Dear Edgycat fans, In February of last year I ran away from Chicago. It was just too cold. I felt trapped in the house. My cat, Sally Cookie, felt that way too. Sally could not be left behind. She was ill, an illness with unpleasant symptoms. I couldn't ask anyone else to take care of her so I decided to take her with me to Berkeley, California. Here is our story...

2) Sally Kicks Over the Traces or
Who Let the Dogs Out?

Sally Cookie and I are visiting my friend Christina in Berkeley. She has expressed delight at hosting us for 2 months in a kinder climate than Chicago’s. C has wall-to-wall carpeting. Sally has a dicey digestive system.

Sally must hang out in the kitchen. The kitchen is enormous with two sliding doors leading to views of lush foliage; it has a couch and a heated linoleum floor. The kitchen has no door. We must fashion one. First we use a childproof gate. Sally laughs at it, sailing over it with ease. We find a bigger one... no problem for Sal. We find a 5 foot tall shoji screen in the closet... we drag it up to the kitchen and fit it with a latch. She delicately pushes it aside, showing up to keep us company while we watch the first season of Big Love.

We add a bottom latch. She watches us closely while we attach the latch. When we leave she delicately paws it and discovers that if she lifts it in the middle she can free it. I am stunned by her brilliance. I get the pliers and put a permanent crimp in the eye... the hook no longer lifts out. Ms. Cookie is very annoyed.

Join us for next week's entry, "Sally Goes to a Berkeley Vet."