8 Down and Counting, And One Near Heart Attack

Casualties

I guess I should be grateful that none have broken.  It's the flying leaps into the tree from the cat stand that do it...

And then there was last night's escape.  A few years ago I had the lower deck screened in so the cats could go out and still be safe.  The screening is in frames so I can take them out to repair/replace.  Last night I let Scooter and Perry out, left the door ajar so they could come back in when they wanted, and didn't think about it for a while.  Have I mentioned that Scooter likes to climb?

The shower curtain, the furniture, any available leg... Apparently he climbed the screening up to the gap above the frame.  Except for my having to chase a chipmunk and a wren out of the library, and Perry bringing a robin up and depositing it in my chair, that gap has never been a problem before.  None of the other cats have ever thought to climb it.  But Scooter did, and after a while I realized that the house was way too quiet.  I searched and searched, and then had the scary realization that he had to be outside.  It was dark and it was cold and he hasn't been outside since Murphy's Law brought him.  And there are foxes and cars and things that aren't good for a kitten out there.  So I'm roaming all around the property in a panic, calling and calling.  Finally he popped out from under the back porch, but the excitement and the new smells and the outdoor cats arriving to investigate made him all squirrely, and it took forever to get hold of him and cart his squirming butt back in.  Where I contemplated whether I wanted to cuddle him or throttle him for giving me such a scare.

But I'm awful cute, ain't I?