Kittens and Accidents: How Minnie Keeps Using Her Nine Lives
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Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Miki, the kitten who made me a cat person.
Kittens are prone to mischief and accidents. Everyone knows that. With having dogs, I was used to them getting into trouble over seemingly simple things, and I suspected it would be the same with cats. Not having much experience as a cat owner until a little over a year ago with Miki (a prime example of a good kitten who rarely got into any mischief), I wasn’t prepared for the two kittens, especially Minnie. At 3.5 months old, she is already down to only 6 from the 9 lives cats are believed to have.
Life No. 1 – Even Doors Can Be Dangerous
With Minnie being so young and having a few health issues, I have not been letting her outside much. She’s been out with me, Miki, and the dogs a few times to explore the backyard, but not for more than 15 minutes. Now, as we have a cold and snowy winter, this is even less. However, Minnie can see the dogs and me going in and out while Miki generally uses the window, unless there is too much snow, when he prefers to enter through the front door.
One day in December, when I had electricians doing some work in the house, Minnie was playing downstairs and observing what they were doing. All the rustling got her attention, and she was soon like a shadow following us around the house. Then something terrible happened.
As we stepped outside and I was about to close the front door, there was a loud painful scream. It was Minnie trying to do something she had never done before, and that was to sneak out underneath the door. And as she had done it too quickly for me to see her, I almost closed the door on her. Panic hit. She was clearly uncomfortable, and I examined her several times top to bottom, imaging the worst scenarios of internal damage. Luckily, however, she was fine within a few minutes and showed no evidence of any external or internal injuries. Phew! One life down, 8 to go.
Life No. 2 – Toys On a String
A few weeks later, Minnie was playing with a feather toy on a rod attached via a string. She plays with it every day, and I often play with her. However, this time the toy was tangled around my office chair, and as usual, I heard rustling and her batting the toy around. The next minute there was a very strange troubled meow, and I looked down to see that the string was looped tight around Minnie’s neck. I rushed and grabbed scissors and cut it off, and everything was finished in a few seconds. I was shocked that this happened and that she almost strangled herself. I never leave this type of toy around when I am not there to supervise, but it shows how an accident can happen even when I am just a few feet from her. Down to 7 lives already!
Life No. 3 – A Hot Wood Burner
Since Miki rarely got into any trouble inside and out, cat-proofing the house for Minnie and Nara was new to me. There were some things I never imagined them trying to do, which could be very dangerous. Living rurally, I have a wood burner for extra heating in case of a power loss. I rarely use it, and when the fire is on inside the burner, the surroundings become quite warm. The cats seemed to realize that immediately and enjoyed lying down close to it and even playing around it. It occurred to me that they may try and jump up on top of it, but they showed absolutely no intent in doing so.
After almost two months of not using the wood burner, one especially cold day I decided to light a fire. You can probably guess what happened next. Within maybe two hours of the fire burning and the top of the burner surface getting extremely hot, Minnie was playing around it, probably realizing how warm and cozy it felt, and suddenly jumped up on top of it. She was there for a split second, meowing loudly, and jumped off due to the burning sensation she must have felt on her paws.
I jumped up in terror and rushed her to the bathroom, cooling her paws in cold water which she hated. Luckily, I am not even sure how she was unharmed, and her paws and pads showed no sign of thermal injury. It was a miracle, but another cat’s life was used up. Only 6 to go from now on.
Who Knows What’s Next
Knowing how Minnie can be reckless and probably not the brightest when it comes to assessing risks, I added more cat-proofing to the house. I still wonder what will be next and how she might end up hurting herself again. I also installed cameras inside to ensure I can keep an eye on them if not there, as well as putting Minnie in a crate for any longer absences. I can only hope we manage to keep the rest of her lives intact for many years to come.
- Read her previous article: Cats and Christmas: Recipe For Disaster
