Also, the cats

[desperance]

So every now and then there's a scream of outrage somewhere in the house, a roiling chaos of cat-bodies, followed by the thunder of tiny paws, followed by an Awful Pause and then the thud-crash-splinter of something being broken, spilt or otherwise scattered to the four winds.

At this point, it is customary that I groan gently and go to investigate, snarling at any cat I might happen to pass en route.

Today, the danger-signs came from the kitchen: where indeed Barry had leapt via counter-top to the top of the fridge to escape his tormenter. It's a common route, but one I have been trying to discourage. Specifically, I had loaded the top of the fridge with Stuff. Which, um, was not very effective.

I came into the kitchen to find Barry on the fridge, in that space hitherto occupied by the big thing full of flour. The big thing previously full of flour was on the floor, as was the flour.

As was the kettle. As was the water previously in the kettle.

As was Mac, cheerfully nom-nom-nomming his way through the admixture of flour and water resultant. Warm porridge! he said, with his mouth full, because he has no manners.

We used to use flour-and-water paste to glue paper together, when I was a kid. Now apparently it's catfudz.

It's still bloody hard to clean up, when spilt all over.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Caspian once spread lentils all over the floor: it took days, literally, to trap most of them, and stray ones turned up for months.
Do you think it's possible Mac may end up sticking his teeth together?

[desperance.livejournal.com]

We could hope. But we're not confident: Mac-saliva will dissolve pretty much anything.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

There might perhaps be temporary hiatus while he has to unstick them.

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

You know, there is always the possibility that Mac will accidentally glue his mouth shut.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Heh. Everybody's thinking this. Me? I'm just not hopeful. (Maybe I could get it wired shut, d'you think? My sister broke her jaw one time, had to have all the little bits wired together, ate through a straw for three months. I'd like to see him suck up broccoli through a straw...)

[glinda-w.livejournal.com]

I came into the kitchen to find Barry on the fridge, in that space hitherto occupied by the big thing full of flour.

And that's where I started with the helpless laughter. (Yes, my mother made the flour-and-water-as-substitute-for-school-glue, too.)

Much, much sympathy on the cleanup; I think that's a worse mess than any cat I've been owned by has made.

[mroctober.livejournal.com]

Is there anything Mac won't eat? Sheesh.

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

I hesitate to say this, just in case it might result in a similar incident up there in Newcastle, but a previous cat of mine once managed a demonstration of catly intrepidity involving about a pint of sorghum molasses and a box of cornstarch.
There are no descriptive words that I can manage that would give a complete picture of the event.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Oh dear.

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

Yea, verily, Mac will eat anything.

So it is written.

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

You know that Mac chases Barry through the kitchen because the chances are good he will knock over something nomable, yes/no? If I were Mac, I'd do that because then Barry is the naughty knocker over of things, and I, the pure-as-the-driven-snow Mac am the innocent recipient of tasty stuff - or flour and water, which is apparently as good.

[ms-cataclysm.livejournal.com]

Panda thinks this might be fun to try ...