Bad Boy and Josie
Bad Boy, being a pillow for Josephine.
Loving as he is here, he can be very different when defending his territory. He was feuding with a small beige cat for some time until he got his little self into trouble.
I was late for a meeting and was trying to get him indoors before I left. I could hear him mewing, but didn't get too worried. He's so spoiled, he doesn't think he should have to walk across the lawn for dinner and just sits and cries until someone picks him up and carries him in.
I left for the meeting but worried about him all the time and raced home afterwards to find he had gone up a tree on the other side of the creek.
It was cold, the water was even colder, but I braved it and waded across to try to get him to come down. He was scared. I went back across the creek for cat food, which I lost in the bushes. Back again for more cat food, but he wasn't tempted. Across again for different cat food. No luck!
Then across for the six foot step ladder which I dragged down the bank, across the creek and up the other side. It was no where near high enough.
By now it was midnight, I was tired, cold and my legs were all scratched and bleeding from the vines. Then I noticed something in the dark. He had stretched his body from one side of the tree trunk to the other and it looked as if his body was about three feet long. Nope. It was another cat. He had chased the little beige cat up the tree and now they were both stuck there.
A 26 foot extension ladder is very heavy, even if it is aluminum. I dragged this ladder across the creek too (all in the pitch black darkness of rural Florida). This ladder would have been high enough if the two cats had not moved way out onto skinny little branches where there was no place for the ladder.
I left the ladder in place by the tree trunk with cat food about half way up and went back to the house.
About a half hour later, he started to look as if he might come down, at least part way. I was able to climb the ladder and pick him up. He seemed so grateful, purring and loving me, that is until we crossed the creek. Apparently he's afraid of water. We got about half way and he screamed, dug his claws into me and leaped forward, almost reaching the bank.
A very wet, scared and hungry little Bad Boy devoured an entire can of cat food, then fell asleep on the bed where he stayed for the next 24 hours.
The other cat jumped down as soon as Bad Boy had left.