 Here in this human's house, I have all that I could possibly want except for the taste of fresh bird meat. All my needs are looked after, food continually at my disposal with an occasional can of slop opened up for me. A poop deck that is refreshed every day. Fresh water every day. Any nook and cranny I want to choose to lie in, except for The Master's bedroom since he has allergies. Windows on all sides of the house to station myself at and supervise what's going on in the world. What possibly more could I yearn for?
Oh, I know! Being allowed to go outside! Yeh, that's it. Come on, come on, come on, let me out again, please! What? No? I'm safer and will live longer if I stay inside? Yeh, I heard that crap. Meowwwww. I still want to be outdoors. You know the saying. So many chipmunks, so little time. The cat enclosure downstairs made of chicken wire (hey, you forgot to leave a chicken or two in there when you were finished) was a nice touch. But it is under the deck and I can't feel the blue (or gray) sky over my head. The Master made a tunnel going out to the end of the deck and that was nice but there's only room for one cat at a time and if you want to go through that tunnel when some other cat is at the end of it... Forget it! So, I decided to sit in front of Mrs. Master and bug her. If I can't have unlimited outdoor space, I'll take up her space. Yeh, right there in front of her keyboard and that bright screen that she's always looking at. When the window is open right beside her, that's pretty nice. I sit there a lot of the time looking out and smelling the air, you know. But when it has to be closed because of rain or cold, then I'm shut out again. So, I make sure to sit twice as much in her way as I can.
"Hmmm, let me see," The Master replied. And he abruptly went about searching the Internet for said item. Within moments he came upon that which he sought. "Well, if we've got $200 plus $40 shipping to spend we could get one." "Ouch," she replied, "guess that's the end of that." Not necessarily so. She should have known The Master better than that by now. His little brain got to clicking and whirling and, sure enough, he came up with an idea. Off he went to the local Lowe's, after measuring a few things on the window, and within half an hour he was back with his solution.
"Yes, dear," Mrs. Master said, "I know you'll come up with the perfect setup." And she let him go about his way fixing up his latest project. The project didn't take too long to do. He screwed the L-shaped supports into the siding outside. Then he screwed a plywood base to the supports. He wrestled with getting the screen out only to have to call Mrs. Master to figure it out for him, which she promptly did. He put a non-slip pad on top the base. He placed the aquarium on the pad and tied sturdy clothesline around it twice to hold it on. He put the screen back in, this time not needing help. and cut around the opening of the aquarium so there would be a large enough hole for Moi to go through. He taped the leftover edges of the screen to the inside of the aquarium and, voila, it was done! When colder weather comes, he says he'll make a plexiglass barrier to keep the cold air out. I believe him, he seems to know what he's doing. I've watched him do these things before and they always turn out great. Mrs. Master put a comfy pillow in the aquarium and it wasn't long before me and my cohorts found the new digs. Man, I'll tell ya, it's the best snoozing place I've ever had. Thanks, Master. I feel like I'm outside. The glass is very clear and I can see the sky overhead. I've got a cat's eye view of the birds in the tree and on the feeder, too. Gee, I don't know what I can do to repay him. Oh, I know. Stay out of the way of Mrs. Master's keyboard. Well, I can't promise but I do know I won't be in front of it for as long as I used to.  |
Well, she got a little worried about what with winter coming and all. So, she got to thinking how I like to sit on the windowsill. Yeh, she noticed. Smart lady. And when the window is open I sit in the window most the time and let her see unobstructed what she's doing on her computer. One day, she mused to The Master about what was she going to do when winter came and the window would have to be shut. "If only, we could afford one of those window extenders for cats you see in magazines."
"First, I was looking for a clear plastic box to put out there and couldn't find one. Then I thought of the hassle to seal up properly anything I made so it wouldn't leak and let rain or cold air in. Not finding what I was looking for, I came upon an aquarium. Ah, ha, I said. An aquarium. Already sealed. Already made. So, I bought some L-shaped brackets, too, and brought it all home." The Master proudly displayed his collection.