Ellie New Cat is a good guard cat

[thistlechaser]

Very rarely, I'm sorry I live alone. I was sitting at my desk when a section of the blinds covering the window next to me moved. The window was closed and locked. Only a section moved (maybe a quarter of the blinds). Ellie wasn't in the room. What the hell made the blinds move?

A draft? I had just checked the weather.com page not long before, there was next to no wind. Plus why would that make just a small section move?

I called for Ellie. What would a small cat do against monsters ghosts nocturnal rabid squirrels? Not much, but I wanted to see if she picked up on anything being there. It was at this point I noticed she really does come when I call. (Good cat!)

She was calm and even went near the window on her own and didn't have any odd reactions. I still have no idea what made the blinds move (and I half-expect something to be under my desk right now, about to grab me with cold, dead hands or sink its teeth into my leg). The only slightly logical thing I can think is that the blinds (they're the vertical kind) were crooked and gravity finally kicked in and righted them. But I didn't see them crooked before this...

If I stop posting, it means some creature really did somehow get in through the locked window.

Kidding!

Maybe.

Comments

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Good Ellie. My Sam would have been cowering. He hugs my neck and buries his head under my chin when things get too scary.

Ghosts are scared of cats, so you should be fine!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I still have no idea what caused it, but I made it through the night, so yay! Darned whatever it was was probably scared of Ellie.

Oddly, she's not afraid of much. (Or rather, she doesn't run from things she's scared of.) When a dog comes to the window, she puffs up and growls, but doesn't leave.

Sam knows exactly who will protect him! :D

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

It's nearly Hallowe'en...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha that thought did strike me after I posted this!

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Man, that would freak me out, even knowing most things have a logical explanation. Maybe the cord just slipped a bit for whatever reason.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Same. Things shouldn't move for no reason! If the whole thing had moved, that would be one thing. But this was just a small section, like when my cat passes through them...

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Sure she didn't, or were you looking directly at the screen? I know my cat can move from one room to the next in about 0.2 seconds without making a sound, like a shadow. I'd swear he's in one place, and then it turns out he's downstairs, like he'd beamed himself - lol.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure! She was sleeping in the bedroom when this happened.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Huh, that really is strange. I don't know if ghosts exist, but I think I'd be sleeping with the lights on...just in case. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I had a very hard time walking through my dark apartment, yes. I kept picturing all the horrible things that could be waiting in the shadows! Haha.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Happens to me whenever I watch an episode of "Ghost Hunters" late at night. *gg*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I had watched a "what if..." show about finding life on another planet. They created a whole bunch of potential aliens. I swear, I saw every one hiding in the shadows of my apartment!

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I get totally weirded out by that kind of thing too. To this day, I still pull my feet up very quickly when I get into bed, so that monsters hiding underneath can't grab my ankles. Still, I can't stop watching spooky stuff. *rolls eyes at self*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yes! It's embarrassing, but I still do that too. I know there's nothing under my bed (except an extra blanket and some dust), but still! I know something is under there, just waiting to grab my foot.

It used to bother me more, but then I started thinking about it. Why do we all have that fear? It must be evolution -- there was a time when things really were waiting just out of sight, ready to eat us. So now we're wary of spaces that might have something dangerous in them...

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

What's weird with my bed is that it's a trundle bed. You know, one with a bed-sized drawer underneath that holds an extra mattress? I think they're called that. So any monster would have to be the shape of a flounder - lol! Still, I do it. And cover up my feet so nothing lurking in the dark can grab my toes.

It must be evolution -- there was a time when things really were waiting just out of sight, ready to eat us. So now we're wary of spaces that might have something dangerous in them...

Yes, I've thought that too, actually. Same as many people's fear of things like snakes or spiders; it's probably programmed into our genes that this could be dangerous.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ha! Flat monsters could be dangerous, too!

It makes me feel a little better, knowing this could be in our genes. Less "Lord, I'm being stupid!" and more "Well I can't help it and this kept my ancestors safe and it would keep me safer if there really is a monster".

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

True - lol.

Yeah, I think many fears we have are in our genes, and instinct usually defies logic, it's just there.

My cat is often no help at all, by the way. I think he'd stare at a fly on the wall with the same expression he'd have watching an axe-murderer approach my bed. I especially like (NOT) when he bolts up in bed next to me at night, tense and staring into the dark hallway. Probably because he heard some little sound, but I'm thinking..."Gawd! What's out there?"

[teslanomaly]

about to grab me with cold dead hands...

Augh. Aaaaugh! Um, so, yeah. Please post this morning and let us know you're still alive and sentient and not under the control of an alien intelligence. (Everyone knows alien intelligences can't use LJ.)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Axdr Tssht Ukess Hhth

*cough*

I made it through the night! Or do I only think I did?

I still don't know what caused the movement though...

[teslanomaly]

I am fond of the idea that people who were benevolent or loved us in life do not become creepy haunty evil poltergeists after death. (I'm not entirely sure I believe in ghosts, but I can't disprove their existence scientifically, so I'm not sure I disbelieve in them either!)

Perhaps someone fond of you, or just curious about what you were doing, was looking in!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Dear peeping tom ghosts: Please stop that. :|

And mostly agreed: If there were some kind of scientific proof that ghosts existed, I'd believe in them. I'm open to proof being found, though until that happens, I don't think I can believe in them. Unless it's dark and late at night and something moves on its own...

[teslanomaly]

HA HA YES, I completely believe in ghosts then. XD

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

If you ever need a ridiculously over-paranoid creature to keep a very loud eye on things, you should borrow Charlie for a while. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha Charlie would be perfect! I think 'loud' would scare away anything that could somehow pass through a closed window!

...and man, this whole post is making me sound like I really believe in ghosts or something. I don't! At least in the light of day. :P

[spike7451.livejournal.com]

What a big brave girl Ellie is. :)

*pets* her.

I'm sure it was gravity. Or monsters, ghosts, nocturnal rabid squirrels. LOL!!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha not helping! :D

And yes, Ellie is great. She's a good little guard kitty.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Could've been a minor tremor. You do live in California. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Good thought! I should have checked that. Though I wonder if the earthquake site is down now, with the shutown... *checks* Yep, it is.

[socksofjello.livejournal.com]

The house we live in is old, and some of the doors can be difficult to close; you need to keep pulling until you hear a 'click', otherwise it's just being held shut by whatever faults in the frame are making it difficult to close to begin with. This means that sometimes, if a door hasn't been shut properly, it'll pop open at any change of air pressure nearby. Since I'm effectively nocturnal at the moment it's slightly startling.

Slightly.

Theoretically your problem could also be attributed to changes in air pressure (possibly by folks in other apartments?) or by a draft, however unlikely that might be. A minor earthquake sounds just as plausible.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha wow, I could see how that would be just a little surprising!

Since I still don't know what's caused it, I'm going to go with minor quake. I keep watching the blinds though! Making sure they're straight and not ready to move on their own again. Nothing worse than untrustworthy blinds!

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

I find the fact that Ellie came when you called her - to protect you - ridiculously touching.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? Especially knowing that two years ago she was a terrified stray cat. She ran from me, she lived in terror of my feet, she didn't want me to touch her at all. She's come so far! I'm so proud of her and happy that she must be a much happier cat now. I'm so lucky to have her.

[donnaimmaculata.livejournal.com]

I know! That's what I thought, too. I remember how scared and unhappy she was back then, and I'm so glad it worked out for you two.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Me too. So very much. :D