This morning I met a friend for coffee. I got my bike together and out the door. I was riding down the road when I realized I’d left my bike lock behind. I turned around and went back to get it.
I left my bike parked on the downstairs patio of my apartment complex, since I just meant to run up and get it and run back down. Vélo had other plans for me.
I unlocked and opened the door, and he was out for the races! And he was winning!
Damn he was fast. I chased him and kept calling him, but he didn’t stop.
I wanted to catch him before he got to the stairway at the end of the long porch. There is a gate downstairs, but also a lot of places he could hide. And he could have gone beneath the patio, which would have been less than fun to deal with.
I chased him down the patio, calling his name, and trying not to be too loud because it was only about 8:00 a.m. He sort of paused and looked over his shoulder, but continued on his sprint to freedom.
He finally reached the end of the patio where the stairway is, but he chose the stairway going up instead of down. Whew!
I gathered him up. I switched to grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and saying, “No, no, no!!” I batted his face a few times.
I got him back inside, put him by the door, and I sprayed his face with the water bottle. He ran away.
He has been curious about the door, but mostly he’s stayed back.
He did get out two other times. The first was soon after I got him, and he caught me by surprise. The other time was when my neighbor came up to ask me to be quieter and the door was standing open. That first time he stopped more quickly, and the second he didn’t make it so far.
Since bringing him back in this morning, he hasn’t been too curious about the door. I’ve had the window open, and he’s been content to be there.
He scared me this morning. He is microchipped, but I live on a very busy road. I don’t want him out.
I may keep the spray bottle by the door for awhile and give a precautionary squirt when I come back from places for a while…
Damn cat… I thought I had adopted a kitten, not a cheetah cub!