THE SPARKY REPORT #29

A DAY IN THE LIFE

It's been a few weeks since Sparky has had a blog all to herself, so I thought I'd tell you what she's been up to lately. Let's just say she's been her usual into-everything self! I'm going to name this post "A Day in the Life" because it is a sample of what Sparky did today. The first thing she did was to leap from my desk to the top of the front door. That's her, above, enjoying being king of the mountain while I race around below her with a pillow in case she falls.

Next, Sparky got into the garbage. I had emptied all my paper trash into a large plastic bag, and Sparky just couldn't resist. I let her rummage around in that bag for well over an hour. Sparky just loves dark, mysterious places.

A while later, I discovered Sparky asleep in my wastepaper basket under my desk. Despite the white liner bag, it's dark under my desk, and my wastepaper basket is one of Sparky's favorite nap places. She doesn't mind when I toss tissues or wadded up paper on top of her, not realizing she's in there.

After her nap, Sparky likes to get right in my face. Literally. It usually entails her sitting on whatever project I'm working on, and then getting her face just inches from mine and tilting her head, like below.

After staring at me and preventing me from working by sitting on my work, she decides to be helpful. Here she is batting around a pen on top of a box of envelopes.

After she stole my pen, I left my desk to find another, and when I returned, I saw something hanging out the back of my recliner. The recliner has a flap at the back and Sparky loves to get up inside there and goose me by sticking her arms through the bottom and scaring the daylights out of me. So anyway, I inspected that flap and discovered Sparky has been stashing her toys there. I pulled out the following items: computer cord, bungee cord, a Sharpie pen, a piece of sandpaper, a pickle jar label she'd stolen from the trash, and the dogs' tug-of-war rope.

Don't think the above is all Sparky can manage in one day. There were a few things I didn't get pictures of, like the flat of seedling starts she knocked off the kitchen counter (dirt everywhere, and all my baby seedlings scattered), and in that same vein she tipped over a bucket of potting soil and flung dirt all over the kitchen; breaking my hairdryer by pushing it from the bathroom counter; using me as a trampoline during her daily roaring all over the house; and stealing one of my socks and leaving it in her litter box. I can hardly wait to find out what she does tomorrow!

Comments

[Donna]

This may be the best Sparky report yet! I actually did laugh out loud at her recliner antics, and am still chuckling! I wouldn't have worried about her falling off of the top of the door if it were either of my two, but I *would* have worried about her tearing down those beautiful curtains either on her way up or down. What makes me say this you ask? One of mine (I didn't actually catch the culprit in the act - I just heard the crash) tore down a 12' custom vertical blind by jumping on the top of it!

[Louisa Cornell]

Miss Sparky's day makes me tired. Thank goodness for the naps! I had to laugh at her recliner hideaway. She is quite the pack rat isn't she? When I owned ferrets I had to hide my car keys because if Mischief or Sorcha spotted them they were quickly secreted away inside to couch or behind a bookcase.

[HJ]

I LOVE Sparky! She sounds more tiring than a toddler -- you must long for her naps. A black bag full of paper would be like catmint to her. I'm sorry about your hairdryer and the seedlings, but you'll learn eventually that all flat surfaces are Sparky territory, and should be kept obstacle-free or she won't answer for the consequences.

[Vicki]

I learned that cats don't mind jumping/falling down and don't get hurt when I was fostering a 2 month old kitten. We had taken her and her 2 siblings from her feral mother and I didn't have enough cat carriers to put each kitten in individually. So one went in my shower with sliding glass doors. She would stay put since everything is slick, right?

Well...she earned the name Houdini because NOTHING kept her where she belonged. She quickly learned how to get out of the shower and would meet me at the bathroom door. The first time was quite a surprise.

Luckily she was the easiest to socialize and never did anything to me at those surprise moments!

[Laura]

Donna, you would qualify as a Sparky owner. Your two cats could probably show Sparky a thing or two! And boy, do I ever hear you about crashes. Any time I hear a crash in my house, I know Sparky is the culprit.

[Laura]

Louisa, I've heard that ferrets are packrats. And how appropriate that one of them was named Mischief! That should be Sparky's middle name. I'll just bet you spent many a frantic moment searching for your car keys!

[Laura]

P.S. Forgot to comment on the lace curtains. When I first put them up, they drew Sparky like a magnet. So did the pulley strings for the mini-blinds. Now she leaves them totally alone, because I sprayed them with Bitter Apple. *g*

[Laura]

HJ, I have a very healthy respect for mothers after raising Sparky. She is indeed like a toddler--into everything, no concept of danger, and the minute you turn your back, she disappears. You have no idea how many times I've searched the house for Sparky, fearful she sneaked outside. She lets me get to the frantic stage before having mercy on me. After I've spent a fruitless 15 minutes searching the house and calling her name, I turn around and see her strolling toward me from a room I had just searched.

[Laura]

Vicki, it never ceases to amaze me how clever cats are at escaping. Your little Houdini cat is a prime example. I often wish I had a means of recording Sparky's escape attempts. Like your Houdini cat, I'm sure I'd be just as surprised as you were!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Sherrie--

Is it possible to get insurance for the damage Sparky does, or does it fit general heading of "CATastrophic?"

[Donna]

I love Bitter Apple! Unfortunately, I'm afraid my boys are actually developing a taste for it!?!

[Laura]

ROFLOL, Mary Jo. Love the CATastrophic. As I write this, Sparky is once again atop the front door. This time, she is trying to push the screen door open so she can go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Thankfully, I have a good latch on the door.

Oops! She just slipped while trying to jump off the door to my desk! (the desk is just a few inches from the door) It was actually quite funny, because as she jumped, the thrust of her hind legs pushed the door almost closed, and instead of a graceful arc to the desk, she went straight down with all four legs still extended, as if she were in the middle of a tremendous leap. She landed safely on the desk, but then fell backwards to the floor because she'd landed too close to the edge of the desk. Never a dull moment with a mischievous adolescent cat in the house!

[Faith Freewoman]

Gotta agree, this is my favorite so far of this Sagas of Sparky.

I used to live with litter mates, boy and girl named Sasquatch and Yeti (get it? Bigfoot? Extra thumbs?). Even together those two rascals weren't as funny as your smart, ingenious, busy-butt kitty.

Started my day with a laugh, as usual. Thank you, Sherrie!

[Laura]

Faith, I loved your Sasquatch and Yeti names! So appropriate for cats with extra toes. In that same vein, I once had a polydactyl cat I named Pussyfoot

I'm so glad Sparky's antics started off your day with a laugh. She does that for me, too. And equally as often, I start off my day with a sigh of exasperation when she's gotten into some mischief! *g*

[Laura]

Donna, I just realized you'd made a rerply re Bitter Apple that I missed earlier. God forbid that Sparky should develop a taste for it as your two have! So far, it seems to be working, though there are some things I can't spray it on, like the paper in my new printer. Unlike my now dead other printer, this one has a gravity feed for the paper, meaning it's propped upright and feeds from the back. With the papaer in plain sight, it's far too tempting for sharp little cat teeth. *g*