Good luck, random Freecycle person... | Ellie Escape Artist

[thistlechaser]

Even though everything's packed so I have nothing left to give away, and I don't really want anyone's secondhand stuff, I still subscribe to Freecycle's mailing list just to see the interesting stuff people are offering/hoping to get. This morning had an offering posting that made me laugh:

California king mattress
20 years old, handles on side to flip.
You will need to carry it. We cannot help.

Good luck with someone wanting that...

---

I had such a worrying thing happen. For the first time since I adopted her, Ellie escaped my apartment. Usually I'm very careful when I open the door, but I had been on the phone and there was a knock at the door, so instead of hanging up and dealing with it, I told my mother to hold on a sec. It was an annoying Comcast person (they pretend to check how your service is, but really just want to try to upsell to you). If I hadn't been on the phone, I could have dealt with him easier, but with my attention divided between the two, I couldn't get rid of him. Standing there talking with the door open, Ellie just ran out. (The Comcast guy was actually the one who saw her escape.)

She took off, but luckily someone was walking their dog towards us, and the dog went crazy snarling and growling and snapping. She flattened herself against the walkway/sidewalk, and so I was able to grab her.

The Comcast guy apologized a lot, but I was still pissed off about it, and really really worried. Now that she's been out once, she seems to be eyeing the door a lot more.

Silly, silly Ellie, I don't keep you inside to be mean! The world is full of dangerous cat-eating dogs and cat-hitting cars and other cats who would kick your pampered butt! Stay inside, where it's safe.

Comments

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

What is it with cats and wanting to run outside? P does that a lot too, fortunately she is super dumb and her usual MO is to run out the front door, down my steps, and into the flowerbed... and then stop there and look confused, as though this is not at all what she expected, at which point I scoop her up and put her back inside.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I think/hope Ellie was at the 'confused' point before the dog spotted her. My apartment opens directly to the outside, but there's sort of a walkway between the buildings before you get to the Wide Open World. When she hit that opening to the rest of the world, she stopped.

There's going to be more Wide Open World outside of the new apartment. It's also going to be a lot harder to catch her in and a lot less safe if she gets out. (Current apartment has a lot of greenspaces, a big lawn right outside the walkway, new apartment has all driveways and roads, no green, little to stop and distract her.)

That whole 'this isn't what I expected' reaction is why I won't take her out on a leash -- I don't want her to get familiar with the outside! That would make it easier for her to get further if she ever gets out.