I am convinced that Smokey spends the majority of the year planning his attack on my Christmas trees. As soon as we begin hauling the trees down the stairs, his inner wild animal emerges. Zero self control. And, before we get too far, I need to apologize for the lack of quality photos. Any picture of Smokey has to be taken very quickly!
The trees have to endure Smokey’s relentless attacks for the duration of the season. Everyday, there are ornaments that must be rehung. Sometimes the ribbon has been pulled off. Sometimes the tree skirt is in a different location. It would be no surprise to find one of the trees on the floor when I return from work. The struggle is real. And, Heaven forbid, we leave the ladder unattended for a few seconds. This cat has no fear. For the entire season, Ashton and I are constantly repeating, “Smokey, NO!”, or better yet, “Damn it, Smokey!” . He doesn’t respond to anything we say, no matter the tone. He may even think that is name is Damnit.
An unfortunate incident occurred one night last week. I noticed that there was an eye staring at me from the tree. Of course, the eye belonged to Smokey.
Moments later, he jumped out of the tree, as if he were going to attack me. While in mid-air, his leg became caught on a string of lights. Before I knew it, the tree was spinning and he was hissing. Neither Ashton or I could get our hands on him to free him. If he had been there alone, I am sure he would have chewed his leg off in order to escape. Before he was finally freed, his leg had become so tangled, I really expected it to be broken. After we checked him out, he hid under the bed for the rest of the night. I’ll never forget the look of horror as looked at the tree. Clearly, he thought the tree had attacked him. Since that night, he hasn’t been anywhere near the tree. If I try to place him near the tree, he hisses at it. I’m thankful he wasn’t hurt. For once, Smokey did something that had memorable consequences. Last year, he jumped onto a box and it immediately engulfed him. You’d think that would still be fresh in his cat memory….
Hopefully, my trees will have a much needed break from Smokey’s adventures.
Since Smokey became a part of our family, life has been an adventure! Although my patience wears thin at times, I love the black furry baby with all of my heart! His warm cat body snuggles next to me every night. While I could live without some of his crazy antics, I wouldn’t trade him for anything!
