You Locked Me in the Pantry!
As I have mentioned in a previous article, my favorite breed of cat is the Abyssinian. I will never be without one no matter how long I live. My Aby right now is a ruddy, my favorite color. I bought him from a breeder in Pennsylvania. In 2023 we lost the Aby we had had for 12 years, Semer, at the age of twelve. It didn't take long before we were on the hunt for another Aby. We have not been without one for 40 years.
I just happened to be on Facebook on one of the Aby groups and saw one of the members had just had a litter of kittens, and I sprang into action! She showed me the babies, and even though they were so very little, I instantly saw the one I wanted. I picked him out, and she kept track of which one was mine!
Once he was ready to come to a new home, I had to hire a pet courier because I couldn't get to Pennsylvania. The courier met the breeder at a cat show and picked him up there, where he had just won 2nd best kitten! From there she took him through the airport in Pennsylvania to Kansas City, and she met us at a hotel at the airport. He was such a good traveler. The courier told me she had never transported such a courageous kitten. We kept him in the hotel room that night and brought him home the next morning and he met the cats we already had, a red tabby named Tiguan, and a Longhair Oriental named Baby.
He took it all in stride. Nothing seemed to faze him. As I contemplated his name, I thought about Alexander the Great, and how he was a great explorer, warrior and conqueror, and I decided that Alexander was the name. And he definitely conquerors EVERYTHING he finds!
He is definitely a mischief maker. There isn't anything that he won't get into. He helps me make biscuits and pancakes. He gets into the flour and sugar canisters. Any crinkling of plastic bags brings him running to see what is happening. Open the fridge ... ALEXANDER! Open my bedroom closet ... ALEXANDER! Open a kitchen cabinet ... ALEXANDER! Brush my teeth ... ALEXANDER! He has definitely lived up to his name as a great explorer!
But, last night, unfortunately, Alexander got into the pantry; I didn't see it, and he spent the night in there. I decided I wanted a cookie right before I went to bed, and I opened the door just long enough to grab a cookie ... but, apparently, not fast enough to stop Alexander from sneaking in.
The next morning, I wake up, and Baby climbs on my shoulders and starts purring and rubbing his head on my face. Go to the bathroom, and into the kitchen, Baby still on my shoulders. The first thing I do every morning is feed the cats. So, completely unaware of what had happened last night, I calmly opened the pantry door and EXPLOSION!
Alexandar came FLYING out right at face level, and pantry items were flying everywhere! It was a complete avalanche! Cans of cat food. Boxes of cookies. A bag of flour, demolished. Aluminum foil, crushed. A bag of sugar, on the floor. A jug of vinegar ... emptied. Just about everything in there came flying out with him!
Well, my first action was to make sure he was OK! Thankfully, he didn't suffer any damage except maybe to his ego. He was dusted with flour and sugar, and I brushed him really well and made sure he was doing well, and then I went ahead and fed everyone. I am thankful he wasn't hurt.
BUT ... WHAT A MESS! It took 45 minutes to clean it all up!
My newest design is based upon this latest mishap. You locked me in the pantry! Grab the design HERE: https://pawtee.shop/collections/cat-fun/products/you-locked-me-in-the-pantry