Case of the Cat Nap

I used to read mysteries voraciously. I started off with a few Nancy Drew's, then moved on to Trixie Belden and her side-kick Honey. As I grew up, I started reading some Mary Higgins Clark and then the Nora Roberts series about Eve Dallas. So you can see I have a weakness for figuring things out ... I just never thought I'd have to solve a mystery at home.

It all started when the plant on my dining room table suddenly started losing dirt. Yes, it would be scattered around every morning. None of the other two plants in the house were touched ... just the one on the table. Honestly, solving the WHO was easy. Meet the culprit, Cinder.


What a mugshot! She actually looks like, "who me? I didn't do it, I tell ya."

The mystery came as HOW she was doing it (I don't think I'll ever understand the mind of a cat to get the WHY!). And I was determined to solve it! You see, the plant she is trying to destroy was one from my Nana's funeral. I have never been known to have a green thumb. In fact, if you wanted to kill something you brought it to me. So I have been very proud of myself that I have kept this plant alive for almost three years now. I like to think my Nana, whose whole body was green, is looking out for me.

I watched and watched and watched but I could never catch her in the act. Then the break through. One afternoon when Shawn came home, it all became clear. And I died laughing when I heard what she was doing. It seems as if she's figured out how to climb in the pot, curl up and nap in the warm sunshine of the dining room.


I've tried to get a picture of her doing it, but she seems to avoid me at all costs when she knows I'm upset with her. Just like a kidlet. Yes, she is my sixth kid: Shawn, Mallory, Truett, Jack, Jill and finally, Cinder. So, I'll keep chasing her down ... waiting for just the right moment to catch her in the act and send her to jail.