Cat, Roof, Neighbor, Ladder, Labor Day
It's 5:30 am Labor Day morning and I hear Lulah crying. Which is odd, because I let her out at 4:30am and left the door open for her return. The crying continues so I get out of bed and check all exits/entrances. No Lulah, more crying. It takes me a few minutes, but finally I find her.
Lulah against a morning sky with the delicate silhouette of Sophora microphylla, but we're not talking plants this morning, we're talking Lulah's inexplicable trip to the roof in what is the first time in our four years together.
Now it's 6:00 am and I take out my only ladder. It's completely inadequate, i.e., total crap. I briefly consider getting out on the ledge below the roof to keep Lulah company, but having recently fallen down my own back stairs only to land on the basement concrete floor, I reluctantly forgo the risk.
I decide to e-mail my neighbor Paul, an early-waking walker who, like me, is often online. Never have I been more grateful for the invention of the Blackberry. Paul gets my message and goes into action.
Paul Anthony, generous neighbor and dependable early riser; elapsed time between distress call and response, 10 minutes.
Lulah, bless her, stays put while we prepare for her rescue. For a moment I think she looks amused, but she's not that cerebral. Certainly she's stopped mewing and is no longer pacing in distress.
And so I ascend to her rescue on this well-named labor day. No doubt you'd like to see a better picture of our happy protagonists, but one of them had seriously bad bedhead.
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How did the cat get on the roof?
Yeah, that's what I want to know...
Me too.
I bet Lulah will not be getting on the roof again anytime soon. I am glad that you recognized that Lulah must have been in distress and went to her rescue. Having had my cat for 21 years I know exactly how the you must of felt when Lulah was heard but not seen.
What's wrong with a good roof...that's where my Ellie-Cat sleeps.
...but I can't help but wonder...what plants did she survey as she sat atop the shingles?
Note that Ketzel lives in a lush area -- no doubt her Lulah jumped from a tree onto the roof. Knowing cats as I do, I wouldn't be surprised if she ventures that way again. I love cats.
I'll freak if she does it again! Only because I still don't own a good ladder. But I do think I know why she set this precedent in her late middle (10-ish) age.
We (Lulah, the two dogs and I) usually sleep downstairs, but because I'd had two parties over Labor Day wkend (it's that damn new courtyard of mine begging for company), the bedroom was completely trashed. I moved upstairs that night instead. After going out to pee, Lulah clearly figured she could bypass the back door and the stairs to get back into bed.
I love cats, too.
Hurah!!!! Paul saves the day...he is entitled to a treat!!
I once had to do the same thing to get Simba off the neighbor's roof. Only it was 3 am, raining and the neighbors slept through it. He was supposed to be an indoor cat.
OK so this has got to be as old a question as Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo, but what kind of survival instinct are we talking about here that leads them up but doesn't get them down?
my vet said indoor cats live average 14 yrs and outdoor cats 4.
I sympathize with you. Nothing is as scary as an animal companion in distress to whom you can't explainthe solution to their problem. My late best friend, Amanda, when she was about 14 or 15, decided to climb a 25 foot palm tree in our yard in Florida. She would not come down for any treats I offered. My veterinarian told me I had to get her down as her aging kidneys could not stand much more. So I called the local tree service (who had rescued her from a magnolia the year before when they were working on our property) and they graciously came out and retrieved her. She survived transplanting to Virginia a year later and her kidneys held on until she was 19. She was a great comfort during many stressful changes in my life at the time. I thank the powers that be that none of my current three cat companions feel compelled to go that high to see what they can see from up there. I'm very happy for you that you have your Lulah back safe in your arms.
I don't think that's true about outdoor cats. I've heard that they don't live as long (but I think they have more fun). In my sample size of 4 outdoor cats I've got 22 yrs, 14 yrs, 16 yrs, and 12 yrs...so glad Lulah is down, my neighbor's cat was once stuck in a tree and the neighborhood cut down the tree after 4 days! He survived, but didn't venture outside for week or two.
Thank you both for your stories and sweet thoughts.
Greetings, I am glad for Paul being able to help you. I have loved every one of your stories, comments, essays that you do for NPR. Get you hair in shape and lets have a photo.
The average lifespans of indoor versus outdoor cats are true. That said, there is a huge range of living conditions for "outdoor cats." I tend to think my cats might have more fun outside, but, alas, I live on a busy road. I don't think they'd have fun getting run over. Suburbs, city, country; all have their pros and cons for extending or shortening the life of kitty.
Believe it or not, folks, two nights later, she did it again - this time climbed onto the neighbor's roof and then started crying. This is brand new behavior, anyone have any ideas what's going on with my Lulah?
