Mrs Pepper's Cats 4

Chapter 4

Marmalade

(Cat burglar)

Marmalade was an inquisitive cat. She was also daring, mischievous and relatively fearless; unlike her more timid sister Havana Brown. But Mrs. Pepper loved both of her Oriental charges equally.

One other attribute though set these two furtive, furry, female felines apart. Marmalade was a thief. An out and out bandit at times. 

Now this is not, as Mrs. Pepper would attest to, a characteristic totally unusual in cats.

Many owners will testify to having a four-footed thief in their homes. Many people share their lives with cats who seem to have very sticky paws indeed. Many cats being predators are motivated by food. Most homes are infiltrated by a variety of enticing food aromas that their cat is subjected to throughout the day and it can be hard for them to resist. In Mrs. Pepper's case she was unable to open a packet of crisps without Marmalade arriving on her lap and awaiting her opportunity to swipe the odd Walkers cheese and onion from her hand, just as she was about to place it in her own mouth. Marmalade was so obsessed with crisps that she would awaken from cat napping or appear from the garden or the other end of the house at the mere rustling of the packet. 

Some cats will steal objects just to play with them. They will often take the item in a stealthy fashion because they do not wish the owner to know, because past experience has taught them this is the best way to get away with it, particularly if they have been scolded previously. Cats tend to chew on stringy things like chord, laces, rubber objects, socks, wool or fleece. They tend to remove them somewhere out of the owner's sight so they can play with them in peace, chew them or even attempt to eat them. In some instances this may provide some comfort to them if they are feeling stressed. Sucking of some items, such as wool or string, is a self soothing mechanism, much as a baby sucking its thumb. Sometimes the objects stolen are taken because they have the scent of the owner in them.  

Another reason for cats stealing things is to gain attention, especially if doing so previously gains them a reaction from their owner. Even giving a reprimand is seen by the cat as a form of attention. And playing with the object or participating in the game before taking it away reinforces the behaviour. Cats are very clever animals and if a cat sees that stealing results in receiving attention, they will be more likely to do it again.  

A cat may steal objects and carry them around as if carrying their prey. They may act protectively of their catch and may growl while walking around the home. They may even guard objects and this may cause them to show aggression toward their owner or another animal they live with.

In Marmalades case she brought back objects from her travels around her territory in the vicinity of Mongoose Barn. Mrs. Pepper was often incredulous and stumped  by the range of objects Marmalade delivered. 

Whereas both Havana and Marmalade now-and-again brought back alive or dead small rodents, and in Havana's case once a live kit which, due to a broken hind leg, had to be dispatched as a kindness by Mrs. Pepper's friend, Simon, Marmalade turned up over the years with a variety of unexplained objects.  

These included a child's Timex watch, a rubber toy dinosaur, a piece of half eaten buttered toast and a little girl's pink pen with an Ostrich feather attached. In fact she had a thing for feathers. Mrs. Pepper herself had been given a feather pen as a gift. Having no real use for it, but feeling obliged to retain it,  she placed it in the top drawer of the bedside corner table in the spare double bedroom. Only to discover that Marmalade would lay on top of the table, and using her paw, work the drawer open until she could remove the pen. Mrs. Pepper often found it in various locations around the house, where it had been taken for surreptitious play, and returned it to its place with a smile, until next time. 

However the one and only object which stuck in Mrs. Pepper's mind was brought home one warm, balmy summer evening in late August. Mrs. Pepper had enjoyed a barbeque with a small number of her friends in the afternoon and evening. She had seen them off one by one and was busy in the cottage kitchen loading her dish washer and cleaning the utensils and items that were not dish washer proof, when she heard the cat flap operated. Normally this did not phase her and either Marmalade or Havana would appear meowing and seeking her attention. On this occasion however Mrs. Pepper's attention was taken by the loudness of the entry through the plastic kitty door and the fact that no feline appeared to harass her for strokes. 

She stopped washing her crystal whisky glasses, took her hands out of the warm soapy suds filled water, dried her hands and went to the front door. There she was met with the tableau of Marmalade sitting proudly awaiting her attention as she guarded a bright pink child's dress shoe. 

Mrs. Pepper was incredulous, Where on earth had Marmalade obtained it? What on earth possessed her to take such an object and drag it all the way back to Mongoose Barn? And how was she, Mrs. Pepper, going to find out where it had come from and explain it to the parents of the currently one shoed young lady. 

She took the item from an indignant puss, pacifying  her with her evening sachet of moist flaked chicken, and placed the shoe out of reach in the cloakroom before returning to the kitchen to finish her chores. 

When she had finished her tasks she was quite exhausted from the catering, entertaining and clearing away and so decided to pour herself a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio and sit in the garden until sun set. 

As she did so, she was reflecting upon a lovely time with dear friends and trying to put thoughts of work, looming in the morning, out of her mind when she heard her name called. She looked round and there at the bottom garden gate stood Mrs. Pugh. 

'Hi Mrs. Pepper, how are you?' she said loudly. 

Mrs. Pepper pushed back her chair and rose from her garden table to walk the short distance down the path. 

'Hi Helen.' she said 'I'm great, how are you? What can I do for you?' 

Mrs. Pugh then explained to Mrs. Pepper that she had been in her lounge clearing up after Sunday lunch, her two children were in the lounge watching 'Ice Age' on DVD after spending the afternoon in the garden where they were going to camp out overnight. 

She looked out the window and saw Marmalade skulk out of her children's tent carrying one of her daughter's dressing up shoes in her jaws. She tried to follow her and retrieve the bright pink high-heel by startling her, but Marmalade had simply ignored her, leaped over the post and rail fence and disappeared along the alleyway. 

Mrs. Pepper laughed quietly to herself. 

'Hold on Helen, I'll go get it. I wondered where she had stolen it from; I am so sorry.' she ended as she scuttled up the garden path to fetch the contraband shoe.

Reviews

[Island Hippy]

Aloha John, lovely chapter haha. Again effortless detail. Like the reviewer below I thought the detail around why cats steal was very well done. I like marmalades adventurous spirit. Also nice to meet some of the neighbours :)
Lovely chapter. Izzy

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Izzy, makes it worth the effort to think someone enjoys it.

[DIVYA]

I loved the reasons cats steal. Great detailing. A very entertaining and informative read, John.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Divya. I enjoy the learning too as I research and begin to understand why our cat behaves as she does.

[DIVYA]

You are welcome John :)

[wordman]

waiting on the book john,loved this chapter

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed this story. Cats do have their own personality. I liked Mrs. Pepper and the cat. You create good visions of free cat who love to borrow. Thank you John for sharing the amazing tale.

Coyote