It's official: Max has earned his kitty-scout merit badge in chain-link fence climbing.
The story:
Yesterday morning, as Matt was leaving for work, he happened to catch a glimpse of Max darting from the yard next-door and heading to our own backyard. Since Matt was already in his car and driving away, he gave me a call. I got up, threw on some clothes, and left the bedroom to go collect Max. As soon as I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Max waiting at the porch door.
That's interesting... I wonder if Matt saw Max or another cat? ... But Max is pretty hard to mistake...So in comes Max, and the day continues as normal.
After we got home, we ask the neighbors if they have seen Max outside the yard. The reply that they found him in their garage the day before yesterday. Of course, they are fine with that, but technically this is against city rules. Also, Max could become a pest to other neighbors if he got out. I argue that it's possible he's learned to open the gate - it's not that hard to do. Matt thinks he's learned to climb the fence. Hmm...
So we decide to test him to see first-hand what new-found skill he has gained. I take Mattie just outside the fence, and I call to Max to have him follow. He cries for a bit, tries to find a way through, but he doesn't really try that much. We need to raise the bar on the bait we are providing....
So Matt brings me some ice cream.
Muhahaha! We have your attention now, kitty! Max tries especially hard to squeeze his way through the gate. No luck. No attempt to open the gate. I keep calling. All of a sudden, Max hops slightly and flattens himself against the middle part of the fence, and he starts making his way toward the top.
Good boy, Max! At the top, he hesitates slightly, but decides he might as well jump/fall to the side with the ice cream. As his reward, I let him lick a bit of ice cream off of my finger.
And now Max's days of unsupervised hunting in the backyard are officially over. I am sad, but I have to remember that it is his own darn fault. Also, if he were to get out, he could get hit, and Mattie would be lost without him. :-( Looks like he'll have to get used to being mostly an indoor kitty from now on...
