Nor was that the only weird thing the cat did. Normally she was the prototype definition of a “scaredy cat”. In our BC (before children) days we left Idaho to visit Grandma Oddball’s grandmother in Minnesota. Traveling through Canada we took the cat along too. Of course we had to camp out along the way (we couldn’t afford to stay in a motel) which was an interesting experience with a cat. I remember one campground in particular. We pitched our tent not more than 10 feet from a high voltage transmission tower. As circumstances developed a terrific thunder storm passed over us that night with repeated bolts of lightening striking that transmission tower for well over an hour.

The thunder cracks were deafening while the lightening lit up the tent both inside and out beyond daylight. You have never seen true fear unless you watch our cat on that occasion. We lost a perfectly good air mattress before my wife gathered her in.

All this experience made it all the more unusual when we moved near a neighbor which had a Saint Bernard and watched the effect on our cat. This Saint Bernard was huge. We used to joke that the spare shed was actually the doghouse (but maybe it was no joke). Anyways the cat being her usual terrified self avoided contact with all other animals including (and especially) dogs until one days she was cornered by the Saint Bernard and had no choice but to express her displeasure by the usual hissing with claws bared.

This action puzzled the Saint Bernard no end. He was a big friendly dog that was merely curious about a small furry animal. When the cat struck out with her claws and hit the dogs nose the Saint Bernard quickly retreated. This gave the cat delusions of grandeur and she chased that dog up the road all the way home! I have to admit it was a funny sight.

For the next week that cat strutted about as the queen of her domain. Actively seeking out the Saint Bernard she intimidated that dog at every opportunity. Fortunately for all concerned something happened (I don’t know exactly what) after about a week to restore some sanity to the cat.

We were cat free once but that didn’t last long. Actually I think it’s a grand conspiracy on the part of my family to foist cats on me. When in high school our daughter started bringing up the subject of providing a home for a stray cat she found appealing and I put my foot down and exerted my parental authority in no uncertain terms.

“NO”, I told her, “absolutely not”. We will not have another cat to torment me. Besides my allergies wouldn’t permit it. A few days later I had some work to do in our basement when I was confronted by a small, gray short haired cat.

“What,” I wanted to know, “is this cat doing here.”

“See,” our daughter replied, “she’s been in the house for two days and you didn’t even know she was here.”

And with the active contrivance of Grandma Oddball that was that. We now had another cat who soon took over not just the basement but the whole house!

Oh well, those cats are all long gone now but it seems that I’ll never rid myself of the cat plague. Recently my sister had some work done on her place and stayed with us while the work was being done. Of course she brought her cat along. My question is,

Will it ever end?

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