Cleo's daily escapades

For the last few days, Pole had more or less "retired" from trying to escape, and instead, daughter Cleo had taken over the job...and had been doing "pretty well" too.

It was Monday morning that Cleo made a zip-escape when I came downstairs to feed them. I thought she just wanted to do her duty of waking my husband up, so I let her be. For Cleo, she had been doing this every single day without fail in the old house, so I thought it was become an OCD with her - MUST wake my husband up or else, hence, I let her go up.

The pattern for the few days was that she would zip out, scuttle upstairs, mew like crazy until my husband got out of bed, or do the massage on his chest if he still lazed in bed, then he would carry her down and put her back in Bunny's Room where she'll go into the pantry to have a private breakfast all alone (the rest would have finished eating by then).

That had been the pattern, but on Monday, Cleo decided it was time to change the pattern....

This time, she scooted upstairs and I only heard a short duration of non-persistent mewing and from there, jumped out through the window and went onto the roof.

I didn't know that had happened until....my husband came down to work, and there was no Cleo...

Where's Cleo, I asked.

Don't know, he said.

What do you mean you don't know...didn't she go wake you up?

Er...no, she did not.

Ooops....

So the Hunt for Calico Cleo ensued and there was absolutely NO trace of her at all.

Ziltch.

I called and looked into the neighbour's garden, I looked up the roofs, and....nothing. Suddenly, we heard the sound of a cat fight at the back of the house...oh, oh.

But then it was really time to go to work and I couldn't be late for class, so I texted Cathy..."SOS, please help....Cleo's escaped."

However, thankfully, in about half hour while I was in class, my husband texted to say the old girl had come back and was then safe in Bunny's Room.

Phew!

"No more SOS", I texted Cathy. Thank you!

So how did the old girl come back?

Apparently, she came back from the roof, all the way from the back of the house...

Hmm...I think I need to send an official Thank You card (and perhaps a contract? - you chase my cats back safely, I'll pay you) to Mr Gorilla. Good old Mr G must have chased Cleo back, as he did Pole.

But the girl was adamant, so she just stood at the window and looked in.

Cleo plays this "distance game" where if you take a step nearer, she will take a step (of equivalent distance) further. You'd never catch her no matter how near you think you are. She has got the distance all accurately calculated in that little head of hers.

So, my husband waited patiently on the bed (I look at you, you look at me) until she decided she had tested your patience long enough, and she came in on her own.

And you think that was all?

Nope.

By mid-morning, my son, Jia-Wen, came downstairs and went into Bunny's Room to hang up the laundry. Ms Cleo zipped out again.

Jia-Wen also played the patience game with her until she was "tame" (read: not in escape mode) enough and he went over ever so slowly and....caught her! In the process of bringing her downstairs, she scratched wildly in the air.

Each day, there has been one escape episode, but not out to the road, thank goodness.

Who? Me?