Evel Sally
I recently wrote an essay that noted that we seldom have the opportunity of seeing cats' full potential as athletes. It's normally displayed out of necessity; otherwise, cats are content to lounge around licking themselves and thinking superior thoughts.
Sally, a lean female calico cat about five years old recently changed my opinion.
Sally is basically an indoor cat who occasionally demands to go outside to terrorize stray cats. I don't know what gave her the impression that she was “bad” and sometimes gets her skinny butt chased back into the safety of “her” house.
Most of her time is spent indoors where she is well-fed, tries to avoid more aggressive cats, keep an eye on me, and spend plenty of time looking out the windows, and cuddling up to Linda. (Gee, that sounds a lot like my life.)
Sally will at times run full speed from one end of the house to the other jumping on and over furniture and then repeat the process.
I've always looked at this as physical maintenance. Cats need to keep their bodies in top shape in case they suddenly need all of their physical facilities to survive.
The other day I watched her jump from the floor to the top of my walker which I keep close by my easy chair. The top of the walker is just a pipe just about one inch in diameter. I began to be a little concerned for her safety. Then she moved a little higher to one of the hand rests. She now had my full attention. “What the heck are you doing?”
She measured the distance to small nearby chair---about four and a half feet---a couple of times and then jumping over my raised feet, landed with a thump, safe and sound.
There had to be a half dozen simpler ways of reaching her goal, but, no, this was the equivalent of a stunt car driver jumping a series of cars---without rhyme or reason---just because she can. Holy moly!
On the same day, she jumped atop the dining room table, measured the distance and landed on the top of a wooden dining room chair, measured the distance and landed on the flexible backrest of my wheelchair, balance there a moment and then lowered herself to the seat of the chair where she reclined for a moment. I'll be damned: more recreational cat activity---the equivalent of sky diving for cats.
The only reason I can think of for Sally to suddenly turn into Evel Knievel is boredom.
Holy cow! We learn something new everyday: cats get bored and when bored enough, they invent dangerous activities which make them concentrate mightily, relieve boredom, and get all of my attention.
enough