SHOCKING!
My husband and I had just arrived home from grocery shopping—not exactly the most exciting activity in the world, but we had enjoyed ourselves.
We were unpacking the groceries when the fridge and every other appliance suddenly lost power.
My husband went downstairs to check the electrical box while I finished unpacking.
About ten minutes later, he still hadn’t returned, so I went to see what was happening.
He was still trying to identify the problem. He gave me a grin as he flicked the switch in the electrical box.
BANG!
There was an enormous noise, and my husband was thrown about five metres across the yard.
I rushed over to make sure he was okay.
“I think I just received an electric shock,” he said groggily.
We called the electricity provider, and they told us to get him to hospital immediately.
When I returned home, I noticed that the power point in the hallway was wet.
Why was it wet?
A closer inspection revealed that it was soaked. One of our cats, Ginger Pop, had urinated directly into it!
If he was trying to kill my husband, he had chosen one heck of a way to do it.
THE TREE EPISODE
Years ago, I took my dog Kippa and one of our cats, Sherlock, for a walk.
Sherlock was the kind of cat who thought he was a dog.
It was a wet day and no one else was around, so I let them off their leads in a secure, enclosed area.
They ran around, sniffing and investigating everything. Suddenly, Sherlock remembered that he was a cat.
He saw a tree and, for the first time in his six years, climbed it.
I was so proud of him for finally figuring out how to behave like a cat.
Then things began to get a little worrying.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
Oh dear—Sherlock was stuck in the tree.
I began to panic and put Kippa safely back in the car. Then I tried to climb the tree myself.
No luck.
By this point, poor Sherlock was becoming frantic.
Without thinking it through, I drove the car over to the tree and climbed onto its roof.
There I was, half standing on the car and half hanging from the tree in the pouring rain.
Eventually, I climbed high enough for Sherlock to scramble down over me—digging his claws into me all the way, of course!
Finally, with everyone safely back inside the car, I took a deep breath.
The cat was traumatised, and the dog looked at both of us as though we were completely mad.
THE NUDIE RUN
This story is my favourite.
One night, I was woken at 1 am by the sound of the garage door opening.
Terrified, I woke my husband and sent him to investigate.
He was dazed and half asleep, but off he went.
A short time later, he returned and reported that no one was there. However, Sherlock had somehow escaped and was running through the street.
This began happening every night.
The garage door would open, my husband would investigate, find no intruder and then chase the cat down the street.
There was only one problem.
Because my husband was half asleep, he didn’t realise he was chasing Sherlock down the street completely naked!
Eventually, we solved the mystery.
Sherlock was jumping into the car, pressing the garage-door remote and using it to let himself out of the house.
Needless to say, we keep the car windows closed now.
It was either that or wait for my husband to be arrested for indecent exposure!
If you have funny stories of your own—or a cat who needs help—remember that we are qualified cat behaviour consultants who can help with the issues you are experiencing.
Visit our Cat Behaviour page for more information.
We don’t solve naked-husband problems, though!
Dogaholics Dog Training and Behaviour Services
Dogaholics is a dog training and behaviour service located in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area of NSW.
