Good thing she's not a kid...

So yesterday afternoon, I was standing here at my computer (yes, I tend to stand at my computer as opposed to sitting… it’s usually on the bar counter in the kitchen, so it’s at perfect “standing” height. Just a weird habit I’ve gotten into…) and I heard a muffled thumping noise. I figured it was Echo, finding a place for a nap in the other room, so I just ignored it at first. And then I heard it again, and as I looked over toward the front door (Echo’s favorite place to sleep) I realized she was already sound asleep on the kitchen floor – no doubt in the middle of some kind of squirrel-chasing dream (it’s actually pretty funny to watch her paws flicking back and forth when she’s asleep – I think she really DOES dream about chasing squirrels).

When I heard the noise for a third time, I realized it must be Allegro. Rick recently ordered some absolutely necessary electronic doohickeys (right? Electronic doohickeys are absolutely necessary for the well-being of men everywhere…), and there were a couple empty boxes in the entryway. So now it was obvious to me what was going on – Allegro, being the curious cat she is, jumped into one of the boxes to explore. And sure enough, as soon as I walked toward the entryway, I heard a faint little “meow,” as if there were layers of cardboard and perhaps some styrofoam peanuts between my cat and the outside world.

But when I looked inside the boxes, they were empty (save for all those annoying styrofoam peanuts). I walked into the TV room and called out tentatively, “Allegro?” The tiny little meow sounded out again, but this time I realized it was coming from back in the entryway. But I’d already checked the box, and the only other thing in the entryway is a black, wooden cabinet. Uh oh. I ran to the cabinet, and there, through the glass doors, I saw a little gray feline face peeking back at me. If she hadn’t been meowing so plaintively, she almost would’ve seemed like she belonged in there.

I popped open the doors and freed my imprisoned cat, realizing immediately what had happened. About a half hour earlier, I’d been cleaning up in the kitchen, where I had a stack of books I’ve recently finished. To get them out of the way, I decided to store them in that black wooden cupboard. I had the doors opened for what seemed like ten seconds, at the most. I must’ve turned away to gather up my books, at which point Allegro bounded into the exciting world of Mysterious Dark Place, and probably curled right up in the corner for a while. I have to assume she was completely content in there – until she realized there was no way to get out.

Usually I’m better about paying attention to those kinds of things – after years of owning a cat (or does my cat own ME?) I’ve learned that any open door, cupboard, drawer or cabinet is fair game. She has accidentally been trapped in the pantry, the closet, a dresser drawer filled with sweaters (she probably thought it was a bed), and kitchen cabinets. So I’ve gotten into the habit of never leaving the pantry door open, searching the closet before I close it, and opening dresser drawers and kitchen cabinets just long enough to remove whatever items I need. So my lapse of attention was unusual – I guess I don’t open that black cabinet very often…

Rick thought the whole thing sounded hilarious and wondered if I’d taken a picture. And to be honest, I thought about it AFTER I’d let her out – I should’ve just run for the camera and taken one little picture of the cat face pressed up against the glass. A few more seconds in the cabinet wouldn’t have hurt her. Oh well. Next time… :)