A Cat Shaped Hole In A Snowbank

I haven't mentioned this yet, but back in January I ended up adopting two kittens, both about nine months old. One is gray with a little bit of while on his belly and named Popper, while the other is a muted calico (a way of describing a cat's coloring I did not know until I took her to the vet) named Gizmo.

In the couple months I've had them they've both gotten their shots and been fixed, so I don't need to worry about kittens suddenly filling up my small apartment (whew!). It has been an adjustment though. I was used to living alone and not having to worry about anyone but myself. It was lonely, but at the same time I've lived with other people so it was nice for the last couple years to have a place to myself.

Now I'd been thinking about adopting a cat for awhile now, because as I said it was lonely but not lonely enough that I wanted to find a roommate any time soon. So when a friend of mine mentioned that his brother in law had two kittens that needed a home, I ended up meeting the two little buggers and falling in love with them on the spot.

So, what does all of this have to do with a cat shaped hole in a snowbank? Well, it seems that Popper, the male of the two, decided that the box-spring on my bed was a great place to burrow into and make a nest. I'd been finding fluff from something around the apartment for the last few days, and then yesterday I caught the bugger hiding in the box-spring, the one that he had torn large holes into and basically shredded the underside.

Oh boy, was I mad at this point. I know, it's instinctual behavior, it's not his fault, yadda, yadda, yadda. Still, anyone's first instinct upon seeing the damage would be anger. At that point Popper was lucking I'm a few floors up, otherwise there would have been a cat shape hole in a snowbank.

Thankfully it was on Saturday I discovered this, so I had a chance to go to kendo class and wear down my anger, so that when I returned that night I wasn't still fuming. I did pick up a few things on the way home from kendo. First, I purchased this "No Stay" spray that's supposed to have a scent that will keep cats away from things. It's the second such product I've tried with these two, and after I sprayed it under the bed Popper went over and took a big sniff and then basically shrugged his kitty shoulders. Later I found him under the bed again. So that was a bust.

The other thing I purchased were these double-sided sticky strips. I bought them to use on my kitchen sink cabinet, as both cats love to open that one and the cabinet in the bathroom. I don't want them getting into any of the chemicals stored there, and the constant sound of them banging open the cupboards was getting annoying. So far that seems to have worked like a charm, so I decided to use a line of strips around the bed to see if that will keep the little bugger from going under.

Why am I so concerned about him getting into the box-spring? Well, I don't know all that's under there and if it could be harmful if ingested, especially since some of what I'd been finding was obviously foam and not just the felt that had been torn. I don't want to end up taking either of them to the vet. Also, dang it, I don't want my stuff destroyed any more than it has already been.

My mother suggested something as well. I should get them a covered cat bed, since obviously Popper at the very least feels the need to have something over top of him. I guess I'll have to look into it.

Cats. They're a pain in the but sometimes, then they curl up in your lap and fall asleep and you end up forgiving them.