The Glass is Solid
Birds are amazing creatures. They have the ability to fly under their own power, something we humans have dreamed about for thousands of years. However, with every ability, there is a downfall, and the bird is no exception. The bird had no concept of glass. To the average bird, that window or sliding glass door to the patio is not a barrier to the house. However, as many of us are a witness to, those birds who found out the hard way are given a wake up call that some do not wake up from. THUD!!! Oops, Polly found the door.
Cats (or I should say kittens) have the ability to tell the difference between glass and air, but sometimes it takes a short lesson. Even now, this brings a smile to my face. Just as Shadow was getting the hang of running and jumping, he was also getting more adventurous. I was sitting in my great room, where I have a coffee table and two end tables, all with glass tops, watching TV. Shadow was creeping about the house, killing all the strings and socks that crossed his path. I went and sat my drink on the coffee table, Shadow was underneath, and went back to watching the show.
THUNK! I look down, wondering what just happened, to see Shadow sitting there with a weird, questioning look on his little kitten face. I could not help myself, and nearly pissed my pants laughing at what I discerned happened. Shadow looked over at me, same dumbfounded look on his face and meowed. Though I was not well versed in catspeak at the time, I knew exactly what he was saying: "Hey, that's solid!"
He shook it off and went about his cat duties (read: sleeping) and I went back to watching TV. A little while later, Shadow crept up on to the couch gave his pre-jump butt-wiggle and soared the foot and a half to the top of the coffee table. The next thing that happened was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen an animal do. Oh, I curse myself for not keeping the video camera out... His eyes told him there was nothing under his feet, but his paws kept hitting something solid... He must have thought, "If I keep my feet moving, they will keep me from falling."
He was running in place.
Birds are amazing creatures. They have the ability to fly under their own power, something we humans have dreamed about for thousands of years. However, with every ability, there is a downfall, and the bird is no exception. The bird had no concept of glass. To the average bird, that window or sliding glass door to the patio is not a barrier to the house. However, as many of us are a witness to, those birds who found out the hard way are given a wake up call that some do not wake up from. THUD!!! Oops, Polly found the door.
Cats (or I should say kittens) have the ability to tell the difference between glass and air, but sometimes it takes a short lesson. Even now, this brings a smile to my face. Just as Shadow was getting the hang of running and jumping, he was also getting more adventurous. I was sitting in my great room, where I have a coffee table and two end tables, all with glass tops, watching TV. Shadow was creeping about the house, killing all the strings and socks that crossed his path. I went and sat my drink on the coffee table, Shadow was underneath, and went back to watching the show.
THUNK! I look down, wondering what just happened, to see Shadow sitting there with a weird, questioning look on his little kitten face. I could not help myself, and nearly pissed my pants laughing at what I discerned happened. Shadow looked over at me, same dumbfounded look on his face and meowed. Though I was not well versed in catspeak at the time, I knew exactly what he was saying: "Hey, that's solid!"
He shook it off and went about his cat duties (read: sleeping) and I went back to watching TV. A little while later, Shadow crept up on to the couch gave his pre-jump butt-wiggle and soared the foot and a half to the top of the coffee table. The next thing that happened was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen an animal do. Oh, I curse myself for not keeping the video camera out... His eyes told him there was nothing under his feet, but his paws kept hitting something solid... He must have thought, "If I keep my feet moving, they will keep me from falling."
He was running in place.
