LISTEN to the Chapter

If you’ve noticed by now, I’ve discussed many of the additions that have come into my life throughout these past chapters, so let me tell you about the next one…

One beautiful springtime weekend, I was home in Pennsylvania with Tom and Sandee while Andrea was traveling, and Tom started to remove my basement door.  Umm, excuse me Tom… that’s MY door, what are you doing?  You must understand, my basement door is the entry to my Kitty Cave.  It’s my place of solitude, where I eat, drink, and use the facilities. The door is always cracked open for me so I can come and go as I please. I need that door.

So there he was, removing my door.  The next thing I know, he cut a hole, a BIG hole, in the bottom of my door.  ---In case that didn’t sink in, there’s now a HOLE in my door.  They put this swinging window thing in the hole and then put my door back on the hinges.  Then they just stood there staring at me, “Go ahead Vanny, go through the door”.  Are you kidding me?  What is this, self-service? I always get valet service.  I tried to explain to them, “Guys, you know how this works. I go to the door, I meow, and then you open my door.  We have a good thing going here, why does it have to change?”

Now, they…expect me…to push the flap open and crawl through the door? I understand this whole self-service economy concept that’s sweeping the nation, but this had gone too far.  Enough was enough.  This was just inconvenient and annoying.

So after 20 minutes of this staring standoff, Sandee grabs the treat jar. She knows I’m a sucker for the contents of that jar. “Don’t do it Sandee, c’mon man.”  She goes on the other side of the door, closes the door and I hear “Come through the door Vanny, come get a treat”.  Now I’ve done a lot of things for this family, but I had to draw the line here.  I would NOT be using this new door.

30 seconds later: Ok, who am I kidding; of course I walked through and got the treat.  Any cat would. The temptation was too great.  I guess, just like the collar and the bath, this would be another part of my life I would just have to accept.

P.S. I still go to the door and request valet service some days…and they give it to me.  So the question is: Who’s trained who now? 

Chapter 12:  The Cat Door; Self-Service Gone Too Far