I think you had enough. How about you pay and have a nap over in the armchair?"
"Come on, Miss G. You can see I have the money right here under my paw. Just one more."

"Sorry, but this bar is closed for you."
I took the empty glass from him just before he passed out.

I may come across tough sometimes, but I'm kindhearted. I could have got Mom to kick him out, but I let him sleep. Tomorrow he would be the same obnoxious tabby cat, no doubt, but I had seen the vulnerable kitten behind it all.

Just another night at the Lonely Cat Saloon ....